Her Last Holiday: the next addictive crime thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Strangers and Sleep

This should appeal to readers who enjoy the likes of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.Rating: 4.0/5Thank goodness for C.L. Taylor! Having recently battled my way through a couple of books that were less than enjoyable, it was a relief to get my hands on something that was a pleasure to read.In her latest offering, Cally Taylor has produced a story that essentially has a mystery at its core, but which also touches on family (particularly sibling) relationships and the impact that unrevealed secrets can have on future events. The novel also questions the rôle and motivations of self-styled, self-help groups and the, often charismatic, people who run them.The narrative operates across two timelines: The present day and also at a point 2-3 years earlier. Jenna, the sister of our lead protagonist, Fran, disappeared while attending a wellness retreat. The man behind the self-help retreat, Tom Wade, has since been serving a jail sentence as a result of two other people dying while they were in attendance. Jenna's body was never found, nor was she heard from again, and Tom has never revealed what happened to her. Following his release from imprisonment Tom is set to pick up where he left off and run another wellness retreat. So, Fran signs up for the course - and goes in search of the truth.Along with her contemporaries, Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley, C.J. Taylor has an impressive knack of creating settings and characters that are authentic and relatable. As a result, the reader is more accepting of the world they are being invited into and the scenario being presented. She achieves that again with this novel and while it is, perhaps, not her best, it is still very good and certainly a recommended read.

HER LAST HOLIDAYby C. L. Taylor⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Tom Wade has just been released from prison after serving a two year sentence following the deaths of two people during one of his “Soul Shrink” retreats. Now, Fran is determined to find out what happened to her sister Jenna, who disappeared at the same time.Tom has been tight lipped about Jenna, but Fran wants the truth, and is soon attending Tom’s next retreat. Will Tom tell her the truth, and will she survive the encounter?I bought this book the moment it became available on Kindle, and while still only 30% in, I then bought the hard back too. It’s that good!The story switches between the retreat on the Maltese island of Gozo, mainly told from Jenna’s perspective, and Fran’s search for the truth almost three years later in North Wales. If that wasn’t stressful enough, being unable to tell friend from foe pushed the tension through the roof and there were times I felt anxious for Fran.I found that I liked Jenna and Fran almost immediately, and warmed to several of the other players too, even changing my mind completely about Tom. Naturally, there were those who I found to be anywhere from disagreeable to Ioathsome. The sibling rivalry forced onto the sisters by an overbearing mother, and that overwhelming feeling that the other sibling is the favoured child, while you are considered the family disappointment, must have built such thick walls between Fran and Jenna, it was no wonder they weren’t the best at communication.Every time I came up with a possible fate for Jenna, the author swiftly performed some unseen Judo move and swept my feet from under me. While I did eventually worked out how it would play out, it was still shocking and the explanation took me completely by surprise. And that is why a C. L. Taylor book never disappoints.Overall, I think this was a very well written, complex, and compelling book, which I am happy to recommend to any lover of a good mystery. I have given Her Last Holiday by C. L. Taylor five stars. (dated 1 May 2021)

This was such a disappointment 😞. I normally love C L Taylor's books but what a let down this was. Very long & drawn out & really really boring. I didn't want to pick it up & read at every opportunity like I normally would. I couldn't really be bothered to read it to the end but I did persevere & it was disappointing with no great twist. Sorry but not for me this one.

Having read most of this author's books I was really looking forward to this and I wasn't disappointed.Tom Wade has just been released from prison after 2 people died and 1 person apparently committed suicide on his soul shrink retreat in Gozo. His wife Kate convinces him to rebuild soulshrink and hold another retreat in Wales. Fran, the sister of the apparent suicide decides to go undercover on the retreat as she is convinced Tom murdered her sister.I found this a compelling fast paced read with complex character's that I enjoyed getting to no more about. I couldn't put this book down I really needed to know what really happened in Gozo

I wanted to love this book ... It doesn't bode well when I put a book down after the first couple of chapters. I wasn't quite following the somewhat disjointed narrative so thought I'd wait until I was less tired. Picked it up the following day only to be even more confused by pseudonyms , chronology and characters. I gave up at 40% and haven't even bothered scrolling to the end to see what happened. I don't care ...