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The Last Thing She Saw
This thrilling and intense psychological novel from the bestselling author of Girl Last Seen follows the residents of a rural town in Quebec as they grapple with long-buried secrets coming to light after the discovery of a child's remains.
After a flood destroys the historic center of a small Quebec town, a child’s body is discovered. The remains are decades-old and nearly impossible to identify, yet everyone knows at once who they belong to. Nine-year-old Michelle Fortier vanished without a trace in 1979, and her fate has remained unknown—until now.
Stephanie O’Malley grew up in her mother’s crumbling trailer listening to stories of Michelle’s disappearance, stories she once tried to turn into a podcast without much success. Although Stephanie left Marly fifteen years ago and vowed never to return, she finds herself back with her tempestuous mother Laura, her high school sweetheart Luc, and the entire community in an uproar.
While Stephanie struggles to separate the truth from wild rumors about witchcraft and town-wide conspiracies, Laura is consumed by the strange feeling that all this has happened before. But then a bombshell drops: the body might not be Michelle after all.
After a flood destroys the historic center of a small Quebec town, a child’s body is discovered. The remains are decades-old and nearly impossible to identify, yet everyone knows at once who they belong to. Nine-year-old Michelle Fortier vanished without a trace in 1979, and her fate has remained unknown—until now.
Stephanie O’Malley grew up in her mother’s crumbling trailer listening to stories of Michelle’s disappearance, stories she once tried to turn into a podcast without much success. Although Stephanie left Marly fifteen years ago and vowed never to return, she finds herself back with her tempestuous mother Laura, her high school sweetheart Luc, and the entire community in an uproar.
While Stephanie struggles to separate the truth from wild rumors about witchcraft and town-wide conspiracies, Laura is consumed by the strange feeling that all this has happened before. But then a bombshell drops: the body might not be Michelle after all.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2024
37 people are currently reading
14688 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
July 28, 2024
In 2017, flood damage in a small Quebec town lead to the discovery of a child’s body that appears to be decades old. Locals suspect that the remains are that of Michelle Fortier, the nine-year-old daughter of an affluent family who disappeared in 1979.
Stephanie O’Malley returns to her hometown of Marly, Quebec, after her career hits a downward spiral as a result of her failed podcast, which was based on Michelle’s case. Fifteen years ago, she had left Marly with hopes for a better future, leaving her mother Laura and high-school sweetheart Luc behind. Her relationship with her mother is strained and Luc has moved on. Stephanie keenly follows the renewed interest and investigation into the cold case in hopes of reviving her podcast. As the narrative progresses, Stephanie finds herself drawn into a complex web of lies, secrets and cover-ups.
I found the premise of The Last Thing She Saw by Nina Laurin intriguing and appreciated the suspenseful vibe, the atmospheric setting and the depiction of small-town life and the dynamics within the community. The narrative is structured in dual timelines. In the present timeline (2017), we follow Stephanie as she pursues her own investigation into Michelle’s disappearance while navigating her relationship with her mother and her dynamic with Luc. The 1979 timeline is presented from Laura’s perspective and focuses on Laura’s life as a teenager in Marly, while the events that led to Michelle’s disappearance are gradually revealed. Stephanie wasn’t a particularly interesting protagonist, and I wasn’t a fan of how the author chose to develop her story. Laura was a more complex character, but I felt the present timeline didn’t do her justice. The writing was stilted, resulting in a somewhat disjointed narrative that lacked cohesiveness. I also thought a few plot points were unnecessary (a few of the more common tropes no longer work for me ) and of no consequence to the story. The final reveal wasn’t entirely unpredictable (I do have a few questions, though) but was well-executed.
While I didn’t dislike this book in its entirety, I also didn’t find it to be the tightly woven, gripping thriller that I was expecting.
Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on July 23, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
Stephanie O’Malley returns to her hometown of Marly, Quebec, after her career hits a downward spiral as a result of her failed podcast, which was based on Michelle’s case. Fifteen years ago, she had left Marly with hopes for a better future, leaving her mother Laura and high-school sweetheart Luc behind. Her relationship with her mother is strained and Luc has moved on. Stephanie keenly follows the renewed interest and investigation into the cold case in hopes of reviving her podcast. As the narrative progresses, Stephanie finds herself drawn into a complex web of lies, secrets and cover-ups.
I found the premise of The Last Thing She Saw by Nina Laurin intriguing and appreciated the suspenseful vibe, the atmospheric setting and the depiction of small-town life and the dynamics within the community. The narrative is structured in dual timelines. In the present timeline (2017), we follow Stephanie as she pursues her own investigation into Michelle’s disappearance while navigating her relationship with her mother and her dynamic with Luc. The 1979 timeline is presented from Laura’s perspective and focuses on Laura’s life as a teenager in Marly, while the events that led to Michelle’s disappearance are gradually revealed. Stephanie wasn’t a particularly interesting protagonist, and I wasn’t a fan of how the author chose to develop her story. Laura was a more complex character, but I felt the present timeline didn’t do her justice. The writing was stilted, resulting in a somewhat disjointed narrative that lacked cohesiveness. I also thought a few plot points were unnecessary (a few of the more common tropes no longer work for me ) and of no consequence to the story. The final reveal wasn’t entirely unpredictable (I do have a few questions, though) but was well-executed.
While I didn’t dislike this book in its entirety, I also didn’t find it to be the tightly woven, gripping thriller that I was expecting.
Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on July 23, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
July 4, 2024
The blurb of this made it sound amazing, but I was extremely bored. I would not even consider this a thriller at all.
I think this author needs to learn how to build suspense, because 50% of the way in and it still felt like I was just reading background info with nothing exciting. I am being generous by giving 2 stars, because this was actually a DNF for me, but I am also in a slump so I’ll give it 2 as the benefit of the doubt that maybe some parts got good towards the end. However, I cannot recommend this one.
Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I think this author needs to learn how to build suspense, because 50% of the way in and it still felt like I was just reading background info with nothing exciting. I am being generous by giving 2 stars, because this was actually a DNF for me, but I am also in a slump so I’ll give it 2 as the benefit of the doubt that maybe some parts got good towards the end. However, I cannot recommend this one.
Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 3, 2024
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the digital copy to review.
This was not what I was expecting, as it is not exactly a thriller as categorized, and there are a lot of things going on in the beginning to keep track of, both from a character perspective and a timeline perspective. It came together in the second half and I liked this one overall, and the audio was great as well, but it was a slow start to get there.
This was not what I was expecting, as it is not exactly a thriller as categorized, and there are a lot of things going on in the beginning to keep track of, both from a character perspective and a timeline perspective. It came together in the second half and I liked this one overall, and the audio was great as well, but it was a slow start to get there.
August 19, 2024
Saw the cover, needed it immediately!
Unfortunately this one wasn't quite what I was expecting.
If you're going into this with the expectations of a thriller you're going to find yourself disappointed.
My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for this gifted copy!
Unfortunately this one wasn't quite what I was expecting.
If you're going into this with the expectations of a thriller you're going to find yourself disappointed.
My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for this gifted copy!
July 12, 2024
Ok, honest review time 🫣
I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. I enjoyed the timeline with Laura as she was growing up - I however, did not like Stephanie our main MC, she just wasn’t likeable to me. The story had great potential, and it did keep me interested, but I felt like the end just got chaotic and felt a bit rushed. There was not really an explanation on some things, so I finished this book with some unanswered questions.
This was also advertised as a thriller but it definitely was more small town murder mystery. All in all this wasn’t a bad read, it was just okay. This is my opinion so if this has been on your radar please still give it a try, just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it’s not for you.
I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. I enjoyed the timeline with Laura as she was growing up - I however, did not like Stephanie our main MC, she just wasn’t likeable to me. The story had great potential, and it did keep me interested, but I felt like the end just got chaotic and felt a bit rushed. There was not really an explanation on some things, so I finished this book with some unanswered questions.
This was also advertised as a thriller but it definitely was more small town murder mystery. All in all this wasn’t a bad read, it was just okay. This is my opinion so if this has been on your radar please still give it a try, just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it’s not for you.
February 17, 2025
I'm deducting a star because it took me 5 or 6 tries to get into this book, and even then, I kept stopping and forgetting to restart it, which means I wasn't invested. But, alas, I finally finished it. It wasn't horrible, but I couldn't mesh with the narrator, and the story overall was a tad dull until the ending.
July 17, 2025
new favorite author
Read
August 8, 2025Unfortunately this was a DNF
September 23, 2024
This was a chilling, slow-burn murder mystery with an intriguing premise, offering a gritty portrayal of a small Canadian town.
Told through dual timelines alternating between the past and present, this is a highly character-driven story filled with secrets just waiting to be uncovered and exposed.
Though I usually enjoy a good decades-old cold case plot, this one left me a bit underwhelmed, with a few lingering unanswered questions.
I think if you approach this one expecting a suspenseful read rather than a full-on thriller, you might enjoy it more!
Told through dual timelines alternating between the past and present, this is a highly character-driven story filled with secrets just waiting to be uncovered and exposed.
Though I usually enjoy a good decades-old cold case plot, this one left me a bit underwhelmed, with a few lingering unanswered questions.
I think if you approach this one expecting a suspenseful read rather than a full-on thriller, you might enjoy it more!
July 5, 2024
A gritty look at small town life. Although it is set in Canada, it still seems that small towns while being vastly different on the top are the same underneath. I love Nina Laurin's books, and this one was probably my favorite one.
abandoned
February 12, 2025Thanks, Grand Central Publishing, for the review copy via NetGalley. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to the story or characters enough to maintain my attention.
July 28, 2024
Nina Laurin is a great author! Love her books. This one though did not his the thriller hype for me. I was waiting for her twist and it did not happen. Otherwise a great story!
This is newly released on the 23rd of July. Give this book a try.
Thanks for the arc net galley 🫶🏼
This is newly released on the 23rd of July. Give this book a try.
Thanks for the arc net galley 🫶🏼
August 22, 2024
Stephanie grew up in a small town, desperate to become a journalist and get out. When she loses her job, she finds herself back in her mom's trailer, digging in to the disappearance of a child from her hometown many years in the past.
This story was cleverly written, with a well rounded cast of small town characters full of secrets and a foreboding atmosphere. Though it is Stephanie's hometown, she is now the definition of an outsider after several years away, and she has trouble finding people willing to open up to her. Her attitude doesn't help matters; there were times I just felt annoyed at the way she expected things to fall into place for her.
The book is written with a dual timeline, showing us the past through Stephanie's mother's eyes. I liked the dual timeline and thought it was clever that her mom had pieces of the puzzle but that their antagonistic relationship prevented her from sharing them. There were a few moments that managed to surprise me here, and I will definitely try more from this author in the future.
Read this one if you like:
💫 Slow burn
💫 Small town secrets
💫 Murder mystery
💫 Complicated family dynamics
This story was cleverly written, with a well rounded cast of small town characters full of secrets and a foreboding atmosphere. Though it is Stephanie's hometown, she is now the definition of an outsider after several years away, and she has trouble finding people willing to open up to her. Her attitude doesn't help matters; there were times I just felt annoyed at the way she expected things to fall into place for her.
The book is written with a dual timeline, showing us the past through Stephanie's mother's eyes. I liked the dual timeline and thought it was clever that her mom had pieces of the puzzle but that their antagonistic relationship prevented her from sharing them. There were a few moments that managed to surprise me here, and I will definitely try more from this author in the future.
