Last Seen in Santorini - Vivian Conroy

Review by Julia

Best consumed with

Assyrtiko dry white wine, from Santorini. 

Assyrtiko wine is a bit hard to find outside of Europe, but it’s well worth it if you can get your hands on it. The Assyrtiko grape is indigenous to the volcanic ash of Santorini island. I think it may be found on other Greek islands as well, but the first time I encountered it was in 2015 whilst on a wine-tour in Santorini.

What's it all about? 

The novel is set in 1930 and features Atalanta Ashford who has recently become a detective. Whilst holidaying in Venice she is approached by a mysterious woman mourning her 19-year old daughter, who died whilst working for a wealthy family in Santorini. The stranger suspects that her daughter was actually murdered and implores Atalanta to investigate. So, Miss Ashford sets off to the Greek island to try and help the grieving mother. 

Why did I choose this book to read?

Browsing through the Constant Reader Bookshop in Crows Nest (Sydney, Australia), I came across this title. Santorin is one of my favourite holiday destinations, so it immediately caught my attention, as I haven’t seen another novel set on that Greek island. I noticed that it was part of a “Miss Ashford Investigates” series which made it more enticing because I’ve been reading a lot of mysteries lately. I didn’t end up getting the book at the time, but I later received it as a birthday present from my husband.

What did I love?

I have quite mixed feelings about this novel - it was a good and fun read, but I didn’t quite love it.

One of the great things about it is the pace. It’s very thrilling and hard to put down as you just want to see how the mystery is solved. Last Seen in Santorini is published by One More Chapter which is a division of HarperCollins that publishes unputdownable and page-turning fiction - so it hit its mark with this title!  

I also enjoyed Atalanta’s lust for life and adventure. As the book progresses we learn more about how our protagonist came to work in this profession and the struggles of her youth, and it’s hard not to like her. She’s a strong woman, with a kind heart and an open and curious mind. She’s genuinely interested in the culture of Santorini and wants to learn about the locals and their way of life. The wealthy family at the centre of the story hails from Venice, and there’s an interesting dynamic between the local Greeks and the Venetian ‘intruders’ which I hadn’t come across before, so that was interesting to discover as well. 

The characters are all vibrant, with strong personalities and many personal and hidden agendas. It’s impossible to know who to trust, or who is telling the truth or flat-out lying at any point in time! Vivian does a good job of unravelling the mystery only at the very end, but still giving the readers’ a satisfying conclusion to the affair.

What did I not love? 

Whilst the pace was good, I felt like some chapters were quite repetitive and acted as a bit of a filler. Whilst Atalanta is excited about exploring Santorini, she doesn’t really do that - we don’t get to see her walking around the different towns and villages, or truly interacting with the locals.

The mystery is interesting, but the key way in which it’s explored is through Atalanta asking herself a lot of questions, and after a few chapters, her internal monologue of questioning everything just got a bit too much. I also felt like she jumped to conclusions very quickly and didn’t seem to carefully consider all the evidence until towards the end of the novel.

Book club recommended? 

It’s a very easy read in a fun setting, so in that sense it would be a good pick for book club. If you do choose this, it might be fun to look into the history of Venetians on Santorini as well (I thought this was a really interesting plot point that didn’t quite get fully explored).