Complicated, driven, loving; manipulative, irresistible, monstrous – whether you love her or hate her, Harriet is impossible to say no to. But someone has finally snapped and as Harriet lies dying, she is determined to figure out who has killed her.
Was it her devoted husband? Or was it her best friend and sometimes lover?
Or Karen, a fellow school mum and seemingly the woman who has it all – until the night Harriet persuaded her into playing Two Truths and a Lie?
Teenage bullies, complicated friendships, and games (both on and off the playground) combine with envy, obsession and revenge to create a twisty tale of drama and suspense that you won’t be able to put down.
Nicola Moriarty lives in Sydney's north west with her husband and two small daughters. She is the younger sister of bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Jaclyn Moriarty. In between various career changes, becoming a mum and studying teaching at Macquarie University, she began to write. Now, she can't seem to stop.
Hello there people in the world of books, I Would love to hear from you either here on Goodreads or perhaps at Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/NicolaMoriart...
As Harriet Osman lies dying from a severe wound to the back of the head, she reflects on who could have done this to her and she will try and leave a clue. The most obvious suspect is Malik, her husband, as it’s always the spouse that’s first in the suspicion line. Is her gentle giant capable? Is there fire underneath? Then there’s Karen, probably the most obvious suspect. She’s the mother of Talullah, Harriet’s daughter Farrah’s friend and Harriet knows only too well what she did there. With great reluctance she has to consider her best friend Victoria and there’s a big story there. So sit back and let’s play detective as each of the suspects tells their story and it seems their thoughts on Harriet are not exactly pretty. If that’s the case, let’s pause for a sec- maybe the suspect pool is wider than Harriet thinks?
Oh my goodness, this is such fun trying to figure it out! As for Harriet, she can be truly awful, manipulate to the nth, she can switch personality as quickly as you can click your fingers as she definitely likes her own way and to be the centre of attention. She’s a Queen Bee and sometimes a malicious one
As each suspect presents their version of events and of Harriet, a fascinating domestic drama emerges with lots of ripples. All of the characters are well developed and easy to visualise and I thoroughly relish their perspectives which serve to deepen the mystery.
It’s a gripping read, it’s fast paced, there’s always something going on to attract or distract your attention. The tension and suspense builds and builds you well played ending. 👏
It’s entertaining from start to finish, I like the style it’s written in which has you enjoying playing Miss Marple as Nicola Moriarty leads me up a blind alley or two. An easy fun read - absolutely perfect for the beach.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to the publisher for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
The Moriarty girls always deliver a meaty read, I enjoy the familiar settings of Sydney, and the watching from afar of normal people going about their every day lives where ‘normal’ really does not exist.
Human failings stemming from troubled childhoods are usually the key, and Harriet is no exception. She is the woman that appears to have it all, hard hitting and beautiful, she makes her own rules. An open relationship with her husband, who appears to have no say in any of this, makes you really want to wring this man’s neck. She has control of a crowd, calling every shot in every facet of her selfish life.
Told from a handful of perspectives while Harriet lies dying in a pool of blood, a most intricate plot designed to make the reader work hard for the answer.
Malek her long-suffering husband who seems to be completely under her thumb. Her demands on Malek while organising her ‘surprise’4oth are appalling. I did not like a thing about her.
The school mum, Karen, angry and resentful, getting ready to go to this party when she really despises Harriet as well.
Lastly Victoria, a smart woman, under the spell of Harriett who should know better, who we witness growing in strength and gradually reconciling who her lover really is.
The author really does know how to build her crew of characters seamlessly. Each of these flawed individuals crafted for the reader as if they are known to us with insecurities and failings so prevalent with each (mis)step. The plot is remarkably clever, including relevant themes of social media, and the insidious results of untruths and living selfishly without regard for those you really should be treating so much better.
This was a slow build up, I’m not sure this was worth the resulting ending, but the voyeuristic look into the lives of this disparate group was entertaining and draw dropping in equal measure.
I listened to this via the BorrowBox app and my local library, the narration was excellent.
Having read all of Ms Moriarty's books as well as all of her sister's, I feel bad that this one just did not work for me. Far too busy, too much going on, too many characters, too much delving back into the past and unending rain made for an unpleasant and incoherent story. Sorry Nicola, gave up the ghost at 25%, just wasn't working for me at all. Next one for sure. Library ebook, 2 stars.
⭐️4.5 Stars⭐️ Ohhh this book was so good, everyone's a suspect and we have a very unlikeable and manipulative protagonist! Nicola Moriarty delivers a fast paced, gripping and clever plot in this domestic drama Every Last Suspect.