Read this one if you like:
💫 Slow burn
💫 Small town secrets
💫 Murder mystery
💫 Complicated family dynamics
July 23, 2024
The Last Thing She Saw starts off in 1979 with 9-year-old Michelle going missing. Her fate has remained unknown until now. Flash forward to the present day Stephanie returns home because of a flood in her hometown. Stephanie grew up listening to stories of Michelle's disappearance. She left her town 15 years ago. But now she is back and is determined to find out what really happened to Michelle.
I am a big fan of Nina Laurin. So when this book was announced I was so excited. I loved this book. This was a fast paced edge of your seat thriller. This book had a lot of twists and turns. I also liked that this book was told and both the past and present. Nina Laurin just knows how to write a good thriller. All of her books are just so good. I feel like I want to go back and reread this how that I know
what happens.
Thank you Nina Laurin and Grand Central Pub for the ARC of this book.
I am a big fan of Nina Laurin. So when this book was announced I was so excited. I loved this book. This was a fast paced edge of your seat thriller. This book had a lot of twists and turns. I also liked that this book was told and both the past and present. Nina Laurin just knows how to write a good thriller. All of her books are just so good. I feel like I want to go back and reread this how that I know
what happens.
Thank you Nina Laurin and Grand Central Pub for the ARC of this book.
August 11, 2024
{3.5 stars}
Thanks to Booksparks for the gifted copy. All opinions below are my own.
I don’t think I’ve read too many mysteries or thrillers that are set in rural Canada. This takes place in a small town where global warming has had a great effect. It’s a bit of a white trash town… Which I didn’t know was actually a thing in Canada. The main character is a girl who got out and she is back dealing with the people she left behind. She had previously done a podcast about a long time, missing girl, and it has made her not very popular. Now a body has been found in a home ruined by a flood and she is determined to get answers.
I like all of the suspicious town Folk in this one. And that the main character was smart and yet from a bit of a trashy family herself. I definitely did not guess the person who did it, but I did guess a few of the twists along the way. Nice solid mystery if you are happy with a slower pace with more character development.
Thanks to Booksparks for the gifted copy. All opinions below are my own.
I don’t think I’ve read too many mysteries or thrillers that are set in rural Canada. This takes place in a small town where global warming has had a great effect. It’s a bit of a white trash town… Which I didn’t know was actually a thing in Canada. The main character is a girl who got out and she is back dealing with the people she left behind. She had previously done a podcast about a long time, missing girl, and it has made her not very popular. Now a body has been found in a home ruined by a flood and she is determined to get answers.
I like all of the suspicious town Folk in this one. And that the main character was smart and yet from a bit of a trashy family herself. I definitely did not guess the person who did it, but I did guess a few of the twists along the way. Nice solid mystery if you are happy with a slower pace with more character development.
July 29, 2024
Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. The dual timelines were interesting but there were SO many characters to keep track of. Many of which did not enhance the plot in any way. This was entirely too long and could have used a good edit to make it move investing for the reader. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 30, 2024
This is my first book by this author and overall I thought it was a good read. I personally didn’t find it slow because I appreciate the background information and I also enjoy the two timelines. I did find I got confused with the characters and trying to remember who was who. Otherwise I really enjoyed her writing.
July 25, 2025
I really enjoyed this book! I loved the Dual POVs and the Dual Timelines a lot. It really kept me guessing how everything came together. I did put some things together, but most of it I wasn’t able to and it surprised me at the end. I am loving Laurin’s books and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
January 12, 2025
Giving this one a 3.5. It's a nice mystery with interesting characters. No earth-shattering twists and turns but still a good read that kept me engaged right up to the end.
August 20, 2024
4.25 rounded down.
It took me a little bit to get into this story. Not in a cannot get into it at all kind of a way, just in a sucked me in kind of way. But once I was in it? I absolutely had to know what happened to Michelle Fortier and who was responsible.
Several folks seem like the obvious choice to whom may have had to do with Michelle’s disappearance and the author definitely leans a bit heavy on a couple of them. Then, Stephanie’s mother Laura is woven into the story and it becomes more confusing, but in a good way. In the end, I did have a couple of questions, but felt satisfied with the ending and the arc for the main characters.
Advance reader copy provided by Grand Central Publishing but all opinions are my own.
It took me a little bit to get into this story. Not in a cannot get into it at all kind of a way, just in a sucked me in kind of way. But once I was in it? I absolutely had to know what happened to Michelle Fortier and who was responsible.
Several folks seem like the obvious choice to whom may have had to do with Michelle’s disappearance and the author definitely leans a bit heavy on a couple of them. Then, Stephanie’s mother Laura is woven into the story and it becomes more confusing, but in a good way. In the end, I did have a couple of questions, but felt satisfied with the ending and the arc for the main characters.
Advance reader copy provided by Grand Central Publishing but all opinions are my own.
May 16, 2024
This is the first book I have read by this author. I will be watching for more books by her in the future. The book was interesting, captivating, and had just the right amount of twists and turns. I wasn't able to guess the ending, which is good. It was an easy and enjoyable read.
July 17, 2024
Ugh, this book was painfully slow and I overall couldn’t get into it. I have always enjoyed this author so I’m bummed this one was such a let down.
September 11, 2024
actually audibooked this on spotify just because it was free and i saw it. intricate, lengthy, double timeline plot. nice for driving. kinda depressing. also from mtl so grabbed my attention.
Read
August 31, 2024The Last Thing She Saw is a small-town mystery told in two perspectives and timelines. In 2017, Stephanie finds herself returning to her hometown, the last thing she ever wanted to do. A body has been uncovered by a recent flood and Stephanie believes it belongs to the young girl who went missing many years ago, the very girl whose story she had been following some years back for her podcast, the last time she returned to town.
