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Her Last Words
A gripping debut psychological thriller set on the east coast of Ireland. Atmospheric, twisty, and propulsive, Her Last Words is an edge-of-your-seat read about obsession and dark secrets coming to light.
THE DEAD WON'T STAY SILENT FOREVER...
It's a crisp spring morning when Cass drops her husband, a respected lecturer, to the beach for his medically prescribed swim. While waiting for him, something catches her eye. A young woman runs towards her husband and embraces him - until he holds his hand over her face and she falls down on the stones, dead.
In the backseat of the car, their seven-year-old son sits quietly. When her husband returns, he says nothing. Neither does Cass. Afraid to speak up in the immediate aftermath, Cass embarks on a solitary quest to unravel what has taken place.
Cass is quickly drawn into a web of lies that pulls her back to the previous autumn, when a beautiful Italian postgraduate student finds herself subsumed by an inescapable desire. It's visceral. It's destiny. But sometimes destiny can kill...
THE DEAD WON'T STAY SILENT FOREVER...
It's a crisp spring morning when Cass drops her husband, a respected lecturer, to the beach for his medically prescribed swim. While waiting for him, something catches her eye. A young woman runs towards her husband and embraces him - until he holds his hand over her face and she falls down on the stones, dead.
In the backseat of the car, their seven-year-old son sits quietly. When her husband returns, he says nothing. Neither does Cass. Afraid to speak up in the immediate aftermath, Cass embarks on a solitary quest to unravel what has taken place.
Cass is quickly drawn into a web of lies that pulls her back to the previous autumn, when a beautiful Italian postgraduate student finds herself subsumed by an inescapable desire. It's visceral. It's destiny. But sometimes destiny can kill...
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2022
19 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 4, 2022
"It's a crisp spring morning when Cass drops her husband, a respected lecturer, to the beach for his medically prescribed swim. While waiting for him, something catches her eye. A young woman runs towards her husband and embraces him - until he holds his hand over her face and she falls down on the stones, dead."
This blurb got me so intrigued, I couldn't resist to start the book as soon as I possibly could. After reading the first chapters about this event, questions started to form instantly. How can a man kill so swiftly and coolly? Know that he simply puts on his clothes and shoes and steps into the car! How can a wife stay silent about what she just saw? Who was that young woman, was she his mistress? I first got a glimpse of that and I sighted, afraid that I had fallen for a milked out "wife-husband-murdered mistress" trope. But the scene was so well rendered, eerie and mysterious, that I kept on reading. And pretty soon, I understood that there was much more to it, and I let out a sigh of relief. In every chapter, changing POV's each time, you get a snippet of information that leads to another path, and that kept me absorbed till the ending.
Now, I have to admit that I just hated the character of Cass. She isn't likable but she is also very flat. Even after finishing the book, I still don't know anything about her. What a contrast with the character of Nina, which the author describes very precisely. From her long black curls with a hint of copper, to every little thought that runs through her head. She is vile but also so likable and charming and vulnerable. As a reader, you get thrown in every direction with her which makes her very interesting.
I would have given the book a full well deserved 4 stars, but the end was too over the top for me. I understand that if you want to have twists and turns in a story, you might have to twist fate a little bit, but in this case it was more having to suspend all disbelief . It made a good story, that's for sure, but for me it's wasn't believable and I felt a bit cheated. But oh well, I enjoyed the previous 90% anyway and I'll keep the 4 stars, albeit rather borderline on 3 because of that ending.
A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This blurb got me so intrigued, I couldn't resist to start the book as soon as I possibly could. After reading the first chapters about this event, questions started to form instantly. How can a man kill so swiftly and coolly? Know that he simply puts on his clothes and shoes and steps into the car! How can a wife stay silent about what she just saw? Who was that young woman, was she his mistress? I first got a glimpse of that and I sighted, afraid that I had fallen for a milked out "wife-husband-murdered mistress" trope. But the scene was so well rendered, eerie and mysterious, that I kept on reading. And pretty soon, I understood that there was much more to it, and I let out a sigh of relief. In every chapter, changing POV's each time, you get a snippet of information that leads to another path, and that kept me absorbed till the ending.
