The Last Witness

by Claire McFall

Overview

One year ago she survived...but being the last one standing has consequences.

Heather agrees to go camping with Dougie and his friends because she's desperate to get closer to him, and a secluded beach sounds like the perfect place. But the trip takes a sinister turn that brings Heather's plans to a violent end.

One by one, the group begins to vanish.

A year later, Heather knows she's just lucky to be alive. And now, people are asking for answers, or else she will be the one to take the blame.

A chilling psychological thriller from unflinching and award-winning writer Claire McFall.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728200248
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	01/07/2020
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Claire McFall is an English teacher who lives in rural Scotland. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Visit her at clairemcfall.co.uk.

Editorial Reviews

10/14/2019

Hoping to get closer to her friend and crush Dougie, 16-year-old Heather agrees to a camping trip on the Scottish coast’s remote Black Cairn Point. Heather; her best friend, Emma; Emma’s combative boyfriend, Darren; and their friend Martin entertain themselves with campfire tales of pagan rituals and a boozy game of Truth or Dare. Later, Heather, Dougie, and Martin discover an ancient burial site on a nearby hill, where Dougie unearths a strange brooch. But after a heated confrontation with Darren, Martin stalks off and doesn’t return, setting off a shocking series of events. A year later, Heather and Dougie, who is in a coma, are the only survivors, and Heather’s story has convinced investigators, and her family, that she was responsible for her friends’ disappearances. She must now come to terms with the past, or, if she can’t persuade the authorities of her innocence, forfeit her future. McFall (the Ferryman trilogy) compensates for a predictable setup and stereotypical characters with the foreboding, isolated beach setting, even if a shocking final twist doesn’t feel fully earned. Ages 14–up. Agent: Margot Edwards, Margot Edwards Rights Consultancy. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A suspenseful thriller that will leave readers guessing until the end." - Kirkus

"A taut story of survival...a fast-paced tale that is hard to put down." - Booklist

From the Publisher

2019-09-10
Five friends travel to Black Cairn Point, but only two come back.

Heather, Martin, and Dougie set off to celebrate Dougie's birthday with a camping trip to an isolated coastal spot in Scotland together with Heather's best friend, Emma, and her annoying new boyfriend, Darren (the one with the car). If Heather's crush on her friend Dougie didn't already make things awkward enough, the dynamics are further disturbed by Darren's confrontational demeanor, which spurs tension and divides the group. Then things take a turn for the worse when one of them goes missing after they find an ancient burial site. One year later, while the only other survivor continues to suffer from the aftereffects of the trip, Heather is still struggling to tell the truth about what happened in an attempt to prove both her innocence as well as her sanity. With a narrative that alternates between then and now, this atmospheric novel straddle the line of the supernatural while keeping up with its teenage protagonists' lives. Readers know from the start that something has gone terribly wrong during that trip, but the author deftly keeps the tension going, efficiently playing with horror tropes and unreliable narratives as the two timelines ultimately converge. All characters seem to be white.

A suspenseful thriller that will leave readers guessing until the end. (Thriller. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

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