Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Published by: Viking Books
Publication date: 2nd July 2026
Content warnings: dementia, car accident, stalking, alcoholism

“Sometimes the truth is easy to hide…”

I have a few of Nikki’s books on my shelves because they are always recommended to me, so I am baffled as to why this was the first of her books I’ve actually read! 🤦 This is literally the story of my life. But I am so so excited to finally be able to talk about this because it is fantastic! A missing wife, deep, dark secrets with truths that are slowly unravelled, a sinister plot, exceptional twists. It is a destination thriller you need on your summer reading list. I am very happy to be sharing my review of The Last Place You Look by Nikki Smith!

About the book

Leo Kennedy has it all: money, looks, the perfect marriage and luxury homes in the UK and South Africa. But when his wife Addison goes missing, his immaculate life detonates.

48 hours later, Leo arrives at their safari lodge to retrace her steps. Only there’s no sign of Addison. Instead, Leo is met with a scene of blood and chaos, and on the wall a missing poster, with his face, his name and his details.

His wife may be missing, but someone wants Leo gone too . . .

The beginning

I got SO excited when I started this! I could just sense that it would be one of those books that would feel painful to put down, and I wasn’t wrong. I genuinely hated taking a break from it! It was totally gripping from the prologue and that never changed throughout. Leo Kennedy is picking his wife up from the airport. He and Addison own a luxury safari lodge in South Africa, something they rent out, meaning they always seem to be travelling from their lavish UK home to their lodge and back again. They seem to have it all; a perfect marriage, plenty of money, a wealthy lifestyle. But when Addison’s plane comes in, she doesn’t get off it. She’s nowhere to be seen, and he can’t seem to get in touch with her. Where is she? I loved slowly building a picture of who Addison was, the things she’d been through lately. A car accident leaving her in hospital, sleepwalking – with Leo finding her in odd places. He was worried about her. But when he finds an unsent email in her drafts folder, things start to make sense. She tells him the truth about the night of the car accident. She thinks she hit someone.

“He stares again at what she’s written and horror begins to crawl around the bottom of his stomach as it dawns on him that he might have got it horribly wrong, and his wife’s message hadn’t been saying hello at all.”

As well as Leo’s POV, we also read from the perspective of Jake some weeks before. He seemed to have a strange infatuation with Addison. What was their connection? Why was he so desperate to see her? And why was he following her the day of the car accident? He was involved and I didn’t trust him one bit! I loved how Leo slowly learns more about his wife’s accident, and in turn, we learn more about Addison herself, her life. The build up was glorious and I couldn’t look away. I was already so desperate to learn the truth about that night and how it had caught up to her now. I was also very curious to learn more about Addison’s mother as we’re told early on in the book that she was jailed for murdering her boyfriend. I had a feeling she’d pop up again. And there is also the introduction of Paige Avery, someone else involved somewhere. I found it difficult to picture Paige and place her in the story though, and I’m not sure why. I felt the introduction to her character was lacking – was it intentional?! I was left unsure of who she was for the majority.

The middle

The first half of the book definitely felt more of a slow burn for me, but when part two began, this time from Addison’s perspective, I knew things were about to speed up! After thinking her mental state was in tatters, that she needed help and fast, it’s clear all isn’t what it seems here. It made me think about just how reliable Leo was after all, how much we can trust what he says. The impressions I had of these characters started to change… and I was here for it! The descriptions of South Africa were utterly gorgeous – I could really see the safari lodge and its breathtaking surroundings, the animals and land beyond. It feels like you’re there when you read the author’s stunning words, so vivid and colourful. I was keen to learn more about Jake’s motive for travelling to South Africa to meet Addison, why he changed his name to Lucas to conceal his identity, why he wants to interview her, to spend time with her. I was hanging onto the author’s every word, waiting for another clue, another reveal to help us piece things together, to understand what’s going on.

“We have learned to take our vulnerabilities and turn them into strengths. We do it quietly, without any fuss. So quietly you don’t even notice. Especially if you aren’t paying attention.”

