Gotta love a murder mystery set at a wellness retreat. ( )

This novel, and others by this author are billed "gripping psychological thrillers".

Fran, in her 50s, is 12 years older than Jenna, and consumed by guilt, feeling that they were never as close as they should have been, and that she let her younger sister down when she most needed her. Their mother Geraldine, is convinced Jenna is still alive, and feels that Fran ought to try one more time to find her. At the time Jenna disappeared Fran went out to the Maltese island of Gozo but found out nothing.

Now Tom Wade, the man who was holding the retreat on Gozo, has been released from prison and is holding another retreat, this time in the UK. Geraldine books herself into the retreat but insists that Fran goes in her place. Fran discovers that a number of the people at the retreat were also at the Gozo one, and she feels that they must know what Tom Wade, and his wife Kate are hiding.

The narrative predictably swaps between Now and Then, and Fran discovers she is not the only one who is hiding who she is. She also works out that there is someone else on the retreat who wants to sabotage her efforts to find out what happened to Jenna.

There is enough mystery in the plot threads to keep you reading. ( )

C.L. Taylor is one of my favourite authors and I always feel as though I'm in safe hands when I read one of her psychological thrillers. In Her Last Holiday we are transported to both Wales and Gozo as Fran tries to find out what happened to her sister, Jenna.

Jenna disappeared on a retreat in Gozo two years earlier. Was she murdered, did she commit suicide? It appears as though she disappeared into thin air. In a bid to find out what really happened and to try and shut up her unpleasant and overbearing mother, Fran books herself onto a retreat in Wales run by the same people, Tom and Kate.

First of all, I don't ever want to go on a retreat! Both of the ones in the book end up being quite dangerous places consisting of some rather dubious activities and some distinctly strange people. More than once I found myself grimacing at what was going on, and at the twists and turns taking place.

I loved Fran. She's one of those sorts of people who are quite blunt and who say exactly what they think but also she stands up for people and throws herself into all situations with a kind of gung-ho attitude. In fact, all of the author's characterisations are brilliant and I really feel she excels at nailing people's traits and foibles, pinning down exactly what makes them tick.

Her Last Holiday is another great read from Taylor. I was kept guessing and never knew which wellness retreat resident to trust. Fran meets some who were on the Gozo retreat. Do they know what happened to Jenna? I certainly couldn't work it out but I really enjoyed being along for the ride. Full of suspense and tension, with a compelling storyline and fascinating characters, I thought this was an excellent read. ( )

Two years ago Fran's sister Jenna disappeared on a retreat abroad. Two people died there that same day, but Jenna was never found. Now the man Jenna's family believe to be responsible for her disappearance, Tom Wade, is out of prison. And the family wants answers. The story alternates between three women: Fran, Jenna and Tom's wife Kate. Although Kate's story is touching, Fran and Jenna are clearly the main characters. This is very much a story of a dysfunctional family, grief and people wanting to heal.
Fran was probably my favorite character. I was able to identify with her. All the characters felt real to me, except for Tom. He is just a shell of a man surrounded by strong women. Female characters in general were well fleshed out and their motivations understandable. The story did keep me guessing till the very end. I was fascinated by the description of the retreat. I've never been to one, and was interested in finding out what happens there. The story also has a couple of twists to keep you guessing what actually occurred. The ending was a surprise. I did not see it coming.
The thing that got me confused was that many characters had two names. Sometimes I got the names mixed up and forgot who was supposed to know who and by what name.
This is a well written mystery by a talented author. Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a copy of this book. ( )