Pēdējā, kura viņu redzējusi

by Kathryn Croft, Dina Kārkliņa (Translator)

Keitas dēla klasē ir sācis mācīties jauns zēns, kurš nupat traģiski zaudējis tēvu. Pavisam drīz puisēna māte Hārpera uzaicina Keitu un viņas dēlu ciemos. Lai gan tas liekas savādi, Keita atsaucas uz ielūgumu. Galu galā, kāpēc lai viņa neizrādītu atbalstu kādam, kas piedzīvojis tik lielu nelaimi?
Tomēr, namamātes viesistabā ieraugot kāzu fotogrāfiju, Keita jūtas satriekta. Jo tikai pirms dažām dienām ir pavadījusi nakti kopā ar šīs sievietes vīru. Un tagad viņš ir miris.
Vai Hārpera visu zina un tādēļ ir vēlējusies satikties? Vai arī tā ir tikai sagadīšanās? Kā īsti gāja bojā viņas vīrs? Un vai Keitai tiešām nekas nav slēpjams?

Genres: Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense, Crime, Psychological Thriller, Mystery

413 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2025

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets, lies, twists, turns and suspense! Kathryn Croft has done it again! She has delivered a thrilling psychological thriller which kept me guessing and turning those pages! Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Kathryn Croft proved me wrong! This is the 7th book that I have read by Croft, and she always delivers!! I know when I pick up one of her books that I am in for a fabulous reading experience!

It was supposed to be a fun evening out, but then Kate saw Jamie's beautiful blue eyes, she was intrigued but it was his charm that won her over. After a one-night stand, Kate returns to find Jamie murdered!!!!! She decides not to go to the police and instead goes on with her life.

But life has a way of throwing curveballs at you and while at a playdate with her son, she sees Jamie's picture in her new friend, Harper's living room. He said he wasn't married but here she is sitting in his home making small talk with his wife! Talk about a shocker!!!!!

This one is juicy folks! Kathryn Croft has a way of throwing in twists and turns which leave me reeling and have my head spinning. I was shocked more than once while reading this book. As with the other books I have read by this author, The Last One to See Him was wonderfully written, well thought out, perfectly paced, and had interesting characters.

Whew! This book proved to be a fast read as I did not want to put it down! I had to know what was going to happen next! I did not see the reveal coming at all! I love it when that happens!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wild ride! I thought I knew where the story was going but the countless twists and turns made it unpredictable with jaw-dropping outcomes. Many times it was hard to know who was the victim and who was the villain in this twisted tale. I never knew where the plot was going until it reached its shocking conclusion. This thriller is original, entertaining, extremely suspenseful, and intense! It's perfectly paced and addictive. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writers can truly shape the story in a way that forces a reader to believe something that isn't true. Kathryn Croft often does this, and it's the primary driving factor in her latest book, The Last One to See Him. Some readers immerse themselves in a book and don't try to solve the mystery or get ahead of the author's game. Other readers just make guesses and claim they knew the plot before it happened. I usually try to avoid guessing it so I can enjoy the writing, the story, and the suspense. That was the case here. I fell for it. I disliked the characters I was supposed to dislike. I liked the ones I was suppose to like. But the shades of gray are powerful here. Tho we're clear in the ending, I still found myself a bit ticked at one of the two women leading this story - the wife of the victim. I think she overplayed her hand and reacted too strongly, and as the truth comes to light, did she suffer appropriately or was she given a pass after all that happened in the background? A good book makes you think about the balance of equality when it comes to an eye for an eye. Nice job!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great psychological read from Kathryn Croft.kate ex has moved on with another partner.kate plans a night out with her friend she meets Jamie, and they end up having a one night stand the following day she finds him dead scared to go the police as she has a past she's trying to forget.Harper is Jamie partner and befriends Kate has she another motive?both Kate and Harper have a child who become friends...an intense read.looking forward to reading more of her books.

