Last of the Magpies (The Magpies Trilogy #3) by Mark Edwards
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 27th June 2022
Published: 30th April 2019
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
The chilling conclusion to the #1 bestseller The Magpies.
Winner of the Most Elusive Villain award at the Dead Good Readers Awards 2019
Twelve months ago, Jamie Knight walked straight into Lucy Newton’s trap. Both Jamie and his ex-wife Kirsty barely survived. Now, with the police investigation into Lucy’s disappearance going nowhere, Jamie teams up with a true crime podcaster to track down his nemesis.
But can Jamie persuade Kirsty to help? Can Kirsty forgive him for his past mistakes? And who, if anyone, will survive the final showdown?
Featuring extracts from Lucy’s secret memoir, Last of the Magpies brings the trilogy to a shocking conclusion.
MY THOUGHTS:
And here endeth the line for Jamie, Kirsty and the evil devil woman Lucy. Although it has been so long since I read the second novella (2018) to the original and the best "The Magpies" as well as the first (2015), it is a little hard to recall much of what took place in both books. But Mark Edwards has done a stellar job of recalling a selection of pivotal moments from both books through Lucy's first draft of her memoir. Incorporating these excerpts through Lucy's eyes give a chilling aspect to the disturbing picture.
At the end of "A Murder of Magpies", Jamie Knight walked right into Lucy Newton's trap in the isolated semi detached cottage in Shropshire. With his only thoughts of saving ex-wife Kirsty from Lucy's evil clutches, he had overplayed his hand and underplayed Lucy's as she escaped the police with the help of Anita, whom she later discarded by the stream having outlived her usefulness. Lucy was never seen again but Jamie and Kirsty are still haunted by the terror she and her husband Chris inflicted upon them when they lived in the ground floor flat they had purchased from them six years before. If they knew then what they knew now, they would never have bought the place.
Now twelve months have passed and Lucy is still in hiding. Jamie remains in London, not wanting to return to Australia until she has been caught and unable to rest until she is behind bars once and for all. He has been approached by true crime podcaster Emma Fox with an interest in featuring his and Kirsty's story of terror at the hands of the Newtons. Jamie is reluctant and knows that Kirsty will have no part in it. This is also what he tells publisher Edmund Tyler who wants to publish their story, who published Lucy's own memoir portraying her as the victim and Jamie and Kirsty as the aggressors who tormented them before murdering her husband. But what they don't know is that there is an unseen, unpublished first draft of Lucy's crimes dating back to childhood, in which she confesses all. The reader is privy to a few excerpts reminding us of Lucy's twisted games and remorseless psychopathy.
Now that Emma has persuaded a reluctant Jamie to tell his story in her podcast, the two set out on the trail where Lucy was last seen in the hope of uncovering where she may now be hiding. All police efforts have failed and, twelve months on, no one seems all that bothered. They begin their search with Paul, Jamie's former best friend who was left in a coma after a tragic accident go-karting with Chris (in the first book). When Paul finally awoke from his coma, his entire personality had changed and he became a stranger to all who knew him. Last anyone heard was he had decided to leave the country and put as much distance between him and the past as he could.
But as they are about to find out, the hunt for an elusive killer will put them all in danger.
Before I go on, I must say that this book cannot be read as a standalone. To fully appreciate it, one must read the trilogy in its entirety, beginning with "The Magpies" then "A Murder of Magpies" (a novella) before delving into this one (also a novella).
LAST OF THE MAGPIES, as the title suggests, is the last in this chilling trilogy and is action-packed and absorbing from start to finish. Although just 100 pages in length, there are still a few twists along the way delivered in perfect synchronicity to pack that jaw-dropping punch. What I especially love in this short novella is that readers are finally given context to Lucy's complex nature through the unpublished excerpts of her memoir that Edwards cleverly injects to the story. This gives her character more depth and, for readers, a chilling insight into her psychopathy.
The story is fast paced with a tightly written plot filled with a palpable tension, taking readers on a short but fun thrill ride. But on the whole, it brings their story to a close once and for all as we bid each of the key players farewell.
LAST OF THE MAGPIES is an intense and thrilling read but it lacks the meat and complexities that a full novel entails. Although I thoroughly enjoyed it, I still think the first and the original "The Magpies" is the best...and it was always going to be hard topping that one. It was my first read by Edwards and, as he says so himself at the end of the novella, it has served him well launching him into popularity with its initial publication and fans lapping up the twisted tale that was chilling and spine-tingling that Edwards does so well. I would probably have preferred a full novel that would have taken readers on a much longer and far more twisted ride, but LAST OF THE MAGPIES was still a fun and entertaining read...and still just as chilling.
Overall, LAST OF THE MAGPIES is a fitting climax with enough twists and tension to bring this trilogy to its conclusion. Neither books 2 or 3 can't compare to the brilliance of the first book, but as novellas they aren't long enough to create that atmosphere of tension and chills. But they are enough to bring the series to a close and put their story to bed.
On a final note...I think Lucy's unpublished first draft memoir would have made for a chilling read throughout. Instead of Jamie's quest for justice, Lucy's more twisted tales would have been a phenomenal read had it taken centre stage!
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers about ordinary people who encounter terrifying events. He has been described as ‘a can’t-miss king of psychological suspense’ by thriller author Brad Parks and ‘a natural born storyteller with the darkest of imaginations’ by crime writer Fiona Cummins.
He has sold more than three million copies of his books and topped the bestseller lists numerous times since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013.
His other novels are What You Wish For, Because She Loves Me, Follow You Home, The Devil’s Work, The Lucky Ones, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Here To Stay and The House Guest. He has also published two short sequels to The Magpies, A Murder of Magpies and Last of The Magpies, and six books co-authored with Louise Voss.
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Estonian, Thai, Lithuanian, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish and Russian.
In 2019 Mark won The Cat and Mouse Award for Most Elusive Villain at the Dead Good Reader Awards for Last of the Magpies.
Mark loves hearing from his readers and encourages them to contact him. He regularly interacts with readers on his Facebook page, where he hosts book release launch parties and lots of giveaways.
You can follow Mark on Twitter, like his Facebook page or take a peek at his pics on Instagram.
Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children, three cats and a golden retriever.
Social Media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment