Her Last Holiday by C.L Taylor

Synopsis
You come to Soul Shrink to be healed. You don’t expect to die.
Two years ago, Fran’s sister Jenna disappeared on a wellness retreat in Gozo that went terribly wrong.

Tom Wade, the now infamous man behind Soul Shrink Retreats, has just been released from prison after serving his sentence for the deaths of two people. But he has never let on what happened to the third victim: Jenna.

Determined to find out the truth, Fran books herself onto his upcoming retreat – the first since his release – and finds herself face to face with the man who might hold the key to her sister’s disappearance. The only question is, will she escape the retreat alive? Or does someone out there want Jenna’s secrets to stay hidden?

Review
C.L Taylor is one of those author’s whose books I read without even looking at the book blurb because I know they will be such a fab read. Her Last Holiday is her latest book and it didn’t disappoint. Jenna died in Gozo during a retreat with the company Soul Shrink, along with two other people, but her body was never found. Two years on and Tom Wade the man behind Soul Shrink is being released from prison, much to the anger and distress of Jenna’s sister Fran and her parents. Whilst Jenna’s death was ruled a suicide, her family don’t believe that she would ever do that, so Fran signs on a new Soul Shrink course, determined to confront the man who she believes is behind her sister’s murder. But with the different dynamics in the group and some strange occurrences Fran finds herself in danger.

Her Last Holiday sees C.L Taylor retain her crown as the queen of the psychological thriller. There are so many twists and turns felt dizzy, but she kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. The plot is narrated by Fran with other chapters telling Jenna’s story before and during her time at the retreat. Jenna and Fran are as different as two sisters could be, probably due to the twelve year age gap. Fran is the elder sister and didn’t seem to have a lot of her time for her younger sister. Fran has been nothing but a disappointment to her parents, she is unmarried, didn’t want children and has been willfull all her life, refusing to conform. Because of this Jenna acts the complete opposite, trying to be the perfect daughter, doing everything they ask, going to university, living close by and dating eligible men. Their two voices in the book are also disparate, Fran is a no nonsense woman, very direct and not ruled by emotion, and happy with her life. Jenna’s voice is different, she isn’t happy, fed up with always trying to please, wishing she could be more like her sister. The other two voices in the book are Tom Wade and his wife Kate, the owners of Soul Shrink. Whilst it is Tom’s practices and belief behind Soul Shrink, Kate is the driving force behind the business, the amitious one always looking for the opprtunity to make money. Through both time lines we see their realtionship change as their personalites clash, neither coming out of this smelling of roses.

The reason I say C.L Taylor is the queen of the thriller is that she makes even the most mundane tasks and people seem suspicious. Those on the retreat, two years ago in Bali, and in present day Wales all seem pretty innocuous, all have issues hey want help resolving, and there are three in Wales who were in Gozo, who could help Fran, but who? C.L Taylor is able to keep the tension throughout the book, never for one moment letting it slip. Her understanding of the human psyche shines through, making everyone seem sinister, and you trusting no one. Put all this together and you have a bubbling plot of suspense, fear and thrills.

To sum up, I loved, loved, loved Her Last Holiday and C.L Taylor has retained her crown as queen of the thriller. I really can’t recommend this book enough, it is a masterclass in thriller writing, it is complex, compelling, chilling and all consuming, with characters are interesting, flawed and believable. My advice, treat yourself to Her Last Holiday you wont’t regret it.