In 1979, her mother, Laur, was a teenager, wanting to leave this town for good. Her parents ignore her, she is shunned by her classmates and fallen into bad ways. She has a secret affair with someone. As The Last Thing She Saw progresses, how these daughter-mother perspectives are related becomes clear. They were intertwined in a way that I hadn’t expected. I enjoyed the slow-burn mystery but more than the story itself, it was the two main characters and their respective feelings about the town that made this story a good read. The other characters in this book were fleshed out well too but my focus was on the mother and daughter.
There is so much that Stephanie does not know about her mother and their relationship isn’t a good one even though they find themselves supporting each other again. There is very little trust and a lot of arguments. It is deeply sad to know as the reader that Laur wanted to get out of the town and yet, years later, she is stuck and hasn’t left. What happened that she was unable to leave? It is related to this missing girl but more than that, it is rooted in the beliefs and societal hierarchy that existed in the town.
There is a lot of angst and anger, some dangerous decisions around not well people. There is sabotage to learn information and sometimes there are honest conversations. Stephanie is called out a few times by various people for taking an interest in her hometown for her own gains.
With rough characters, The Last Thing She Saw is a well done story. A little slow but overall, I liked it. It is always nice to read books set in the country I call home and with two time points, it was nice to contrast how the town had changed.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book for an honest review.
- Kriti, Armed with A Book | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
In 1979, her mother, Laur, was a teenager, wanting to leave this town for good. Her parents ignore her, she is shunned by her classmates and fallen into bad ways. She has a secret affair with someone. As The Last Thing She Saw progresses, how these daughter-mother perspectives are related becomes clear. They were intertwined in a way that I hadn’t expected. I enjoyed the slow-burn mystery but more than the story itself, it was the two main characters and their respective feelings about the town that made this story a good read. The other characters in this book were fleshed out well too but my focus was on the mother and daughter.
There is so much that Stephanie does not know about her mother and their relationship isn’t a good one even though they find themselves supporting each other again. There is very little trust and a lot of arguments. It is deeply sad to know as the reader that Laur wanted to get out of the town and yet, years later, she is stuck and hasn’t left. What happened that she was unable to leave? It is related to this missing girl but more than that, it is rooted in the beliefs and societal hierarchy that existed in the town.
There is a lot of angst and anger, some dangerous decisions around not well people. There is sabotage to learn information and sometimes there are honest conversations. Stephanie is called out a few times by various people for taking an interest in her hometown for her own gains.
With rough characters, The Last Thing She Saw is a well done story. A little slow but overall, I liked it. It is always nice to read books set in the country I call home and with two time points, it was nice to contrast how the town had changed.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book for an honest review.
- Kriti, Armed with A Book | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
July 6, 2024
This felt like a lesser version of a Megan Miranda novel - and I’m not a fan of Miranda. The deadbeat town and the coming to do a podcast plot lines both felt so overdone it took a lot to even get into this. Listen to the Lie, for example, did this much better just a few months ago. The end was underwhelming and the satanic subplot was unnecessary. Meh.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2025
The territory of lies
It begins as a perfect true-edge thriller: 2017, Stephanie O'Malley returns from Quebec to the small Canadian town of Marley, where she was born and ran away from fifteen years ago, right after graduation, leaving her alcoholic mother Laura and a guy named Luke, who cheated on her with her best friend. Back in the big city, without help or support, working like hell, she graduated from college, hosted a crime podcast on the radio, and believed that she had managed to pull herself out of the swamp by her hair. As it turned out, it was in vain: the podcast was closed due to low ratings, her place in the company's staff went to a guy from "her own", to whom Steph did not belong, there was nothing to pay for the apartment, and the money from the sold car soon ran out. The big city squeezed out the loser, there was nothing left but to return to the hated Marley, to her mother.
In Marley, a survivor of the flood, where the water flooded the foundation of the house and collapsed one of the walls, in which they found the skeleton of a child about nine or ten years old. Making the topic of the disappearance of nine-year-old Michelle Fortier, which happened in Laura's youth, relevant again. Two years ago, Stephanie came here, trying to find out the fate of the girl, stayed at the hotel then, like a city thief, did not even meet her mother and left. without slurping salt. It's funny, but now everyone in town thinks that she's here to resume the podcast due to the circumstances, and she's staying with Laura because the hotel is closed after the flood. Meeting with Luke in the very first hour after arrival makes it clear to both of them that the old feelings have not completely burned out. He is now married to the daughter of a rich man in the city, has joined their family soybean business, drives a car the size of Steph's Quebec apartment, and, it would seem, what does he care about her? However, the heart cannot be commanded.
The rest of the story is told in two time slices: the novel today - 2017 and 1979, when Laura O'Malley, the daughter of local drunks, was seventeen, a beautiful, scruffy girl who tried to look like a rocker and dreamed of leaving here, as her daughter would dream later. I don't understand. when a book is called boring, by no means, the mix is the coolest. Look: in the past, Fat Sophie, Luke's grandfather's wife, disappeared without a trace. They said she was a witch and lived in a hut in the woods. Someone killed and mutilated pets, and this was also attributed to the witch, although some believed. that Laura was to blame, and others that the daughter of the rich Fortier, Michelle. Crazy Tony Bergman, Luke's uncle (who wasn't born yet), wandered through the woods, occasionally wandering into the city and scaring children with his appearance. And one day, after hearing that the witch of the woods can teach you how to become rich, young Laura goes looking for her hut (to escape from Marley's trap, you need money).
It's very cool involved, but Nina Lauren didn't pull the level to the end. Everything seems to have been resolved successfully, and the secrets have been revealed, but they have given rise to new questions that have no answers.
