Last One Out (Jane Harper, Macmillan)

When 21-year-old Sam Crowley disappears in Carralon Ridge, his footprints are found scattered around three abandoned houses. Five years later, his mother, Ro, returns to town for the annual memorial service, where she reunites with her estranged husband, Griff, and their daughter, Della, all still searching for answers. In Last One Out, Jane Harper (The Dry, Force of Nature) transforms this haunting set-up into a slow-burning mystery. Though the novel begins with the intrigue of Sam’s disappearance, Harper quickly broadens the lens. Last One Out is less a conventional crime story than a layered exploration of a fractured community, where the tension lies as much in old secrets and strained relationships as in the search for the truth. The suspense builds gradually, immersing readers in the town’s history and residents before quickening in the final quarter, when revelations come to the fore. Ro is the novel’s heart and strength – a determined mother navigating grief and fractured family ties while refusing to let go of the truth about what happened to her son. Harper’s gift for evoking the Australian landscape is on display once more, with the fictional Carralon Ridge brought to life in all its dusty, deserted reality. The novel’s power lies in its portrayal of community and the quiet devastation of a town on the edge of extinction. Last One Out affirms Harper’s talent once again for telling rural Australian stories that resonate far beyond their setting. 

Books+Publishing reviewer: Jess Lomas is the reviews editor at Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews