I am delighted to share my review today for The Last by Hannah Jameson. I have seen this book around and then was lucky enough to find a copy in our local community book swap.

THE WORLD HAS ENDED IN NUCLEAR WAR.

You and nineteen other survivors hole up in an isolated Swiss hotel.

You wait, you survive.

Then you find the body.

One of your number has blood on their hands.

The race is on to find the killer…

BEFORE THE KILLER FINDS YOU.

MY REVIEW

I enjoy dystopian or near-future novels, and The Last cover definitely caught my eye. A hotel in Switzerland is the setting, news of nuclear bombs exploding over certain parts of the US, and Europe and the decision about what to do next is the main premise for this story.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that a body is discovered under suspicious circumstances!

While this book is set in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion the focus of the story is on those who decided to remain at the hotel rather than risk the unknown. News reports, social media, internet are all gone, all people have to go on is the last things that were sent as bombs landed. Not knowing all the facts make sit very hard to work out what to do next.

With the discovery of the body though, the story focuses on one man’s decision to try and discover who was responsible for the death while at the same time keeping a journal of what is happening over the course of the following days. This gives the air of a locked-room mystery as the hotel and the suspects, or guests as they should be referred to, are isolated.

The author has done a wonderful job of giving a sense of isolation and also coming to terms with the fact that the world they once knew has gone. There are mentions of things being organised such as food, hunting parties, and basic stuff like that, but this is mentioned in the form of the journal notes.

This is a story that has many twists and I did enjoy the style of the book and the mystery element to it. Yes, it is dystopian but actually more mystery with a good suspense vibe to it. If you are a fan of murder mystery stories in isolated settings that do have a thriller sense to them rather than a cosy mystery then this is one that you may like. I enjoyed it and I would happily recommend it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hanna Jameson’s fourth novel, part murder mystery and part post-apocalyptic thriller – THE LAST – is out early 2019, with Viking UK and Simon & Schuster – Atria Books US. The Last is the story of an American academic searching for the truth about a girl who has been murdered in his Swiss hotel in the aftermath of a nuclear war that has destroyed most of the Western world.

Jameson had written the first draft of her debut, award-nominated novel – SOMETHING YOU ARE – at just seventeen. Something You Are and two further novels in the series – GIRL SEVEN and ROAD KILL – are available now in the UK, Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands.

She lives in London currently, and is working on screenwriting projects. She likes whiskey, history, and emotionally taxing TV shows.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx