The Last Holiday by Amy Sheppard is the type of psych thriller that has a lot going on. It’s up to the reader to sort out what is important and what isn’t.
The base of the plot is good. A group of friends gathers together for the last holiday together. Do they know it’s the last one? Have they had others? That’s a little murky (more on that later).
The dynamic of the group is interesting. We get that they go back years and that they’ve maintained ties over time. But there’s been a rift lately for some reason.
I think that is the one thing that drags the story down. It didn’t feel like they had really been all that close in recent years, so the whole holiday thing felt…forced.
Maybe that was the point?
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BZPS9S15social
Audio:
UK: zpr.io/ktxK9ZNpyaQh
US: zpr.io/VTVN68Ctsdv8
At any rate, once the author introduces everyone (via chapters from different POVs), it soon becomes apparent that this once-tight group has a LOT of secrets that they’ve all been hiding from each other. So, when a major event happens, it’s not a surprise that everyone starts looking at each other sideways.
I thought the character dynamics were okay. Some of the relationships were a bit difficult to grasp, but as secrets were revealed, it became obvious why those were tenuous.
I didn’t quite get the point of the relationship the DI had with the group. It felt superfluous. However, she had a part in a couple of good twists, so I guess she was useful.
Overall, The Last Holiday had me turning pages to find the next revealed secret (and, of course, to solve the “whodunit”). I’ll definitely be looking for the next psych thriller from Amy Sheppard.