Now, I have to admit that I just hated the character of Cass. She isn't likable but she is also very flat. Even after finishing the book, I still don't know anything about her. What a contrast with the character of Nina, which the author describes very precisely. From her long black curls with a hint of copper, to every little thought that runs through her head. She is vile but also so likable and charming and vulnerable. As a reader, you get thrown in every direction with her which makes her very interesting.
I would have given the book a full well deserved 4 stars, but the end was too over the top for me. I understand that if you want to have twists and turns in a story, you might have to twist fate a little bit, but in this case it was more having to suspend all disbelief . It made a good story, that's for sure, but for me it's wasn't believable and I felt a bit cheated. But oh well, I enjoyed the previous 90% anyway and I'll keep the 4 stars, albeit rather borderline on 3 because of that ending.
A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
April 20, 2025
This book fell a bit flat for me. Would make for a good light read after a heavy book however.
April 18, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me an advanced EBook copy of this book. This is in exchange for me honest review after reading it.
It started off with a great hook to get me engaged but sadly about half way through I found it tough to follow the story. The characters weren’t very likeable in places and it found me not overly caring where the story went..
It is written well and an interesting book but at certain parts it could be more engaging for the reader and possibly more about the characters, to make the reader like the characters more. Therefore, investing int heir story.
I will definitely read again from E.V. Kelly as I like the way she writes from multiple perspectives and the pace of the book was generally what I enjoy.
It started off with a great hook to get me engaged but sadly about half way through I found it tough to follow the story. The characters weren’t very likeable in places and it found me not overly caring where the story went..
It is written well and an interesting book but at certain parts it could be more engaging for the reader and possibly more about the characters, to make the reader like the characters more. Therefore, investing int heir story.
I will definitely read again from E.V. Kelly as I like the way she writes from multiple perspectives and the pace of the book was generally what I enjoy.
January 4, 2023
A young Irish wife watches her husband apparently murder a young woman on the beach in front of her. But when he gets in the car he makes no comment about it and she is not sure exactly what she has witnessed.
As the morning progresses the death is reported on the television news and Cass is still not sure what she should do.
The novel uses two time frames which seem to work independently of each other, one in fact considerably ahead of the other. The reader's job is to jigsaw them together which is at time s very challenging. I found the eventual result quite unexpected although there were early hints.
As the morning progresses the death is reported on the television news and Cass is still not sure what she should do.
The novel uses two time frames which seem to work independently of each other, one in fact considerably ahead of the other. The reader's job is to jigsaw them together which is at time s very challenging. I found the eventual result quite unexpected although there were early hints.
December 31, 2022
I gasped a lot when things started to reveal themselves in the last quarter of the novel. The plot was so intricate and intriguing. A lot of twists and turns - the last one was a shock!! A definitely recommended read.
April 18, 2023
This book had me HOOKED from start to finish!!!! Incredible🥲
February 5, 2023
This is E.V Kelly's first novel and wow! Engaging from the outset, compelling story that keeps you engaged to the very end. Original and clever story.
June 13, 2022
This book opens with Cass sitting in a car with her son Ted, watching her husband Jeff swim. She sees him struggling with a woman, but he returns as if nothing has happened. Nina is Jeff's student, who has developed a crush on him, and her story entwines with Cass and Jeff's as the past effects the present. A great novel telling how emotional responses and reflexes affect our perception of people around us. Highly recommend and will be reading more from E.V.Kelly.
July 28, 2022
Her Last Words is the first novel from Irish author E.V. Kelly. This is a psychological thriller set in Dublin.
The book opens with Cass and her seven year old son Ted watching her husband Jeff take his morning swim on their local beach. Cass is stunned and horrified when a beautiful young woman appears and jumps into his arms, and even more so when they appear to be struggling, with the young woman left lifeless in the sand. Cass pretends she hasn’t seen anything while she sets out to understand what she witnessed; is her husband really a cold blooded killer?
I was immediately hooked when I started this book, the first chapter is so sharp, and such an intriguing concept for a story. I can always appreciate an unreliable narrator and this trope was thoroughly and successfully explored here! I loved the setting, I always say this but thrillers set in Ireland automatically become more realistic for me as a reader.
Unfortunately I felt the storyline became a bit muddled about halfway in, with two many elements of the plot fighting each other.
None of the characters are really likeable (apart from the child and the dog 😅), so it made it hard to root for any of them, there were a few plot holes, and the ending felt lackluster to me.