It opens with as Harriet lies dying in a pool of blood as she tries to work out who could have done this to her and why! Harriet wonders was it the usual suspect, ‘the husband’ or her lover or somebody else? I enjoyed being the detective in this one. 🤔
It’s the day of Harriets fortieth birthday party and she has been so demanding, it’s a social event not to be missed! I can’t say anymore!!!
The character development was fantastic! My heart was racing in the final chapters, loved the drama! I always enjoy this authors work and found it totally bingeable.
Publication Day 05 June 2024 Publisher Harper Collins Australia
Thank you so much to the awesome team Harper Collins Australia for a copy of the book!
Every Last Suspect follows a variety of characters as we, along with the main protagonist Harriet, try to figure out who killed her. The chapters are spilt between 4 main characters POV, with a couple extra little POV's thrown in here and there just to give little tidbits of information.
The general gist is that Harriet is a manipulative person who has a lot of people just plodding along with their own lives because they believe she holds something over them. She is selfish and cunning, which mainly comes across in the other characters POV's. However, as the story progresses Harriet shows some guilt and regret at how she has treated these people (those who are actually the closest to her!)
In the end I didn't guess what happened to Harriet, Nicola Moriarty was very good at setting up an idea and turning it on it's head (had me reading the prologue again!). This I particularly enjoyed.
Some of the ending I didn't gel with as much, I felt it was a little disappointing, but overall a read I couldn't put down and really liked!
** Thank you Harper Collins for gifting me this copy for a review
I always enjoy this author's novels so I dove into this with no hesitation. As with previous books, it was a great read. It is clear from the beginning that Harriet has died, and apparently the three main suspects are husband Malek, best friend/lover Victoria, and the new mum at school Karen. The narrative is primarily presented by these three with some thoughts from Harriet as she is dying. Harriet is an enigma to many people because she is beautiful, intelligent and charismatic. However readers quickly learn that she is also manipulative and can be quite nasty... to the point where almost anyone could be considered as having a motive. It's a slow build up of suspense as the story is woven together, with red herrings and clever writing meaning almost anyone could have murdered Harriet. I thoroughly enjoyed and would happily recommend this one.
Harriet Osman is impossible to turn down. Understatement of the entire book. Harriet is confident and self-assured, she knows what she wants & she takes it. Typically at the detriment of those around her.
Harriet crosses so many lines in her life, and someone has finally snapped back - someone killed her, but who? We spend the book going through Harriet’s suspect list - her husband, Malek, her best friend and lover, Victoria & Karen, the new school mum friend.
We get a point of view from everyone involved with her in an intimate sought of manner, and the author does an amazing job to make us hate Harriet and spend the entirety of the book suspecting each main player in her life.
Every Last Suspect is set in Sydney, with brief flashes to Brisbane & Melbourne. I loved the LGBTQ representation, the nod to more non-traditional marriages & the twist and turns throughout the story, leaving you guessing and unsure (though, I was so sure I had guessed it at 6% - as usual, I was wrong).
The ending? Loved it. My heart was in my throat reading the last few chapters. And the last few pages? PERFECT. The last two sentences? EXQUISITE.
Thank you Nicola and Harper Collins for sending us a copy to read and review. As she lies in a pool of her blood she is determined to workout who hated her enough to kill her. Harriet loves to control and manipulate everyone in her life so her list of suspects is real, as is karma. As she pieces together the clues an ugly picture of reasons and motives flow. Could she have pushed her husband too far? Did her best friend and lover discover a ghastly truth? Was the ever so perfect new school mum friend baited and pushed too far? Harriet is one of those people that attracts attention and a crowd, so her looming surprise fortieth birthday was a social event not to be missed. Her husband Malek resentfully adheres to her lists and demands. The big night arrives and is not hindered by heavy incessant rain. The guests and all the suspects mingle as betrayals, manipulations and secrets remain dormant…….until…….. Momentum builds and releases like an angry ocean in this twisty and cleverly crafted domestic noir. Brilliantly formatted with a cast of detailed characters that keep you guessing. It is enhanced by gold nuggets that illuminate each page, as relatable experiences and emotions osmotically connect the mystery and motives. I am a huge fan of Nic Moriarty and highly recommend her work.