Начинается как идеальный тру-крайм триллер: 2017, Стефани О’Мэлли возвращается из Квебека в маленький канадский городок Марли, где родилась и откуда сбежала пятнадцать лет назад, сразу после выпускного, оставив мать-алкоголичку Лору и парня по имени Люк, который изменил ей с лучшей подругой. Там, в большом городе, без помощи и поддержки, работая как проклятая, она закончила колледж, там вела на радио криминальный подкаст, и считала, что сумела вытянуть себя за волосы из болота. Как выяснилось, напрасно: подкаст закрыли за малой рейтинговостью, ее место в штате компании досталось парню из "своих", к которым Стеф не принадлежала, за квартиру стало нечем платить, а деньги от проданной машины скоро закончились. Большой город выдавил неудачницу, ничего не осталось, кроме как вернуться в ненавистный Марли, к матери.
В Марли, переживший наводнение, где вода подтопила фундамент дома и обрушила одну из стен, в которой нашли скелет ребенка лет девяти-десяти. Вновь сделав актуальной тему бесследного исчезновения девятилетней Мишель Фортье, которое случилось в дни юности Лоры. Два года назад Стефани приезжала сюда, пытаясь выяснить судьбу девочки, останавливалась тогда в гостинице, как городская краля, с матерью даже не встретилась и уехала. не солоно хлебавши. Забавно, но сейчас все в городке считают,: она здесь затем, чтобы возобновить подкаст ввиду открывшихся обстоятельств, а у Лоры живет потому что отель закрыт после наводнения. Встреча с Люком в первый же час после приезда дает обоим понять, что былые чувства не до конца прогорели. Он теперь женат на до��ке городского богача, влился в их семейный бизнес по выращиванию сои, ездит на машине, размером с квебекскую квартиру Стеф и, казалось бы, что ему до нее, замухрышки. Однако сердцу не прикажешь.
Дальнейшее повествование ведется в двух временных срезах: романное сегодня - 2017 и 1979, когда семнадцать было Лоре О`Мэлли, дочери местных алкашей, красивой ершистой девчонке, которая пыталась выглядеть как рокерша и мечтала уехать отсюда, как после будет мечтать ее дочь. Не понимаю. когда книгу называют скучной - ни в коем случае, замес крутейший. Смотрите: в прошлом тут бесследно исчезла Толстая Софи - жена Люкова деда, говорили, что она ведьма и живет в хижине в лесной чаще. Кто-то убивал и уродовал домашних животных, и это тоже приписывали ведьме, хотя некоторые считали. что виновата Лора, а еще другие - что дочка богачей Фортье, Мишель. Свихнутый Тони Бергман, дядя Люка (тогда еще не родившегося), бродил по лесам, изредка забредая в город и пугая своим видом детей. И однажды, наслушавшись, что ведьма-из-леса может научить, как сделаться богатой, юная Лора идет разыскивать ее хижину (чтобы вырваться из капкана Марли, нужны деньги).
Это очень круто замешано, но Нина Лорен не вытянула уровня до конца. Вот вроде и разрешилось все благополучно, и тайны раскрыты, но они породили новые вопросы, ответов на которые нет. И еще, скажите, это только у меня впечатление тотально непроработанной безликой реальности, какое бывает, когда наши пытаются писать про "их" жизнь?
It begins as a perfect true-edge thriller: 2017, Stephanie O'Malley returns from Quebec to the small Canadian town of Marley, where she was born and ran away from fifteen years ago, right after graduation, leaving her alcoholic mother Laura and a guy named Luke, who cheated on her with her best friend. Back in the big city, without help or support, working like hell, she graduated from college, hosted a crime podcast on the radio, and believed that she had managed to pull herself out of the swamp by her hair. As it turned out, it was in vain: the podcast was closed due to low ratings, her place in the company's staff went to a guy from "her own", to whom Steph did not belong, there was nothing to pay for the apartment, and the money from the sold car soon ran out. The big city squeezed out the loser, there was nothing left but to return to the hated Marley, to her mother.
In Marley, a survivor of the flood, where the water flooded the foundation of the house and collapsed one of the walls, in which they found the skeleton of a child about nine or ten years old. Making the topic of the disappearance of nine-year-old Michelle Fortier, which happened in Laura's youth, relevant again. Two years ago, Stephanie came here, trying to find out the fate of the girl, stayed at the hotel then, like a city thief, did not even meet her mother and left. without slurping salt. It's funny, but now everyone in town thinks that she's here to resume the podcast due to the circumstances, and she's staying with Laura because the hotel is closed after the flood. Meeting with Luke in the very first hour after arrival makes it clear to both of them that the old feelings have not completely burned out. He is now married to the daughter of a rich man in the city, has joined their family soybean business, drives a car the size of Steph's Quebec apartment, and, it would seem, what does he care about her? However, the heart cannot be commanded.
The rest of the story is told in two time slices: the novel today - 2017 and 1979, when Laura O'Malley, the daughter of local drunks, was seventeen, a beautiful, scruffy girl who tried to look like a rocker and dreamed of leaving here, as her daughter would dream later. I don't understand. when a book is called boring, by no means, the mix is the coolest. Look: in the past, Fat Sophie, Luke's grandfather's wife, disappeared without a trace. They said she was a witch and lived in a hut in the woods. Someone killed and mutilated pets, and this was also attributed to the witch, although some believed. that Laura was to blame, and others that the daughter of the rich Fortier, Michelle. Crazy Tony Bergman, Luke's uncle (who wasn't born yet), wandered through the woods, occasionally wandering into the city and scaring children with his appearance. And one day, after hearing that the witch of the woods can teach you how to become rich, young Laura goes looking for her hut (to escape from Marley's trap, you need money).