I started to look at Leo differently as time went on, and I was keeping a close eye on him… His relationship with his father isn’t the best. He’s in a care facility, his memory fading, but one thing he’s always certain of is how much he loves Addison. She’d told him things about her life, yet some of these things could be crucial for Leo to find out what’s going on. It’s clear she is in so much danger. Paige is mentioned again many times, and even though we don’t know who she is or why she is being a pain in the arse, she started to creep me out a bit. It seemed like she wanted revenge for something, and I was desperate to know her connection to Leo and Addison, why she’d forced herself into their home one day, what she hopes to get out of sending threats and messages to spook them. When it’s revealed, it does make a lot of sense. She became even more unhinged in my mind, the kind of unpredictable character where you are just waiting for her next move. She went from being a meh addition to the cast, to being the character I wanted to spend more time with! 😂

The end

With Addison spending so much time with Jake on his trip to South Africa, we can sense a romantic connection, a pull that would be too strong to ignore… yep, very dangerous territory. But I couldn’t look away! Why did I want this to happen and to not happen at the same time?! She is suspicious of him and his motive, but she can’t help herself. It’d been a long time since Leo had looked at her the way Jake did. But it seems he finally f*cks her over and leaves her for dead. The chapters from here are so incredibly tense and I was racing through, desperate to know the outcome. The author sure is an exceptional writer when it comes to the suspense, the urgent need to keep reading was off the scale. I did think the twist was pretty good here and I had that, “ohhh!!” moment when everything clicked! I loved Addison even more when the truth came out, the reason she did what she did. But when Addison and Leo’s POVs align, when both characters actually have a real time conversation (which cleverly hadn’t happened until this point!) things certainly get more intense!

“We live by my rules now.”

I loved the threats, the revenge, how the tables seemed to have turned, how Leo suffers just as Addison did out in the wilderness, feeling like he won’t make it. And the surprises just keep on coming, right until the very end. At this point, it was hard to feel sorry for either of them, especially when we get that very final blow. Jesus 😅 What an ending! Things were tied up beautifully but in the most dark and chilling of ways, and as soon as I closed the book I starting thinking about what the future might look like for these characters, whether promises could be kept, whether anyone would turn at the last minute. I had to spend a few minutes catching my breath! Knowing there are at least a couple more of Nikki’s books on my shelves brings me joy as I won’t have to wait too long to read her fabulous writing, but even so, I’m very excited for whatever comes next! It’s true what they say; she really is a queen of the destination thriller! If you love Lucy Clarke, you will love Nikki. If you have a favourite book by Nikki, or even another destination thriller, let me know – I need more for my TBR!

Overall thoughts

The Last Place You Look is a destination thriller that’s fully drenched in suspense and secrets, partly set in the wilderness of South Africa. It’s a story of revenge, of lies and betrayal, and it proves that not every relationship is as it seems on the surface. We meet Leo and Addison, a couple who seem to have it all; the wealth, the lavish homes in the UK and South Africa, the perfect marriage, the lifestyle of dreams. But when Addison goes missing, Leo’s life starts to crumble. Upon arriving at their safari lodge, there’s no sign of Addison, but the blood and chaos he does find suggests something much more sinister is going on… A huge highlight for me was just how atmospheric this book is. You can feel the heat (yeah, I know we are currently in a heatwave, but this made me even hotter!) and the sights and sounds of animals and nature in South Africa was vivid and beautifully written. Nikki’s writing is the kind that you just naturally sink into, her words creating something so thrilling and easy to binge.

I was pulled in by those feelings of dread and uncertainty for Leo as he tries to locate his wife, and I stayed for the unravelling of such an unpredictable plot, the characters that clearly have something to hide. The ending twists were fantastic and I would loved to have seen my face when that last one hit 😂 I completely get why Nikki has been named Queen of the destination thriller! If you like your thrillers messy, if you like them dark and maybe a little unhinged, I think you’ll love this!

Huge thanks to Nikki and the wonderful Viking Books team for my special proof and place on the tour! You can grab your own copy of The Last Place You Look right now over on Amazon* or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following Nikki on Instagram for more updates!

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks so much for your support!

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