I really am a slut for books by the moriarty sisters and always enjoy them. This was no exception in that I was engaged enough the whole time but in the end I’d just describe this as fine, but nothing earth shattering and certainly not a must read unfortunately. I appreciated the attempt at originality of the murder victim narrating parts of the story to try to figure out who her killer was, but that was probably where it ended for me. At times there was just too much going on for any of the plots to be fully explored and I didn’t care about any of the characters enough.
What a fantastic story where everyone really is a suspect. The characters all played their parts so well, I just had to keep listening to find out what was going to happen next & to know what actually happened. Highly recommend.
So this is a really good Ausie book. Harriet is a very demanding and ruthless estate agent. She is dying and is trying to work out who struck her on the back of the head. Who hates her enough? And believe me, the suspect list is wonderfully juicy! And i love the structure and narration of the book. I am sure some of you who are my friends on here will enjoy it.
Another great read from Nicola Moriarty. Harriet is dying from a blow to the back of her head. She must try and figure out who would want her dead. Her husband? Her best friend and lover Victoria? One of the school mums? All have presumed motive, ‘Every Last Suspect’ delivers different character perspectives from each of the suspects in an attempt to piece together what happened to Harriet. I enjoyed the storyline and will be sure to read more of Nicola Moriarty in the future.
Nicola Moriarty writes books that I cannot put down and her latest, Every Last Suspect, is no exception. Tense and clever, there are so many suspects that I was kept guessing until the very end.
Harriet Osman is a love to hate her kind of character. The book opens with her lying semi conscious in a pool of her own blood. Before she dies she’s wants to discover the identity of her attacker. There are numerous people who may have motive and with chapters dedicated to her husband Malek, her best friend Victoria and the new school mum, Karen, the reader is invited to uncover everyone’s secrets.
Told in the lead up to Harriet’s birthday, she is painted as a very manipulative person who always gets what she wants. Her treatment of her husband and friends is abhorrent as she directs everyone around her for her own benefit.
This is one twisted tale full of suspense and malice and I highly recommend you grab a copy. You might need some of those macarons from the gorgeous cover too.
Every Last Suspect is a domestic thriller murder mystery, with the clever bonus that the victim is trying to figure out who killed her at the same time we are.
Harriet is equally as loved as she is hated as she is envied as she is resented, and more than one person had motive to get rid of her. As Harriet lays dying on the night of her fortieth birthday party, we are taken through the preceding events from three perspectives: Malek the resentful husband, Victoria the lover, and Karen the angry fellow school mum. The author did a PHENOMENAL job of building these characters, showing the reader what makes them tick and weaving them together. I think a lot of time and care was taken adding little quirks to characters that weren’t necessary for the plot, but served the purpose of making the reader go ‘oh I know who that person is’ (like Karen being in an MLM 🤣).
This book was addictive because another layer was constantly being pulled back, and it kept me guessing. I’m also loving Australian fiction right now because the little references always put a smile on my face so that was a nice touch.
I’m sorrrry but we lose points for the reveal because it had me 😐 I think this is a case of the journey is better than the destination because it landed flat for me. I still recommend because it’s a great book overall, but if you NEED a perfect ending I don’t think this has that (in my opinion obviously).
I read this in a day! I couldn’t put it down. The engaging writing and the wonderful characters kept me intrigued all the way thru. I couldn’t work it out … a good, twisty plot! I’ve read a few of Nicola’s books and enjoyed them all - she is very good at her craft.
3.5 stars This was compulsively readable and I just needed to know what happened. However, the reveal and ending was a bit of a let down. Great on the drama, just not on the execution. I still enjoyed this, just not a new fave like I was hoping.
Who killed Harriet? That is the question posed by this fun, twisty thriller.
The first thing to say about this book was that it was written in a style which some people may not like. We learn at the start of the novel that Harriet is badly injured and the story moves on in three parts, each containing one of the main suspects - Malek, her badly-treated husband, Karen, her daughter's best friends' mum, and Victoria, her best friend - each with a reason to hate Harriet but who had a reason to kill her?
Funnily enough, Harriet is a largely unlikeable character so you may find yourself reading along wishing to know who killed her, but not yearning for justice. Each of the three suspects above, and many others, had understandable reasons to dislike Harriet. Her selfish nature is laid bare and she genuinely doesn't care who gets caught in the crossfire.
All in all this was a really interesting whodunnit and the format of the novel really worked for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Penguin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Every Last Suspect by Nicola Moriarty deep dives into the suspects - her husband Malek, the mother of her daughter’s friend, and her own best friend. Who had the motive, who had the opportunity. There’s also much about Harriet of course and her pretty objectionable character. She’s a hard character to like.