[Melody McNamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had an interesting premise, but there was just too much going on in this book. With so many characters, multiple POV's and timelines, as well as many subplots, it was hard for me to focus on the main storyline. I wasn't sure where the author was trying to go with this one. The characters were unlikeable so it was hard to know who to root for. A quick read, but the plot was a bit convoluted.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two young boys become friends and their Mom's get together for coffee so that the boys can have a playdate. When the visiting Mom glances at the wedding picture on the wall she recognizes the man she slept with a few days ago and now he is dead.
A well-written psychological thriller with many twists and turns leading to a surprising ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Trina Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate meets Jamie on a night out and arranges to meet him again the next afternoon. But on arrival at his apartment the next day, she discovers his dead body. But because of her past, she decides she can't call the police, but then she feels threatened by a new mother at her sons school who she believes knows too much. Her life unravels from there.
Oh my goodness, this book had me tied up in knots from the beginning to the end. I felt a sense of unease throughout as I processed what was happening to Kate. Was she a reliable narrator? Who was telling the truth? I read the book in two sittings as I just couldn't put it down.
It's intense, dark and just brilliant. Already I feel it could be one of my top books from 2025.

[Leia Sedai · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Last One to See Him has an interesting premise, but the execution falls flat. The characters feel underdeveloped, making it hard to connect with their emotions, and the twists are predictable rather than shocking. While it’s a quick read, the ending feels rushed and unsatisfying, leaving too many unanswered questions. By the last page, I was rolling my eyes at all the absurd ways the characters were connected, which is saying something for this genre.




**Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. **

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last One to See Him
By: Kathryn Croft
Pub Date: March 26. 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

This one had me hooked right from the start.
A chance meeting ends up in a death. Was the meeting spontaneous or something more sinister? There are multiple timelines and the main characters are Kate, Harper, Jamie and Rowan.
When Kate meets Jaime at a bar, they click and have a one night stand! Her ex recently moved out. Jaimie is charming, BUT by morning he is dead. Harper is Jaimie’s partner and she inserts her life into Kate’s and their children go to school together. Kate was the last one to see Jaimie alive and knows she did not kill Jamie.
So many delicious plot twists, motives, secrets, lies and more made this one a pleasure to read and kept me invested until the last page.

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last One to See Him by Kathryn Croft is an enjoyable and twisty read, that seems predictable until it isn't. I've read a number of Croft's books now and always enjoy them as they tend to involve secrets, complicated relationships and a good level of intrigue. On top of the aforementioned twists of course.

There's a lot happening here, many players with hidden (and not-so-hidden) agendas, but Croft still manages to blindside readers, making us realise we've made a number of now-wrong assumptions.

I raced through the latter part of this novel, keen to uncover the truth and I certainly did not see it coming, making this an excellent thriller.
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...

[Vaishali · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's only so much chaos I can take and this book had way too much of it- too many sub-plots, too much of manipulation and deception, and too many unlikeable characters to actually enjoy the story

[szyszka_czyta · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Ostatniej nocy” to thriller psychologiczny oparty na manipulacji, tajemnicach oraz poczuciu osaczenia.

Kate odkrywa, że mężczyzna, z którym spędziła noc, został zamordowany, a jego żona wciąga ją w niebezpieczną psychologiczną grę.