I did think the writing was excellent up until that halfway mark though so I’ll be interested to read more from E.V. Kelly in the future.
With thanks to @netgalley and @quercusbooks for the opportunity to read Her Last Words, available to buy now.
The book opens with Cass and her seven year old son Ted watching her husband Jeff take his morning swim on their local beach. Cass is stunned and horrified when a beautiful young woman appears and jumps into his arms, and even more so when they appear to be struggling, with the young woman left lifeless in the sand. Cass pretends she hasn’t seen anything while she sets out to understand what she witnessed; is her husband really a cold blooded killer?
I was immediately hooked when I started this book, the first chapter is so sharp, and such an intriguing concept for a story. I can always appreciate an unreliable narrator and this trope was thoroughly and successfully explored here! I loved the setting, I always say this but thrillers set in Ireland automatically become more realistic for me as a reader.
Unfortunately I felt the storyline became a bit muddled about halfway in, with two many elements of the plot fighting each other.
None of the characters are really likeable (apart from the child and the dog 😅), so it made it hard to root for any of them, there were a few plot holes, and the ending felt lackluster to me.
I did think the writing was excellent up until that halfway mark though so I’ll be interested to read more from E.V. Kelly in the future.
With thanks to @netgalley and @quercusbooks for the opportunity to read Her Last Words, available to buy now.
October 22, 2022
Very gripping read - I devoured it. Loved how it was rooted in Dublin and the vivid seaside descriptions were so familiar. Looking forward to reading more by E.V. Kelly!
April 15, 2025
Sometimes, one twist is enough.
Imagine you're reading a sequence. 1, then 2, then 4, then 8. You understand the pattern, you see where it's going. It's a bit boring at the beginning and you have to start doing some actual work to think through the pattern after a few turns. Then, you get to 256 and the next number is actually 37. You stop and go wait, that doesn't make any sense. Everything previously understood would not lead you to 37. This book and the story in it turns to you and says, "Who fucking cares bro, the answer is 37. Not because it makes sense or there's groundwork to make 37 the obvious answer. No, it's 37 because I said it is."
Because some of the things end up making sense. Like this lady has actually been high this entire time so yeah, her slow and weird response to what she witnessed makes some sense. But the author takes that and the goodwill it builds with you and sets it on fire in the last ten percent of this book.
The addiction twist was well executed, we got background on it and an explanation that made sense. The consequences fit into the story and how we got to that point in it. All of that made for a good twist. Which is why it hurt so much to get to the end and have that god awful bullshit happen.
This is a very cool premise. The idea of some beautiful, talented woman going off the rails and becoming some psycho stalker obsessed with her potential PHd advisor is a cool premise. Add in the wife with some hidden issues of her own and you have a cool story. Take it one step further and find out that this advisor/mentor has his own issues he's dealing with including his discontent with his station in his profession and the introduction of this girl with amazing work who is obsessed with him and we have a good story. Now tell me what in the world possesses you to take this good story and make the entire thing that the girl is actually his kid.
Cass deserved better, or to at least get a backbone. The woman who is a professional therapist let her husband run all over her and act like his own negligence was her fault. She then let him take their son to Italy to make a movie about the fact that his long lost daughter stalked him and then tried to kill herself in his arms. What in the actual fuck was this???
Imagine you're reading a sequence. 1, then 2, then 4, then 8. You understand the pattern, you see where it's going. It's a bit boring at the beginning and you have to start doing some actual work to think through the pattern after a few turns. Then, you get to 256 and the next number is actually 37. You stop and go wait, that doesn't make any sense. Everything previously understood would not lead you to 37. This book and the story in it turns to you and says, "Who fucking cares bro, the answer is 37. Not because it makes sense or there's groundwork to make 37 the obvious answer. No, it's 37 because I said it is."
Because some of the things end up making sense. Like this lady has actually been high this entire time so yeah, her slow and weird response to what she witnessed makes some sense. But the author takes that and the goodwill it builds with you and sets it on fire in the last ten percent of this book.
The addiction twist was well executed, we got background on it and an explanation that made sense. The consequences fit into the story and how we got to that point in it. All of that made for a good twist. Which is why it hurt so much to get to the end and have that god awful bullshit happen.
