What do readers think of The Last Girl by Jane Casey? Write your own review.

This was a very enjoyable thriller. It moved along at a good pace, most of the characters were well-developed, and I cared about what happened. The situations and dialogue for the most part seemed quite realistic (although I hope there are not too many men around like Philip Kennford). I hope I will be able to get my hands on the previous books in the series--Maeve Kerrigan is a character I would like to know better.

Not sweet, the opening is a despicable murder of a mother and one of her 15 year old twin daughters. The gory description of the crime, 'bloody hell', leaves little to the imagination. Quickly the story settles into the necessary police procedures use to solve any murder. The endless interviews, the lying suspects, the blind alleys; Ms. Casey describes them all with wit and cynicism. A great romp and a thoroughly enjoyable mystery.

When Vita Kennford and her 15-year-old daughter, Laura are found dead, Maeve Kerrigan and her colleagues have to decide whether they were the real targets or whether someone had been out to get revenge on Philip Kennford, amoral barrister and serial adulterer.

The book is told in the first person, so we are treated to a police-eye view of detection and to Maeve's rather wicked sense of humor. We see Maeve's relationships with her colleagues develop, particularly with her DI, Josh Derwent, a randy, sexist detective who has seen hundreds of rapes and murders, but is appalled when a beautiful woman admits to having an abortion. His character, I felt, is a bit too stereotypical and hyperbolic to be believable. I cannot imagine that his sexist comments or treatment of suspects would really be tolerated in this day and age.

I found Maeve's character and her struggles as a female detective to be interesting and sympathetic. One aspect of Maeve's character that I found grating and tedious, however, was her commitment issues. Too much time is spent on her insecurities and suspicions of her partner, Rob's, infidelity.

Overall I thought the book was good. Most of the story moves quickly, although the gang subplot can get somewhat tedious at times. There are enough clues along the way to keep you guessing, the characters are well-developed and the writing is really good. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a well-plotted police procedural peopled with some very interesting characters, both good and bad.

I enjoyed this book, but think that I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous three books in the series. I have just ordered the first three books so that I can get some of my questions answered.
I enjoyed the main character of Maeve Kerrigan and thought that she was very well written. She had flaws and was very believable as a woman in what was traditionally a man's role. The central mystery to the novel was very interesting and I didn't know 'whodunit' until very near the end -- didn't have a suspicion! I would definitely recommend this book. You could read it as a stand alone but my opinion is that it should be read as part of the series.

When the wife and daughter of a British solicitor are murdered in their London home, Detective Maeve Kerrigan is on the case. Working with her cynical partner, she tries to figure out who would want to murder the two women and why. And why was another daughter spared? This is the fourth book in the Maeve Kerrigan series and past events bleed over into this novel, which I found distracting because I was for unfamiliar with the previous books. I wanted to get back to the part I was interested in. The writing and the plotting are good. While my first choice for the murderer was wrong, my second choice was bang on. The 'Britishisms' can be confusing for readers not used to reading British mysteries.

"The Last Girl" is a compelling read. The novel grabbed my attention from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. The book is a police procedural featuring DC Maeve Kerrigan. The characters are fully developed and the interactions with Maeve's co-workers and the relationships in her private life are well presented and believable. I really cared about what happened to the characters and particularly enjoyed the bantering between DC Kerrigan and DI Derwent. The dual plots move along nicely with enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested and to try to determine whodunit. I am an avid mystery reader and thoroughly enjoyed the book. "The Last Girl" was my first introduction to the series and I plan to read the earlier books featuring DC Kerrigan. I also hope there will be subsequent books to look forward to in this series.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Normally I can figure out a whodunit long before the author gives it up, but I was stumped until the final "reveal." What a nice surprise!
I hadn't read Casey's previous Maeve Kerrigan books there are two so some of the references to the past flew by me ... but I'm going to remedy that situation as soon as I get through the rest of my bedside stack. The characters are interesting -- I do wish Maeve would punch her partner/immediate boss in the mouth, though he's a real sexist pig, to use 1970s terminology -- and Casey can really spin a twisted yarn. Highly recommended!

This book was filled with twists and turns. I enjoyed the characters and the story moved along really well. Throughout the whole story I tried to figure out the killer. As each new character was introduced -they were the killer-no- they were not the killer. This book had great flow and left one twist hanging for a sequel.