This is a fairly hectic domestic thriller in that there’s alot going on. Whilst the story is divided into each suspect’s POV there are layers within those POV and a lot of characters who have parts play. At times I thought it was trying to move too fast without flushing out the story enough for my liking, however I was brought back my some of the quintessentially Australian aspects of the story.
Another twisty domestic thriller from the talented Ms. Moriarty! Having read from all three literary Moriarty sister's oeuvres (Liane, Jaclyn and Nicola), I have to say I've enjoyed Nicola Moriarty's books the most.
3.5 stars. A classic ‘whodunnit’ with several melodramatic side stories to boot. The reader need overlook the dubious plot line and contemptible protagonist to fully enjoy this read. They’ll be guessing until the very end to figure out which suspect was responsible for murder and how each character’s respective dramas are resolved. A real page-turner.
4.5 ⭐️ a really fun read, written a bit like a game of cluedo. Loved how it started with a character knowing she was dying and trying to figure out who did it before she died!
3.5 stars. This could have been great. It was twisty, dramatic and had great characters. There was a lot going on, an obvious thriller writer's tactic to muddy the waters, which kept me guessing. The conclusion, though, was unsatisfying and disappointing. Forgettable read.
The fortieth birthday party where the guest of honour is missing, Olivia's past behaviour experienced by family, friends and colleagues is accepted and that a late grand entrance is something they are accustomed too, but not this time.
This is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully unravels a web of secrets and suspense. The novel follows Olivia, who is trying to piece together the events of a fateful night she can’t fully remember. As she navigates a maze of unreliable memories and mounting suspicions, the author keeps the tension high with sharp twists and complex character dynamics. The story’s pacing is spot-on, pulling readers deeper into Olivia’s paranoia and confusion. With its clever plot and unexpected revelations, it keeps the reader guessing until the very end.
Every Last Suspect was like Mean Girls for adults. Harriet Osman our Regina George is a truly terrible person yet everyone wants to be her or at least friends with her. She's throwing herself a surprise birthday party and it's all the town can talk about. Before the night ends Harriet will be lying in a pool of her own blood seemingly having finally pushed someone too far. Before she dies Harriet is determined to figure out who killed her. There's a whole list of suspects; her husband, best friend/lover and a new school friend just to name a few and I wouldn't have blamed any of them for trying to off the main character 🤣
This book was filled to the brim with juicy juicy drama. There were affairs, murder, gossip and assault. Let's be honest who doesn't love gossip when it's not about you, I was hooked on it. The story had POVs from each of the suspects with the timeline following the lead up to the party and the night of. I sped through this book, I couldn't wait to find out which of the suspects was the one to finally snap.
If you love fast paced, drama filled mysteries about adults behaving badly this is a must read!
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads. As Harriet lies in a pool of her own blood she is determined to figure out who has killed her and reveal them. The book takes us through a list of people closest to Harriet, suspects. Which one would want her dead? 🤔
Harriet loves to control and manipulate everyone in her life to get what she wants, so it seems everyone has a justified motive to want her dead. The stories and encounters keep you intrigued and gasping throughout the book, with “OMG no she didn’t….” 😲 But she did, Harriet is a ruthless bitch that is so fun to read about and impossible not to hate!
This is a well executed domestic drama with great character development, a perfect pace and skilful narrative. I really liked the style, that we immediately know someone is dying and work through it backwards, it was refreshing!
It started off strong and with great potential to be dark and twisty. But the twists were a little soft for me. It was definitely enjoyable but I feel like more could have been done here.
This is a light, fun easy-to-read domestic drama. Don’t go in expecting an intense twisty thriller and you will enjoy it.
Thank you Harper Collins for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. 🙏🏽💋
This was a domestic thriller murder mystery that had me hooked from the beginning.
Harriet Osman is a manipulative woman who loves to control everyone and everything around her. When she lies bloodied on the floor with no recollection of where she is and on the verge of dying, she tries to figure out who did this to her.
She makes a list of people who might want her dead and we go through their POVs one by one. This list includes her husband, best friend and her daughter’s best friend’s mom. They all have a reason to want Harriet dead but who has finally snapped?
The twisty plot line and interesting characters kept me intrigued till the end. This book is filled with drama, gossips, scandals, affairs and murder. The ending was a bit of a let down but I loved everything else about this book and was overall a fun read.
Thank you so much HarperCollins Australia and Nicola Moriarty for this arc copy🫶