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The Last Interview of Ada Fenn

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ONE VULNERABLE VICTIM
When 84-year-old Ada Fenn was found dead, natural causes were easily assumed. But when the post-mortem revealed that her heart problems had nothing to do with it, a full-blown murder investigation was launched.

TWO DESPERATE DETECTIVES.
Morally indecisive DC Hugo Moreno and the veteran DS Ennis Henriksen try to work as a team to figure out what happened. Will their unorthodox measures break through the lies, misleading evidence, and secrets of...

THREE SUSPICIOUS WITNESSES
Kathleen - the loyal administrator... who stands to gain.
Tamara - the hard-working carer... who seeks a better life.
Adrian - charity worker... with a ticket to leave the country.

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2023

1 person is currently reading
110 people want to read

About the author

V.A. Rudys

3 books23 followers
V. A. Rudys is a writer, and author of the new novel My Wife Jodie. For most of this career V. A. Rudys worked as a video editor engaging viewers visually, now his experienced led to writing highly visual thriller stories. V. A. Rudys lives in London but originally came from Lithuanian who also struggles with visual dyslexia. He believes that no one should be discouraged from being able to write.

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5 stars
13 (54%)
4 stars
3 (12%)
3 stars
4 (16%)
2 stars
3 (12%)
1 star
1 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,605 reviews177 followers
October 27, 2023
I enjoyed this book but I don’t think it had the same power as Rudys’s debut novel. I thought the protagonist, Hugo, was quite a weak character and I disliked his indecisiveness. I would have preferred to see Ennis take on a more lead role, or Hugo’s friend, Riley, as they were portrayed as more interesting characters.

The death of Ada Fenn is suspicious and when the police arrive at the scene five days after her death, there are just three main suspects: the carer, the charity worker and the personal assistant. Yet, for all of the detectives questioning, they cannot fathom who is the one behind her death. Each of the three characters have a strong motive for wanting Ada murdered but there is not enough concrete evidence to push for a conviction.

This creates a novel that is full of speculation and questioning. I could not pick a contender for the suspect and I liked how the writer manipulates the reader throughout the story as more facts are brought to light. However, I thought that more attention was paid to the female suspects of Tamara and Kathleen – when Adrian should have been questioned just as heavily. In my opinion, I felt that Rudys was unfairly disregarding Adrian’s character for no real reason; I wanted there to be a more balanced investigation from Hugo and Ennis.

In addition to this murder mystery, readers also learn about Hugo’s father, which strengthens in sub-plot over the course of the novel. I think there was opportunity to really expand this into a bigger part of the plot, although I was intrigued about how Hugo would find closure about an act that took place several years ago. I think the writer could have developed this more to reflect how Hugo’s character has really been impacted by what happened to his father, adding more drama to the plot.

This was an interesting story that grew in tension towards the end. Unfortunately, for most of it, I thought the pace of the plot was quite slow and lacking in drama. The constant debates about who was behind Ada’s death became a little repetitive and I did become frustrated by the lack of progress from the police. On the other hand, the conclusion of the story was completely unexpected, leaving me re-reading paragraphs to make sure I had not mis-read something.

I liked the story but I did not love it. There was plenty of promise about a twisting murder-mystery but I don’t think it completely hit the mark. I enjoyed how ambiguous the suspect was, particularly as the witnesses all have such obvious motives, but I think the story could have been a bit pacier throughout.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Karolis.
2 reviews
October 3, 2023
First and foremost, this is a second book by an author who has shown his amazing abilities in storytelling with his first work - My Wife Jodie (GO AND READ IT NOW PLEASE).

Secondly, what a page turner his second work is! The Last Interview with Ada Fenn will make you care for most of the characters which is not that common in mystery/thriller/detective novels. The story may seem pretty straightforward but it actually grips your time reading it so well. Every scene and movement of characters is very well planned out, you won't be able to tell any plot holes which is just another showcase of how much the author cares for his work.

Just a quick few mentions about design and marketing of the book. You won't often see tasteful book covers that have much detail put into but this one is magical. Mystery, cleverness yet also simplicity portraying the whole book. Perfection. Once again, great attention to detail from the author.

If you're after a page turner of a book for your holidays, cosy nights with hot drink or just another detective novel to add into your library - you won't disappoint. Go and give it a read!
2 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2023
Surprising and unconventional whodunnit story set in London

A well written and researched story that doesn't fall for the usual clichés of a murder-mystery story. It'll keep you guessing until the end, all whilst you get to know the characters and all their flaws!
Profile Image for Lainy.
1,972 reviews72 followers
June 14, 2024
Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 301

Publisher - BLINKENLIGHT

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

ONE VULNERABLE VICTIM
When 84-year-old Ada Fenn was found dead, natural causes were easily assumed. But when the post-mortem revealed that her heart problems had nothing to do with it, a full-blown murder investigation was launched.

TWO DESPERATE DETECTIVES.
Morally indecisive DC Hugo Moreno and the veteran DS Ennis Henriksen try to work as a team to figure out what happened. Will their unorthodox measures break through the lies, misleading evidence, and secrets of...

THREE SUSPICIOUS WITNESSES
Kathleen - the loyal administrator... who stands to gain.
Tamara - the hard-working carer... who seeks a better life.
Adrian - charity worker... with a ticket to leave the country.



My Review

Ada Fern is eight four years old when she is found dead at home, age/health issues it is thought to be natural causes UNTIL the post mortem. Now we have a police investigation, three suspects and we hear from Ada through recorded interviews she gave to the charity worker Adrian. All seemingly have no motive or do they? We follow the story via the investigation into the murder and the characters are slowly revealed to have things hidden, don't we all?

A murder mystery but not quite the way conventional books tackle it. I liked hearing from Ada, learning more about this little lady who initially is just elderly, housebound and found dead. The charity worker Aiden who has interviews with Ada gives us more of who she was/is. Tamara and Kathleen, the other suspects along with Aiden the book teases out more information, personality reveals and dare I say motive as the investigation deepens. We also get to know the two cops a bit more personally through their approach in how they handle the case and interact with each other and the suspects.

I found myself getting pulled out of the story as it did jump about a bit with the different characters although they are all linked to Ada and it is all relative. Certainly from a who done it perspective it keeps you on your toes and guessing, I would be surprised if anyone said they had it worked out where the story was going, 3.5/5 from me.

2 reviews1 follower
November 4, 2023
Great mystery novel! Author managed not only to keep my attention throughout(numerous plot twists kept me wondering and curious with the final one totally knocking me off my socks), but the piece also offers interesting dilemma about picking the right path to take when it might mean breaking the law… or there might be no right way at all…

Definitely recommended!
Profile Image for Kamilė Tirūnaitė.
2 reviews
July 18, 2024
I really enjoyed reading the book. And especially I was very curious at the end.
Don’t want to spoil the story, but I am already looking forward for the next book by the author as it is already clear that he likes unpredictable stories :))
Profile Image for Lizzie Barns.
4 reviews
October 2, 2023
A very enjoyable mystery. I loved that there were only three suspects and so you get to know them quite well as the book unfolds.
Profile Image for Monika.
1 review4 followers
October 6, 2023
I was so surprised to realize that author's books are connected. It's very subtle, but makes a lot of difference knowing all his characters live in the same universe!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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