In search of a new life, seventeen-year-old Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull, far off the coast of Scotland. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque.
Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before.
The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?
It's such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Last Girl to Die today and I'm delighted to have an extract to share with you too. Many thanks to Helen Fields, Avon Books and Midas PR for inviting me and for my advance copy of the book.
I've been meaning to read a Helen Fields book for such a long time but what an introduction The Last Girl to Die is! I picked up the novel one evening and barely surfaced for the next few hours, having been utterly transported to the rugged, mysterious Isle of Mull. It's worth mentioning here that although the striking landscape and rich tales from the past inspired Helen Fields, she emphasises in her author note at the end that this is an alternate reality Mull. It's an important distinction because while this island is undeniably breath-taking, it's also a place of fear, danger and death.
There are a number of themes explored in The Last Girl to Die; parenting and families, the desire to belong, belief systems, control and manipulation, loss and grief, and perhaps most pertinently, misogyny and the historical and contemporary role of women in society. The main protagonist, Sadie Levesque is a superb character and most of the narrative is told from her first-person perspective. She is brought to Mull as a private investigator, hired by an American family who are newcomers to the island and whose seventeen-year-old daughter, Adriana has gone missing. Sadie specialises in missing teenagers and it only takes her a few days to locate Addie. Tragically, the girl is dead and her body left in such a way that it can only be murder. It's a grim scene and is the first indication of how dark this book will become. None of the deaths occur on the page which prevents the deaths of the victims feeling too graphic but nevertheless, the descriptions of what is done to their bodies makes for macabre reading.
While the islanders, including the local police, are keen to blame Addie's death on the brutal act of a passing visitor, Sadie isn't so sure. The lack of any real urgency or sense of grief is disheartening and one of the main reasons why Sadie is such a strong character is her empathy and compassion. Of course, the killing doesn't end here and there's a notable difference in the response to this second death which reveals an ominous truth about the attitudes towards women on the island. The remoteness of the setting, antipathy towards outsiders and the strange customs and powerful beliefs of some of the locals meant I was reminded of The Wicker Man and indeed, while The Last Girl to Die is a mystery thriller there are definitely elements of horror too.
Throughout the book there are occasional chapters which personify the island itself. The lyrical prose of these passages is just wonderful, cultivating a sinister sense of foreboding as well as enveloping the whole storyline in the myths and folklore handed down from one generation to the next in a place such as this. Sadie's impulsiveness and often reckless actions mean she quickly draws attention to herself and it's made very clear that her presence on the island isn't welcome. Her persistence is matched by the defensive, hostile resistance of the local community and there are a number of nail-biting scenes as secrets are revealed and the novel twists and turns its way towards its stunning conclusion.
The Last Girl to Die really got under my skin; it's a creepy, sombre tale which perceptively explores how the prejudices of the present and the superstitions and stories of the past aren't so very different. The beautifully crafted narrative with its deeply immersive, claustrophobic sense of place is a sheer delight throughout and this is a suspenseful, hauntingly atmospheric book which will linger long in my memory. Very highly recommended.
Helen Fields – The Last Girl to Due Extract p.38-40
Adriana had an avulsion fracture to her left ankle,’ Nate said.
‘Translation please.’
‘One of the ligaments in the ankle pulled away from the bone. It took a small piece of bone with it, hence the fracture,’ he explained.
‘Can you tell if that happened while she was alive or after death?’
‘Difficult to be certain. It’s usually a trauma incident caused during sports or in an accident. I’d say it happened during fight or flight – for example if she was grabbed or running and her ankle got stuck or suddenly moved in an unnatural direction.’
‘Okay,’ I said, building a mental picture of what Adriana’s final minutes must have been like. She wouldn’t have gone swimming voluntarily with an injured ankle, and she died in the water. ‘Could that happen if someone was holding her ankle and she was trying to get away? Too much strain on the joint?’
‘If she twisted or suddenly changed direction then yes, absolutely,’ Nate said.
‘Even if she was in the water at the time, which would have slowed the movements down?’
Nate was quiet for a few seconds. ‘I would say yes, if the person pulling her ankle was strong enough to get a firm grip. Maybe it was the murderer who did the twisting, not Adriana.’