It's very cool involved, but Nina Lauren didn't pull the level to the end. Everything seems to have been resolved successfully, and the secrets have been revealed, but they have given rise to new questions that have no answers.
Начинается как идеальный тру-крайм триллер: 2017, Стефани О’Мэлли возвращается из Квебека в маленький канадский городок Марли, где родилась и откуда сбежала пятнадцать лет назад, сразу после выпускного, оставив мать-алкоголичку Лору и парня по имени Люк, который изменил ей с лучшей подругой. Там, в большом городе, без помощи и поддержки, работая как проклятая, она закончила колледж, там вела на радио криминальный подкаст, и считала, что сумела вытянуть себя за волосы из болота. Как выяснилось, напрасно: подкаст закрыли за малой рейтинговостью, ее место в штате компании досталось парню из "своих", к которым Стеф не принадлежала, за квартиру стало нечем платить, а деньги от проданной машины скоро закончились. Большой город выдавил неудачницу, ничего не осталось, кроме как вернуться в ненавистный Марли, к матери.
В Марли, переживший наводнение, где вода подтопила фундамент дома и обрушила одну из стен, в которой нашли скелет ребенка лет девяти-десяти. Вновь сделав актуальной тему бесследного исчезновения девятилетней Мишель Фортье, которое случилось в дни юности Лоры. Два года назад Стефани приезжала сюда, пытаясь выяснить судьбу девочки, останавливалась тогда в гостинице, как городская краля, с матерью даже не встретилась и уехала. не солоно хлебавши. Забавно, но сейчас все в городке считают,: она здесь затем, чтобы возобновить подкаст ввиду открывшихся обстоятельств, а у Лоры живет потому что отель закрыт после наводнения. Встреча с Люком в первый же час после приезда дает обоим понять, что былые чувства не до конца прогорели. Он теперь женат на до��ке городского богача, влился в их семейный бизнес по выращиванию сои, ездит на машине, размером с квебекскую квартиру Стеф и, казалось бы, что ему до нее, замухрышки. Однако сердцу не прикажешь.
Дальнейшее повествование ведется в двух временных срезах: романное сегодня - 2017 и 1979, когда семнадцать было Лоре О`Мэлли, дочери местных алкашей, красивой ершистой девчонке, которая пыталась выглядеть как рокерша и мечтала уехать отсюда, как после будет мечтать ее дочь. Не понимаю. когда книгу называют скучной - ни в коем случае, замес крутейший. Смотрите: в прошлом тут бесследно исчезла Толстая Софи - жена Люкова деда, говорили, что она ведьма и живет в хижине в лесной чаще. Кто-то убивал и уродовал домашних животных, и это тоже приписывали ведьме, хотя некоторые считали. что виновата Лора, а еще другие - что дочка богачей Фортье, Мишель. Свихнутый Тони Бергман, дядя Люка (тогда еще не родившегося), бродил по лесам, изредка забредая в город и пугая своим видом детей. И однажды, наслушавшись, что ведьма-из-леса может научить, как сделаться богатой, юная Лора идет разыскивать ее хижину (чтобы вырваться из капкана Марли, нужны деньги).
Это очень круто замешано, но Нина Лорен не вытянула уровня до конца. Вот вроде и разрешилось все благополучно, и тайны раскрыты, но они породили новые вопросы, ответов на которые нет. И еще, скажите, это только у меня впечатление тотально непроработанной безликой реальности, какое бывает, когда наши пытаются писать про "их" жизнь?
December 31, 2024
This was ok.
The premise was promising: Stephanie O’Malley has retuned the prodigal daughter of her small town of Marley, QC after being fired from her dream journalism job in Montreal writing a true crime podcast focused around Malley’s unsolved missing persons case, 9-year-old Michelle Fortier. She is determined to go back to the town and expand her podcast with more detail, winning a bigger audience.
Although Stephanie and her stereotypically trailer trash mom Laura grew on me somewhat as the narrative progressed, neither were ever fully likeable. Generally, the characters felt one-dimensional. The side characters were all grotesque stereotypes of small town life, other than Luke, who managed to somehow be basically perfect in the end (if a bit impetuous) despite having a terrible family.
The pacing and format was a bit strange here. It was a slow, somewhat confusing collection of clues and red herrings delivered through two alternating timelines, until the last quarter of the book and then it felt like Laurin got bored of telling the story and spilled it all at once in the form of a letter revealing all, which was a bit artless. The two timelines also made it a bit confusing for me as a reader to discern what Stephanie had actually figured out about the past versus what Laura knew, and was hiding.
Laura and Laura‘s mother - living in the same shitty trailer in in the two different timelines - were such similar characters that I also sometimes had trouble telling them apart.
All that said, the last 2/3 of the book was suspenseful enough, I read it pretty much in one go; I was quite rapped to find out how all of the different plot elements connected and what happened to Michelle, and the other tragic characters of the story.
It was still a quick and absorbing holiday read, but it would be far from a top thriller recommendation from me.
The premise was promising: Stephanie O’Malley has retuned the prodigal daughter of her small town of Marley, QC after being fired from her dream journalism job in Montreal writing a true crime podcast focused around Malley’s unsolved missing persons case, 9-year-old Michelle Fortier. She is determined to go back to the town and expand her podcast with more detail, winning a bigger audience.
Although Stephanie and her stereotypically trailer trash mom Laura grew on me somewhat as the narrative progressed, neither were ever fully likeable. Generally, the characters felt one-dimensional. The side characters were all grotesque stereotypes of small town life, other than Luke, who managed to somehow be basically perfect in the end (if a bit impetuous) despite having a terrible family.
