The Last Time I Saw Him by Rachel Abbott
This latest offering by Rachel Abbott, is the fourth in the Detective Stephanie King series, but is my introduction to her writing. It works fine as a standalone book and, if anything, probably underplays its connection to the rest of the series.
The plot revolves around three women; Juliette, Celia and Nadia, and their association with the novel’s antagonist, millionaire philanthropist Ellis Cobain. Following an evening out, in which all three women had some involvement, Cobain is found dead on his yacht, anchored off-shore from an upmarket Cornish hotel.
The three main female characters are well developed, their strengths and weaknesses, similarities and differences, amply explored. The antagonist, and murder victim, is less so, coming across as more pantomime villain than true, three-dimensional character. The detective team is also less well developed than I would have expected, possibly suffering from the necessity to give considerable descriptive resources to the main characters.
Much like the story as a whole, Detective King’s involvement from the beginning is coincidental. As it’s part of a series with her name on it, you would expect her to be the driving force. This isn’t necessarily a criticism, but it took this reader a while to warm to the concept. I felt her character came across as a little undercooked.
It is a psychological drama bordering on cosy mystery, rather than a thriller, I would say. It is not a novel that relies on body count, and doesn’t lean into the police procedural trope to any great extent. In search of the twisty tale, it possibly gets entangled a little too much. Multiple character viewpoints of similar events sometimes sapping necessary pace. The storyline, while having a strong overall arc, lagged at times.
The plot weaves through the main character’s lives very much like a traditional locked room whodunnit. In concept, it would not be out of place with an Agatha Christie title or as part of Caroline Graham’s Midsomer Murders series. You could easily see it as the basis for an episode of Beyond Paradise. From early on, it is clear that there are three primary suspects, each with ample motive and varying levels of means, but none with obvious opportunity. It is up to the investigative team to break down the alibis of a group that has gone to great lengths to cover its tracks.
One first-person and two third person narrators convey the story. It’s a narrative structure I struggled to adjust to at first, but it works well when you become used to it. The choice of one of the three suspects, Juliette, as the first-person narrator rather than Stephanie, seemed counterintuitive. It possibly also led to Stephanie coming across as a less forceful presence than you might anticipate. Once you learn to deal with this, however, the book is smooth and easy to navigate.
Overall it’s an enjoyable read. Despite some reservations about the narrative structure, the strength of the supposed main character and some pacing issues, the book is a very decent companion for its duration. Rachel is a fine writer, well able to create a narrative, carry a story and bring the reader on a journey with her.
(c) Diarmaid Condon
Order your copy online here.
