Last One Out - by Jane Harper (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of Exiles and The Dry comes a captivating new novel set in a modern ghost town.

Carralon Ridge, a once vibrant village in rural New South Wales, has become a shell of itself, its houses and buildings bought up and left to rot by the mining company operating at its borders. A decade into its slow death, surrounded by industrial noise and swathed in thick layers of dust, the skeletal town is all but abandoned, with just a handful of residents clinging onto what remains.

After years of scorning those who left the Ridge behind as it fell into ruin, Ro never imagined she'd become one of them. But everything changed when she lost her son. Five years ago, Sam vanished while visiting during a break from college, leaving behind a rental car with his belongings inside. Sam had loved Carralon Ridge, and had been working on an oral history of the town to preserve its legacy before it vanished altogether. It wasn't long after his disappearance that the rest of the family began to crumble away too.

But when Ro returns to Carralon Ridge to be with her husband and daughter on the anniversary of Sam's disappearance, she begins to suspect that something important was overlooked in his case. Because while nothing can stop Carralon Ridge from dying, someone seems to want to make sure that its secrets die with it.

Review Quotes

"Harper is an expert at creating deeply atmospheric crime novels. Here she turns it up a notch. . . Harper has her finger firmly on the relentless pulse of quiet menace in this small-town mystery."
--Kirkus (starred)

"Harper's new novel is an elegy for a dying town, an exploration of grief, and a gripping thriller. . . A deeply melancholy character study and a slow-burn thriller all in one."
--Library Journal (starred)

"The lessons learned in Last One Out are not abstractions but painfully relevant."
--CrimeReads, The Best Psychological Thrillers of the Month

"As always, it's an exceptional book. The sense of place is very powerful and her characterization is utterly brilliant. . . I could not put it down. Jane is amazing. Each of her books is such a huge event for me."
--Marian Keyes, New York Times bestselling author

"Claustrophobic and compelling. It's a wonderful exploration of fractured families and communities, and the conclusion is both shocking and inevitable. A book to get lost in."
--Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author of the Vera Stanhope series

"Hauntingly rich and vivid. . . The characters are nicely nuanced and interesting, and the themes around
rural decay are adroitly handled, and give the book real substance. . . The final revelations are surprising and quite emotional in their impact. A solid and thought provoking read."
--Deadly Pleasures

"Satisfying . . . with simmering tension. It's a solid outing."
--Publishers Weekly

"I am a huge Jane Harper fan, and absolutely loved Last One Out. The atmosphere of a dying town, combined with Jane's brilliant characterisation plus a confounding mystery meant I was glued to it for days."
--Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

"Harper remains a brilliant writer: her prose is fluent, her characters richly drawn, her setting alive. . . Compelling. . . Moving and memorable." --Arts Hub

"Harper captures the taut dynamics between this strained ensemble. . . A satisfying read."
--The Guardian

About the Author