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  • Published: 6 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9781405976121
  • Imprint: Penguin General UK
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $28.00

The Last Place You Look




From the queen of the destination thriller comes a gripping new escapist novel, where the secrets of a marriage emerge against a sun-soaked and dangerous safari setting

Leo thought he knew his wife. Until she disappeared.

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 . . .

  • Published: 6 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9781405976121
  • Imprint: Penguin General UK
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $28.00

About the author

Nikki Smith

Nikki Smith worked in finance until 2017, when a 'now or never' moment prompted her to apply for the Curtis Brown Creative writing course. She is the author of six novels and co-host of the podcast In Suspense. She lives in Guildford with her family and loves to travel, ideally somewhere hot and sunny.

Also by Nikki Smith

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Praise for The Last Place You Look

A heart-pounding, fast-paced thriller with twist after brilliant twist. Beautifully written and totally unpredictable, this is the perfect summer read. I loved it.

Claire Douglas

You might be surprised to discover just who are the wilder, the animals or the humans, in this absolute treat of a thriller, where dangerous marital games play out in an impeccably evoked safari setting. Honestly, Nikki Smith just gets better and better

Louise Candlish

Utterly gripping, this safari setting delivers the perfect atmospheric summer thriller. Smart, taut and twisty as hell

Ellery Lloyd

Beautifully written and packed with nerve-shredding suspense, Nikki Smith has cemented her crown as the Queen of the destination thriller

Fiona Cummins

What a page-turner, a one-sitting read with incredible pace, a wondrously clever plot and a perfect ending

Andrea Mara

Secrets, lies and betrayal turn deadly in the scorching safari heat of this page-turning summer thriller

TM Logan

Move over Harlan Coban, Nikki Smith is coming for your crown with this dark and twisty destination thriller

Jo Callaghan

No one writes destination thrillers quite like Nikki Smith, and this is her best ever. All the thrills with beautiful writing to boot.

Helen Fields

A breathtaking thriller. Everything about it - the searing safari setting, the complex characters and the white-hot tension - is superbly done. Like all of Nikki Smith's novels, it is impossible to put down

BP Walter

A twisted and tricky timeline, a cast of red-blooded carnivorous characters, a rollicking pace, a stunning setting, dark in both humour and theme, and an edge-of-your-seat ending. So clever. So dark

Gill Perdue