To historia, w której napięcie budują przede wszystkim relacje między bohaterami oraz stopniowe podważanie tego, co początkowo wydaje się prawdą. Narracja prowadzona jest w dwóch liniach czasowych i z perspektywy różnych postaci, dzięki czemu długo nie wiadomo, komu można zaufać, a autorka skutecznie podrzuca mylne tropy. To mroczny thriller z psychologicznym napięciem i tajemnicami z przeszłości. Napięcie narasta powoli, nieustannie podsycając ciekawość i sprawiając, że chce się odkryć, co tak naprawdę wydarzyło się w przeszłości. Pojawia się również motyw traumy, która wpływa na decyzje bohaterów i sprawia, że granica między rzeczywistością a paranoją zaczyna się zacierać. Klimat powieści jest klaustrofobiczny. Akcja często rozgrywa się w pozornie bezpiecznych miejscach, co tylko potęguje poczucie zagrożenia. Na pierwszy plan wysuwają się emocjonalna presja, manipulacja i nieustanne napięcie. Nie zabrakło również obsesji, zemsty, paranoi oraz utraty kontroli nad własnym życiem. Autorka pokazuje, jak jedna pozornie przypadkowa decyzja może uruchomić lawinę zdarzeń. Niemal każda postać ma coś do ukrycia, dlatego z rozdziału na rozdział zmienia się nasze spojrzenie na to, kto jest ofiarą, a kto manipulatorem. Bohaterowie podejmują decyzje, które trudno jednoznacznie ocenić, co dodaje całej historii wiarygodności.

To thriller, który przypomina, że największe zagrożenie często nie kryje się w ciemności, ale w ludziach, którym wydaje się, że można zaufać.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big thanks to Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Last One To See Him is a intense, interesting, addictive and crazy jaunt.
Another addition to the ever growing great reads from Kathryn Croft.
Kate is single after separating from Ellis and now shares custody of their son, Thomas.
On a night out with her best friend, Aleena she meets Jamie and has a steamy encounter.
They decide to meet up the next day.
Then Jamie is found dead.
Some time later Kate’s son Thomas meets Dexter at school and wants a play date.
Dexter’s mother is Harper who also happens to be Jamie’s wife.
Then the plot thickens.
Who killed Jamie and what really happened…..
Secrets, lies, deception and treachery galore litter the pages and you can’t help but be dragged into all the drama.
The strain between the two lead ladies is quite clever among the plot and I really enjoyed the tension between the two.
This is one of those books that you won’t be able to put down as you just want to know the truth and that twist was a goodie.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
Expected publication date March 26, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Kate, newly separated from her husband, meets a man at a bar. She goes home with him. She sleeps with him. When she leaves early the next morning, they plan to get together later that day. When she comes back, she finds him murdered. Fearing her past will make her look guilty, she doesn't report it. Now, she feels like someone is out to get her, but who? His wife? Her husband? Someone from her past?

This was a fun, fast thriller. There were a lot of unexpected twists that kept me turning the pages for more.

[ReAndzia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książki autorki zawsze są świetne i nigdy mnie nie zawodzą i tak też było tym razem! Uwielbiam sposób w jaki jesteśmy wodzeni za nos. Autorka robi to świetnie i żeby nic nie zaspojlerować powiem że po prostu sami przeczytajcie!

[outrageous_pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kurcze miło się zaskoczyłam, było pokickane, angażujące, motywację bohaterów były uzasadnione i nie z tyłka, no czego chcieć więcej i mimo, że rozwiązanie nie okazało się jakieś pompatyczne to nie udało mi się go przewidzieć więc znowu na plussss

[Aellirenn Czyta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wątków od cholery i ciut ciut, ale jakoś nawet mi to podeszło.

[☆ Iga ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tak jak inne książki autorki, które czytałam – nawet zabawne jak na thrillery. Polecam słuchać audiobooka np. do krojenia papryki, super sprawa.

[Emilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5

[Els · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story got his claws into me and had me hooked.

Authors are wonderful manipulators. They feed you some information and they take you by the hand. You follow meekly, because, in the beginning, that's the only thing you can do. You don't have enough details to take a different path. There is only one way to go and little by little crossroads open up and it's up to you to take one of the side streets or to keep on following. 

If you don't know where to go, you follow the leader. If you have made up your mind about the name of the culprit, you can abandon the leader. 

I took more than one side street to get lost hopelessly in the maze. I was grateful to the author for saving me and showing me the way out. I never would have found it by myself. :)

I loved all the revelations. For me this was a very strong and well build story. Loved it. 5 stars

Thank you

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very jumbled story with so many connections between the characters it was rather dizzying.
I was on the fence about Kate. She harbored so many secrets and what was up with her and Rowan.
I didn’t trust Rowan at all and my Instincts were correct.
I thought Ellis was a tool and I was suspicious of him.
I also thought Harper was incapable of telling the truth.
It was a job to unsnarl all,the lies and deceptions in this book but in the end, truth prevailed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance read.

[Lady Georgette (ieatpagesforbreakfast) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, let’s just say I was HOOKED from only 3% into this book. The amount of anxiety this book instilled in me was through the roof!

This is the story of Kate who had a horrible past and is dealing with the trauma from it all. She maintains her therapy sessions to keep her sane. She has a son and is dealing with a separation from her husband thanks to his infidelity. From all the the stressors in her life, she decides one night to hang out with her close girlfriend at a bar, but then meets a cute stranger there too and seem to hit it off…

First of all, let’s just say I was HOOKED from only 3% into this book. The amount of anxiety this book instilled in me was through the roof!

This is the story of Kate who had a horrible past and is dealing with the trauma from it all. She maintains her therapy sessions to keep her sane. She has a son and is dealing with a separation from her husband thanks to his infidelity. From all the the stressors in her life, she decides one night to hang out with her close girlfriend at a bar, but then meets a cute stranger there too and seem to hit it off…

Until she finds out that the guy she just spent time with is dead the next day and she can’t help but realize that she was the last one to see him!

I loved the storyline and the characters. It was well written for sure by the author and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you, Kathryn Croft , NetGalley and Bookoutoure for letting me give my honest feedback/review. It was a great psychological thriller which is my favourite genre!

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last One To See Him is another gripping psychological thriller from Kathryn Croft. As with her previous books this one has me captivated after a couple of chapters. There was plenty of twists and turns throughout the book which had me gasping out loud at times. There’s lots going on in the book but at no stage do you get bogged down by it all. The characters are all well developed and really help the story gather momentum. As I was reading this book I found myself anxious to get to the end to see how things would end up, but at the same time I didn’t want it to end as I was really enjoying this fast paced and page turning read.

[Bookierka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Najlepsze uczucie? Kiedy sięgasz po thriller z myślą, że będzie kolejnym przeciętniaczkiem, a okazuje się całkiem zaskakujący i wciągający.

[Krystian Kubiak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dobrze dobrze w końcówkę się nawet wciągnąłem więc trochę zwracam honor.
Nie do końca mi podeszła aczkolwiek dalej była lepsza niż 3/4 książek Freidy. Takie solidne 3.5⭐

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I wasn’t expecting that! What a thriller! Great writing, great characters and just enough twists to keep you wanting to read late into the night. It didn’t take me long to get completely engrossed in this thriller. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Recommend 100%!
Thanks to the author, bookstore and Netgalley for an EARC in return for an honest review

[fuzzyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

My head is spinning from all the twists and turns! I didn’t know who to trust, what to trust, or what was going to happen next. I stopped trying to predict the twists and just enjoyed the ride.😎 It 100% captured my attention from start to finish and NEVER got boring, which was my favourite thing about this book!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author and I have absolutely enjoyed every one of her books. And this one - wow, it packs a punch! Gripping, pacy and a thoroughly satisfying read.

[Suzie Mosko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good not great. It dragged and felt longer than necessary. I also wasn’t as shocked as I thought I would be at the ending

[zapiski_mola · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ostatniej nocy" - Kathryn Croft

3,75/5 ⭐️

"- Czy nie dlatego tu jesteś? Ponieważ mi ufasz?
- Ja…- Kate dobiera starannie słowa. - Sądzę, że pewna kobieta chce mnie z*bić."

Zazwyczaj daje książce takie sto stron kredytu zaufania. I jeśli po tych stu stronach nie zaskoczy, to po prostu się nie męczę. Odkładam ją na inny czas, albo często już do niej nie wracam..

