Last One Out

Harper’s (Exiles) new novel is an elegy for a dying town, an exploration of grief, and a gripping thriller. Five years ago, Sam Crowley drove to the outskirts of the New South Wales town of Carralon Ridge, parked his car, left his belongings inside, and disappeared. The entire town turned out to search for him, but other than his tracks leading into one of the abandoned homes nearby, no trace of him was ever found. In a town already being killed off by an encroaching mine, this was just one more tragedy, but it devastated the Crowleys. Sam’s mother, Ro, and her husband tried to hang on initially, but the blow on top of their family tragedy was too much for their marriage. Ro moved away and now only returns to Carralon Ridge to be with her family on the anniversary of the disappearance. When she returns this year, she repeatedly goes over the events of Sam’s vanishing. This time, something shakes loose, and she finds that there were clues overlooked. Her investigation soon unearths secrets that someone is willing to kill for.