I kept walking along the harbour front. It was fully dark now, and it occurred to me for the first time that I was taking a risk walking alone at night.
‘She wasn’t assaulted by some tourist who did that to her then left the island,’ I said, partly to myself, partly to answer Harris Eggo’s earlier claim.
‘How can you be sure?’ Nate asked.
‘There were so many personal touches. If she’d been kidnapped, raped and killed, then I might accept the tourist theory. But she sneaked out of her house at night. She had to trust the person she was meeting to do that.’
‘Maybe she was being threatened?’ Nate asked. ‘It’s possible she didn’t feel able to refuse to go.’
‘Which also requires a longer-term relationship, don’t you think? But the shell – that’s symbolic. It’s not a normal sexual assault. And it’s not as if they could have picked that shell up from the beach. They took it with them to meet her and spent some time constructing her seaweed crown. A psychopathic tourist? Why would they expend so much effort if
Adriana wasn’t important to them?’
‘I hear you,’ Nate said. ‘I’m afraid as far as the question of rape goes, there’s no conclusive evidence. The seawater – she did drown in saltwater rather than freshwater – has cleaned her body pretty thoroughly. The damage caused by the shell masked any other possible prior vaginal injuries. Doesn’t mean it can be ruled out, but it’ll never be proved.’
A car drove towards me, putting its headlights up then slowing down as it drew close. I raised my hand to shield my eyes, stepped away from the edge of the pavement, pressed my back against a wall. The car beeped its horn three times then sped away. The glare in my eyes was too bright for me to get the licence plate. I picked up the pace.
‘Everything okay?’ Nate asked.
‘I’m fine. Listen, I need a favour. I found something and I need it tested. Can you help with that?’
‘Any reason why the police aren’t handling this? Only it sounds like something you should be reporting. If it’s evidence—’
‘I don’t know what it is,’ I reassured him quickly. ‘It’s a velvet bag with a small amount of powder in it. It’s not from the body, the crime scene or from her house. I’m not even sure it’s Adriana’s. It’s just something I found in the boot room of the pub where she worked for a few weeks.’ It was only a white lie, but Nate deserved better and I knew it. Still, if I went to Harris Eggo, rumours about Adriana’s drug use would be flying around in a matter of hours. I hushed my conscience. ‘Can I send it to you? My hotel organises a courier service. It can go on the ferry out tomorrow morning and be with you lunchtime.’
He gave a soft sigh.
‘You think it might be hers?’
‘It’s from a staff area. Looks like plenty of people come and go, including the landlord’s family. I’d just like to know what the drug scene is around here. What she might have gotten herself into, you know?’
‘I’ll be able to answer that better when I get the tox screen back. I can tell you she had no needle marks or scars that suggest serious drug use. Her teeth and gums were good. Septum undamaged.’
‘So will you help?’ I asked, arriving at the door of my hotel.
‘Only touch it with gloved hands from now on. Be careful with the packaging and the labelling. Leave the powder in the original container. To be delivered to me personally with a signature. And I need a favour in return.’
My respect for Nate Carlisle grew.
The Last Girl to Die is published by Avon; purchasing links can be found here but please consider supporting independent bookshops whenever possible.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
With a background as both a prosecutor and defence counsel, Helen Fields has a depth of knowledge about crime that lends a fierceness to her writing. From Court Martials to care proceedings, the Coroner Courts to the Crown Court, Fields draws on her professional years for the extraordinary colour and texture that makes her writing jump off the page.
Twice long-listed for the McIllvanney Scottish Crime Book of the Year, and a multi-bestselling author whose books have been translated across the globe, Fields consistently produces high impact, compelling novels that readers love.
Now translated into 22 languages, and also selling in the USA, Canada & Australasia, Helen's books have won global recognition. In 2020 Helen’s novel, 'Perfect Kill' was longlisted for the Crime Writers Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. In 2020 Perfect Remains was shortlisted for the Bronze Bat, Dutch debut crime novel of the year. Helen also writes as HS Chandler, and has released legal thriller 'Degrees of Guilt'. Her audio book 'Perfect Crime' knocked Michelle Obama off the #1 spot.
Comments
Post a Comment