Last One Out, Jane Harper
Last One Out, Jane Harper
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Last One Out
A Novel

Author: Jane Harper

Narrator: Angeline Armstrong

Unabridged: 11 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/14/2026


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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Pine & Cedar Books

About Jane Harper

Australian author, Jane Harper, is an international bestselling crime novelist. She received her education in the UK, where she was born, but returned to Australia in 2008 where she had gained citizenship. By 2011 she had a position with the Herald Sun in Melbourne. In 2014, she submitted her first short story that won a place in The Big Issue's annual Fiction Edition.

After her short story received acclaim, she was inspired to pursue a serious role in creative writing. Her first novel was The Dry, which won a literary award in 2015, and will be released as a feature film in the future. Her premier novel was followed by The Force of Nature, and The Lost Man.

Harper's crime novels have won her numerous top awards. She now resides in bayside Melbourne with her husband and daughter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mandy on October 11, 2025

Last One Out is a very different novel from Jane Harper. I was so excited to get an early copy to read from ,y lovely people at Pan Macmillan Australia,a big thank you. This book did take a little bit to get into for me. It is a much slower paced mystery story, it so much crime novel as that part co......more

Goodreads review by Connor on August 21, 2025

I am an absolute sucker for crime novels set in Australia......more

Goodreads review by Anna on September 18, 2025

A poignant depiction of a dying town…and a mother grieving her missing son, but it didn’t quite work for me. I did have Jane Harper high expectations 😔 out mid October, and massive thanks to Macmillan for my arc.......more

Goodreads review by ClaireEva on August 02, 2025

I enjoyed this latest Jane Harper novel. I thought it was quite different to her previous books but I also think that while I enjoyed the bulk of it more the ending was perhaps not as satisfying.......more

Goodreads review by Anne Buist on October 15, 2025

This is a book about grief. It is a book about small towns and the emotional consequences of a town dying - in this case because of a mining take over, but it could be all the other reasons small towns die. It’s a surprising book in the sense that it is not quite what I expected (I’ve read all her o......more


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)

“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