The pacing and format was a bit strange here. It was a slow, somewhat confusing collection of clues and red herrings delivered through two alternating timelines, until the last quarter of the book and then it felt like Laurin got bored of telling the story and spilled it all at once in the form of a letter revealing all, which was a bit artless. The two timelines also made it a bit confusing for me as a reader to discern what Stephanie had actually figured out about the past versus what Laura knew, and was hiding.
Laura and Laura‘s mother - living in the same shitty trailer in in the two different timelines - were such similar characters that I also sometimes had trouble telling them apart.
All that said, the last 2/3 of the book was suspenseful enough, I read it pretty much in one go; I was quite rapped to find out how all of the different plot elements connected and what happened to Michelle, and the other tragic characters of the story.
It was still a quick and absorbing holiday read, but it would be far from a top thriller recommendation from me.
July 27, 2024
This was genuinely a GOOD READ. I couldn't put it down it had me drawn in. So much gratitude given to NetGalley & Grand Central Publishing for eARC.
What to generally expect:
⭐ Dual story Lines
⭐ Past & present story telling
⭐ An overarching story of small town life that has dark secrets
⭐ Decades old Cold Case
The story itself is what pulled me in to begin with. I am a true crime junkie interested in all the workings of the story, but also captivated by the people involved. In this case there are MANY characters involved and each of them in the small town play a role in the whole journey of this specific story. Characters you are rooting for and committed to seeing them on the other side of it all. Others you are hoping are involved in the case to the point of being charged with the disappearance.
I also love that until the end of this story you really have ZERO idea who was actually involved in the disappearance in the first place. I thought I had it figured out early on, only to find I was definitely wrong.
Nina writes so much depth in to each of the characters of this story, this includes 3rd layer character. In my opinion this is what genuinely helps a reader dive deep in to the story and feel connected. The overall story is heartbreaking yet hopeful, at least that is how I saw the way it ended. She also envelopes you in the small town with the characters, the feel and nonsense of a small town life. Secrets and rumors will run amuck but the truth comes out in the end!
Synopsis:
After a flood destroys the historic center of a small Quebec town, a child’s body is discovered. The remains are decades-old and nearly impossible to identify, yet everyone knows at once who they belong to. Nine-year-old Michelle Fortier vanished without a trace in 1979, and her fate has remained unknown—until now.
Stephanie O’Malley grew up in her mother’s crumbling trailer listening to stories of Michelle’s disappearance, stories she once tried to turn into a podcast without much success. Although Stephanie left Marly fifteen years ago and vowed never to return, she finds herself back with her tempestuous mother Laura, her high school sweetheart Luc, and the entire community in an uproar.
While Stephanie struggles to separate the truth from wild rumors about witchcraft and town-wide conspiracies, Laura is consumed by the strange feeling that all this has happened before. But then a bombshell drops: the body might not be Michelle after all.
What to generally expect:
⭐ Dual story Lines
⭐ Past & present story telling
⭐ An overarching story of small town life that has dark secrets
⭐ Decades old Cold Case
The story itself is what pulled me in to begin with. I am a true crime junkie interested in all the workings of the story, but also captivated by the people involved. In this case there are MANY characters involved and each of them in the small town play a role in the whole journey of this specific story. Characters you are rooting for and committed to seeing them on the other side of it all. Others you are hoping are involved in the case to the point of being charged with the disappearance.
I also love that until the end of this story you really have ZERO idea who was actually involved in the disappearance in the first place. I thought I had it figured out early on, only to find I was definitely wrong.
Nina writes so much depth in to each of the characters of this story, this includes 3rd layer character. In my opinion this is what genuinely helps a reader dive deep in to the story and feel connected. The overall story is heartbreaking yet hopeful, at least that is how I saw the way it ended. She also envelopes you in the small town with the characters, the feel and nonsense of a small town life. Secrets and rumors will run amuck but the truth comes out in the end!
Synopsis:
After a flood destroys the historic center of a small Quebec town, a child’s body is discovered. The remains are decades-old and nearly impossible to identify, yet everyone knows at once who they belong to. Nine-year-old Michelle Fortier vanished without a trace in 1979, and her fate has remained unknown—until now.
Stephanie O’Malley grew up in her mother’s crumbling trailer listening to stories of Michelle’s disappearance, stories she once tried to turn into a podcast without much success. Although Stephanie left Marly fifteen years ago and vowed never to return, she finds herself back with her tempestuous mother Laura, her high school sweetheart Luc, and the entire community in an uproar.
While Stephanie struggles to separate the truth from wild rumors about witchcraft and town-wide conspiracies, Laura is consumed by the strange feeling that all this has happened before. But then a bombshell drops: the body might not be Michelle after all.
Read
October 19, 2024THE LAST THING SHE SAW is certainly a book you need to read. It is twisty with so much going for it. Nina Laurin has a knack for giving readers a most engrossing tale, that definitely has them guessing what will happen next, and just who is responsible for murder.
The story revolves around the disappearance of a young girl nine years old who vanished without a trace in 1979. Her name was Michelle Fortier, and people have been wondering for decades just what happened to the little child.
In 2017 a massive flood decimated a Quebec town. In the remains of a house, there is the body of a child, where people automatically believe it is that of Michelle, and there can be closure. Stephanie O’Malley grew up in the town of Marley, and remembers stories told by her mother Laura about Michelle vanishing that fateful day. Now she has returned, because her podcasts which had centered around Michelle, did not go as planned and the podcast was cancelled.
Now Stephanie, crushed emotionally by the failure, heads back to the town, and finds that things can never be the way they were. At one time she had a boyfriend named Luc in that town, but now it seems you can truly never go back to start over. The relationship with her mother which was not the best back before she left, has not improved that much.
The story is told through two timelines, the 1979 one, when the child disappeared, told through the experiences of Laura, while the second one in 2017 is mainly told through the life of Stephanie, which has taken a most negative turn of course. Laura lived through her own emotional hells when she was younger, experiencing things that Stephanie has no idea about. There was violence in her life and an act that changed her life forever, but it did not work out as she imagined.
That has haunted her all these years, and as we see the world through the eyes of Laura, we find out what truly happened to Michelle, and how there were other extenuating circumstances that led to other deaths in Marly.
Stephanie wants to learn the truth as well, as she realizes there are many ghosts haunting that town, and as her mother’s health deteriorates, she hopes that every bit of truth will emerge once and for all. It was an interesting look at the sins of the past coming back to find those in the present, giving readers a most entertaining read.
The story revolves around the disappearance of a young girl nine years old who vanished without a trace in 1979. Her name was Michelle Fortier, and people have been wondering for decades just what happened to the little child.
In 2017 a massive flood decimated a Quebec town. In the remains of a house, there is the body of a child, where people automatically believe it is that of Michelle, and there can be closure. Stephanie O’Malley grew up in the town of Marley, and remembers stories told by her mother Laura about Michelle vanishing that fateful day. Now she has returned, because her podcasts which had centered around Michelle, did not go as planned and the podcast was cancelled.
Now Stephanie, crushed emotionally by the failure, heads back to the town, and finds that things can never be the way they were. At one time she had a boyfriend named Luc in that town, but now it seems you can truly never go back to start over. The relationship with her mother which was not the best back before she left, has not improved that much.
The story is told through two timelines, the 1979 one, when the child disappeared, told through the experiences of Laura, while the second one in 2017 is mainly told through the life of Stephanie, which has taken a most negative turn of course. Laura lived through her own emotional hells when she was younger, experiencing things that Stephanie has no idea about. There was violence in her life and an act that changed her life forever, but it did not work out as she imagined.
That has haunted her all these years, and as we see the world through the eyes of Laura, we find out what truly happened to Michelle, and how there were other extenuating circumstances that led to other deaths in Marly.
Stephanie wants to learn the truth as well, as she realizes there are many ghosts haunting that town, and as her mother’s health deteriorates, she hopes that every bit of truth will emerge once and for all. It was an interesting look at the sins of the past coming back to find those in the present, giving readers a most entertaining read.
September 29, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the arc of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
This book started out pretty slow for me. Stephanie returns to Marly as a last resort once she is fired from her publishing job in the big city. She moves into her mother's run down trailer and things are immediately pretty tense between her mother Laura and herself, to say the least. Stephanie runs into her ex Luc, who she hasn't she hasn't seen in years and has since married her ex best friend Cath. Luc is a part of the "it" family in Marly, with his cousin Tony and father Frank the cop still residing there.
Things start to get interesting when the body of a small child is found the the wall of a house after the house was flooded. Two years prior to the start of this book, Stephanie had returned to Marly to work on her podcast that focused on the disappearance of Michelle Fortier, a nine year old from Marly. Immediately, Stephanie believes the body found must be Marly and makes it her personal mission to uncover the truth. Laura is very apprehensive about Stephanie's podcast and her mediocre detective work, which sets off alarm bells for the me. Is she truly an awful person or did she kill Michelle? Also, why is she so damn hateful towards her own daughter?
The remainder of this book is a journey to find out who killed Michelle, as it flashes back to Laura as a teen who babysat Michelle the night she went missing. With the help of Luc and ultimately Laura, Stephanie gets her answers. But with the answer comes near death experiences and facing some hard truths of their own. Some people close to the case aren't as clean as they appear, and Michelle herself had very unsettling behavior prior to disappearing.
Once the book gets going, this was a quick read. The book is well written, and I enjoyed the flashbacks that explained Laura's past. In regards to individual characters, both Laura and Stephanie had a decent character arc, making their characters more likable at the end. Tony was misunderstood his entire life, and it is pretty sad the things he endured considering his probable diagnosis. Frank and Luc ultimately got what they deserved, an arrest and a divorce. Michelle got a proper burial after almost 40 years.
This book started out pretty slow for me. Stephanie returns to Marly as a last resort once she is fired from her publishing job in the big city. She moves into her mother's run down trailer and things are immediately pretty tense between her mother Laura and herself, to say the least. Stephanie runs into her ex Luc, who she hasn't she hasn't seen in years and has since married her ex best friend Cath. Luc is a part of the "it" family in Marly, with his cousin Tony and father Frank the cop still residing there.
Things start to get interesting when the body of a small child is found the the wall of a house after the house was flooded. Two years prior to the start of this book, Stephanie had returned to Marly to work on her podcast that focused on the disappearance of Michelle Fortier, a nine year old from Marly. Immediately, Stephanie believes the body found must be Marly and makes it her personal mission to uncover the truth. Laura is very apprehensive about Stephanie's podcast and her mediocre detective work, which sets off alarm bells for the me. Is she truly an awful person or did she kill Michelle? Also, why is she so damn hateful towards her own daughter?
The remainder of this book is a journey to find out who killed Michelle, as it flashes back to Laura as a teen who babysat Michelle the night she went missing. With the help of Luc and ultimately Laura, Stephanie gets her answers. But with the answer comes near death experiences and facing some hard truths of their own. Some people close to the case aren't as clean as they appear, and Michelle herself had very unsettling behavior prior to disappearing.
Once the book gets going, this was a quick read. The book is well written, and I enjoyed the flashbacks that explained Laura's past. In regards to individual characters, both Laura and Stephanie had a decent character arc, making their characters more likable at the end. Tony was misunderstood his entire life, and it is pretty sad the things he endured considering his probable diagnosis. Frank and Luc ultimately got what they deserved, an arrest and a divorce. Michelle got a proper burial after almost 40 years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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