This is a very cool premise. The idea of some beautiful, talented woman going off the rails and becoming some psycho stalker obsessed with her potential PHd advisor is a cool premise. Add in the wife with some hidden issues of her own and you have a cool story. Take it one step further and find out that this advisor/mentor has his own issues he's dealing with including his discontent with his station in his profession and the introduction of this girl with amazing work who is obsessed with him and we have a good story. Now tell me what in the world possesses you to take this good story and make the entire thing that the girl is actually his kid.
Cass deserved better, or to at least get a backbone. The woman who is a professional therapist let her husband run all over her and act like his own negligence was her fault. She then let him take their son to Italy to make a movie about the fact that his long lost daughter stalked him and then tried to kill herself in his arms. What in the actual fuck was this???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2022
Slow moving, though it kept my interest fairly well . Set on the coast of Ireland near Dublin, the plot centres on Cassandra, a psychotherapist and Jeff, a married couple with a young son. Some chapters are written from the point of view of Nina, one of Jeff's post-graduate students. The connection is not obvious and as the book progresses, you get the idea that Nina is obsessively stalking the family.
There are a couple of twists in the book, moments of sadness and problems in the relationship stemming from these. All is not as it seems. The characterizations are done well, the plot quite intricate and the thought processes seemed logical, though maybe a little communication might have cleared some of the problems up. The ending does not clear up all the loose ends ..... I won't say more . I would have preferred it if a few had been sorted out.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
There are a couple of twists in the book, moments of sadness and problems in the relationship stemming from these. All is not as it seems. The characterizations are done well, the plot quite intricate and the thought processes seemed logical, though maybe a little communication might have cleared some of the problems up. The ending does not clear up all the loose ends ..... I won't say more . I would have preferred it if a few had been sorted out.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
March 28, 2022
Firstly, I am thankful for the opportunity to have received a free advanced copy of this eBook through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this story, told mainly from the perspective of the 2 main characters. After Cass drops her husband at the beach for his morning swim, she sees something shocking. 7 year old Ted in the backseat at the time. She says nothing when he returns to the car.
What is the mystery surrounding the events that have just taken place? We find out as the story unfolds in an unexpected way…
I rate this Ebook 4 stars and would recommend to those who enjoy their suspenseful thrillers.
#HerLastWords #NetGalley
I enjoyed this story, told mainly from the perspective of the 2 main characters. After Cass drops her husband at the beach for his morning swim, she sees something shocking. 7 year old Ted in the backseat at the time. She says nothing when he returns to the car.
What is the mystery surrounding the events that have just taken place? We find out as the story unfolds in an unexpected way…
I rate this Ebook 4 stars and would recommend to those who enjoy their suspenseful thrillers.
#HerLastWords #NetGalley
November 28, 2022
When Cass sees her husband, Jeff, being embraced by a beautiful young woman after his swim she is shocked. She is even more shocked by what she sees next. She rushes off hoping her young son hasn't seen anything. Naturally Cass is not going to be able to forget this & soon finds out things she didn't know about her husband. The story is told from Cass' point of view as well as from Nina, one of Jeff's students. I can't say I was over keen on either of them! This was a so-so read for me. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
October 29, 2023
Well that’s that.
When I read 100 pages of Her Last Words in less than an hour I thought it would be a five star read. But that wasn’t the case. While it started with a bang the book developed into something that, even with its fast pace, was hard to get through.
I was incredibly bored and kept waiting for twists that never arrived. Then we get the final twist and it disgusted me. Not only did it not feel planned out but the way they treat Cassandra at the end made me scream.
I expected something great and I’m disappointed that I got mediocre at best.
When I read 100 pages of Her Last Words in less than an hour I thought it would be a five star read. But that wasn’t the case. While it started with a bang the book developed into something that, even with its fast pace, was hard to get through.
I was incredibly bored and kept waiting for twists that never arrived. Then we get the final twist and it disgusted me. Not only did it not feel planned out but the way they treat Cassandra at the end made me scream.
I expected something great and I’m disappointed that I got mediocre at best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2022
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and it's called Her Last Words by E.V. Kelly.
I had difficulty getting through this book. The characters were not particularly likable all seemed to be having rather extreme problems. The story itself was a bit of a mess and sometimes I really had no clue what I was reading.
The premise itself is interesting but the execution is not very good. It took me almost a week to finish and that's saying something.
I had difficulty getting through this book. The characters were not particularly likable all seemed to be having rather extreme problems. The story itself was a bit of a mess and sometimes I really had no clue what I was reading.
The premise itself is interesting but the execution is not very good. It took me almost a week to finish and that's saying something.
June 3, 2022
This beginning got me hooked!
Cass drops her husband off for a swim in the sea. Just to witness how he drowns her? What???
She has no idea how to react- understandably!!!
As she starts digging deeper into her husband's life she finds out some truely shocking things. I don't want to give away too much of the story.
But a thrilling story, that kept my attention!!
Thanks a lot #NetGalley #Quercus Books for the ARC
Cass drops her husband off for a swim in the sea. Just to witness how he drowns her? What???
She has no idea how to react- understandably!!!
As she starts digging deeper into her husband's life she finds out some truely shocking things. I don't want to give away too much of the story.
But a thrilling story, that kept my attention!!
Thanks a lot #NetGalley #Quercus Books for the ARC
January 24, 2023
The story started well, it was faced paced and I liked the way it was written from different perspectives. Unfortunately it tailed off about 1/3 in and whilst I was curious about what happened I wasn’t gripped. I didn’t really click with the characters and the ending just left me feeling deflated?
February 7, 2025
This is one of those books where I am not quite sure how I feel. I think the author intended to be controversial and portray the wife in a negative light. I, however, as a female completely get the wife’s point of view and I think that down plays the reaction the author was wanting. Certain twists, but I feel the story line was a bit far fetched.
July 15, 2022
Intriguing and skillfully crafted thriller that was rather addictive! Plenty of twists and turns leaving me longing to read more from E.V. Kelly. The Dublin setting along the stunning coast beautifully depicted some of my favourite haunts. Definitely recommend this one!
September 30, 2022
I loved this book and would highly recommend it. It's a compelling story written from the point of view of 2 main characters, Nina and Cassandra. The characters are well written and I found myself empathizing with both. The story kept me intrigued and the ending was completely unexpected.
May 6, 2023
Took me a bit to really get into this one but I didn't see the twist until the end.
August 13, 2023
A plot idea with great potential but ruined by unlikable main characters and an ending that just seemed to be cut off at random.
Read
March 4, 2024Not for me.
March 10, 2024
Hoewel die einde nie heeltemal geloofwaardig is nie, het ek lanklaas 'n boek gelees wat my so lank aanhou raai het.
October 18, 2024
I found this book a bit hard to get into. There was a lot of mucking around, but then 3/4 through it picked up the pace.
March 3, 2025
I really enjoyed the author's way of writing. Not too sure about the end.
March 12, 2025
Interesting plot. Not what I expected from the main outline at all. Decent fast read.
June 27, 2024
This book was nuts. Not in a good way. A woman and her son watch her husband swim in the sea. A woman runs up to him, rips off her shirt and leaps into his arms. He puts his hand over her face and leaves her dead body on the beach. The woman says absolutely nothing to her husband when he gets back in the car. We then see the past and the present catch up from different view points. The story gets no less nuts. It was just so unbelievable. She didn’t confront him once, just assumed that her husband of however many years was a murderer and might want to murder her as well. What kind of person does that? And who sees a woman killed and does nothing? Not for me at all.
Plot for my memory - woman witnesses her husband murder a young woman. Faffs about it for an entire book until it turns out that the woman killed herself. In the past the husband is a professor, the young woman is a student and she’s totally obsessed with him. She literally cannot control herself around him, she wants him to take her virginity. He may or may not want her too but he doesn’t do anything about it. She finds out that he’s actually her father from a one night stand in Italy (what are the odds) so she kills herself with an insulin overdose and throws her naked body at him so he can be with her when she dies. And the wife just assume her husband was sleeping with her then coldly murdered her.
Plot for my memory - woman witnesses her husband murder a young woman. Faffs about it for an entire book until it turns out that the woman killed herself. In the past the husband is a professor, the young woman is a student and she’s totally obsessed with him. She literally cannot control herself around him, she wants him to take her virginity. He may or may not want her too but he doesn’t do anything about it. She finds out that he’s actually her father from a one night stand in Italy (what are the odds) so she kills herself with an insulin overdose and throws her naked body at him so he can be with her when she dies. And the wife just assume her husband was sleeping with her then coldly murdered her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2022
Finished reading in mere hours, being from Wicklow I loved the references to local spots! Completely unexpected ending!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews