My Five Word TL:DR Review: Entertaining, well written domestic thriller

The Last One at the Wedding was an easy read, it kept me moving forward at a decent pace and the story was intriguing but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Hidden Pictures and I did have a few small issues that prevented me from loving it.  That being said, the writing is good, and as already mentioned, this definitely kept my attention.  I will certainly be watching very carefully to see what this author comes up with next.

As the story begins we meet Frank.  He’s been estranged from his daughter Maggie for three years now so when he receives a phone call from her – inviting him to her wedding – he’s overjoyed.  At this point we’re not sure about much of the history between father and daughter so I won’t relay any of that here as it’s best discovered as the plot unfolds.  So, the surprise news is that Maggie has only known her intended, Aidan, for six months.  Frank is keen to meet his future son in law and sets off eagerly to join them both for a quiet dinner.  Unfortunately, Frank isn’t at first enamoured by Aiden who seems detached and not exactly welcoming.  The dinner goes okay but it certainly doesn’t settle Frank’s doubts.  Not only is this a very new relationship but as it also happens Aidan’s father is very, very rich.  It did kind of give me warning bells why he’d be rushing into this so frantically but I put it to one side for the moment.

As the wedding weekend draws closer, Frank receives a picture of a missing girl – a girl linked to Aidan – and his doubts increase.  But, at the same time he doesn’t want to alienate Maggie too much and so he sets off for Osprey Cove – where the event of the season will be taking place – with his sister and foster child in tow.

Now, I’m not going to go any further into the plot because I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

This is well written, I enjoy the author’s style very much indeed – enough so that it kept me reading even though I wouldn’t exactly say that the story itself was particularly exciting  In a way this felt more like lots of little blips, driven by Frank’s unease about the situation and the fact that he wanted to protect his daughter – whether she wanted, or needed, him to or not.

The characters.  I struggled a little with them all to be honest.  Frank isn’t particularly unlikable but nor is he easy to become attached to.  He’s a bit like a dog with a bone when it comes to his doubts and, to be fair, he has a strong case but he seems to bash around like a bull in a china shop – in fact I think a bull might be a tad more subtle.  Maggie.  We spend very little time with her and she is decidedly detached when it comes to Frank, everything she does feels very much like a token gesture.  Aiden’s family.  Well, Aiden’s father is an over privileged man with so much money that he’s started to believe he can do anything without reprisal and he’s surrounded by a bunch of ‘yes’ people.  His wife is practically non-existent.  She apparently suffers with migraines and remains locked away (like the mad aunt in the attic!).  Frank’s sister.  I wanted to like her but some of her decisions were also a little bit suspect.

Osprey Cove belongs to Aidan’s family and is a deluxe retreat with multiple cabins and places to hold an event.  The wedding is a society affair with over 300 people attending and there are almost as many staff – although sometimes it had the feeling of a very attractive prison camp.  I liked the setting, it had elements enough to make it spooky and atmospheric.

In terms of criticisms.  Well, they’re mostly little issues, but the sort of thing that nag away at the back of my mind.  And, I don’t really think it’s fair to other readers to list them here.  Without being a spoiler I think a combination of difficult to like characters, a bit of a thin plot, and a slightly odd ending left me with the overall impression that this was an easy and entertaining read but not something that I absolutely loved.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars