Book Review: The Last Thing She Saw by Nina Laurin

Rating:⭐⭐⭐

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.