I tutaj po stu stronach nie do końca zaskoczyło. Ale coś we mnie krzyczało, żeby jej nie odkładać, żeby dać jej szansę..

I bardzo dobrze, że to zrobiłam, bo im dalej, tym bardziej mi się podobało 🖤

Kate, czyli główna bohaterka, spędza upojną noc z mężczyzną. Taki wiecie, jednorazowy numerek.
I nie byłoby w tym nic ani złego, ani dziwnego.. gdyby nie to, że kilka godzin później, mężczyzna już nie żyje. A znajduje go właśnie Kate..

Kilka dni później okazuje się, że jej przygodą na jedną noc był.. mąż nowej znajomej..

I więcej wam zdradzać nie będę, bo mam lekkie obawy, że powiem za dużo, a tego bym nie chciała!

Za to powiem wam, że.. dawno nie miałam takiego problemu z wystawieniem oceny książce!

I nie mówię tu o samej recenzji, bo wiem, co chcę wam w niej przekazać. Mam problem z samą oceną gwiazdkową, bo o ile ostatecznie książka mi się podobała.. tak nie na tyle, żebym dala jej cztery gwiazdki. A z kolei trzy, czy nawet trzy i pół to byłoby w moim odczuciu za mało..

Ale serio.. to była dobra historia!

Co prawda, jak już mówiłam na początku, nie od razu poczułam z nią flow. Potrzebowałam więcej czasu, żeby naprawdę mnie wciągnęło.. no ale jak już się to stało, to do końca nie mogłam się od niej oderwać!

Autorka pisze tak.. mam wrażenie trochę chaotycznie? Ale wiecie, ona ten chaos kontroluje, jakkolwiek głupio to nie brzmi.

Podoba mi się, jak zbudowana jest postać Kate. Podoba mi się ta jej lekka paranoja, która się nasila, co jak najbardziej jest zrozumiałe w sytuacji, w jakiej się znalazła.
Chyba pierwszy raz spotkałam się z czymś takim i.. no świetnie to wyszło!

No i przeszłość Kate też okazała się.. po prostu trudna.

"- Nie związał mi dłoni, więc próbowałam otworzyć drzwi, ale okazały się zamknięte. W furgonetce nie było żadnych okien. […] Doszłam do wniosku, że jeśli chcę mieć nad nim przewagę, muszę działać błyskawicznie. Tylko szybkość mogła mnie uratować. Dlatego postanowiłam, że ledwie otworzy drzwi, zacznę kopać, a potem ucieknę. W bezpośrednim starcu nie miałam z nim szans, był ode mnie silniejszy."

Powiem wam tylko, że jako nastolatka została porwana.. i z*biła swojego oprawcę.

Nie można odmówić autorce tego, że potrafi w plot twisty i podjudzanie czytelnika. W pewnym momencie sama już nie wiedziałam, kto jest dobry, a kto zły. Wiele razy też otwierałam buzię w niemałym szoku.
Lubię, gdy autor bawi się moim mózgiem, a Kathryn robiła to bezustannie.

I tak jak mówiłam.. faktycznie, ciężko było mi się wkręcić w historię, ale gdy już tak się stało.. trudno było się od niej oderwać. Bawiłam się naprawdę dobrze i cieszę się, że ostatecznie nie odłożyłam jej po tych stu stronach.

Jestem też ciekawa, jak wypadają inne książki autorki! Chętnie sprawdzę sobie, czy zawsze pisze w takim chaosie i, czy inne jej historie rozkręcają się w takim samym tempie.

Dajcie jej szansę, a zapewniam, że ten thriller pochłonie was bez reszty i niejednokrotnie zaskoczy! 🖤

"Rzuca ją na ziemię, przygniata jej plecy kolanem i zaczyna ją dusić. Czując ucisk palców na szyi, Kate uzmysławia sobie, że zostały jej tylko sekundy życia."

Współpraca reklamowa z @wydawnictwomova