This review is written with thanks to pPigeonhole for the opportunity to read and review The Last Dance.

Blurb:

Meet Detective Miller: unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated…

He’s a detective, a dancer, he has no respect for authority ­- and he’s the best hope Blackpool has for keeping criminals off the streets. Meet Detective Declan Miller.

A double murder in a seaside hotel sees a grieving Miller return to work to solve what appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Just why were two completely unconnected men taken out?

Despite a somewhat dubious relationship with both reality and his new partner, can the eccentric, offbeat Miller find answers where his colleagues have found only an impossible puzzle?

Review:

I have been looking forward to reading The Last Dance ever since it was announced, and it absolutely did not disappoint. It’s inevitable that at the beginning of a new series, comparisons will be made to Tom Thorne, but it’s so different in style that if you do that, you won’t be able to fully appreciate this unique and highly engaging novel, which deserves so much praise in its own right. 

In The Last Dance, we meet Detective Miller, who, despite his propensity to crack jokes that even my dad would groan at, is actually a talented detective with a vulnerable side. His demeanour is probably an acquired taste, but I loved it and I felt the humour made it easier to relate to him throughout the novel, especially as it covers some heartbreaking personal issues for him, which are explored wonderfully. I loved Miller’s relationship with Xiu and I know this will only become stronger as the series continues. 

The plot is almost secondary to the character development in The Last Dance, but nevertheless I was intrigued by the investigation and the twists and turns that it brought. I was often disappointed when I had to stop reading! Towards the end, in particular, there were many tense moments that had me holding my breath! 

The ending sets us up perfectly for the next installment in the series and I hope I don’t have to wait too long for it! 

The Last Dance is available from Amazon.