A small mountain town full of dark secrets….

Ten years ago, four men vanished while hiking in Cutter’s Pass in the Appalachian Mountains. Abigail had just started working at Passage Inn, still an outside in the community. The town is thrust back into the spotlight when a journalist, Landon West, investigating the unsolved disappearances goes missing himself. The community closes ranks when Landon’s brother turns up seeking answers. When Abigail finds incriminating evidence, she discovers that she knows very little about her coworkers and those closest to her…

Miranda is one of my go-to thriller authors. I’m always excited to see what stories she comes up with. In her signature style, Miranda creates an atmospheric thriller, full of beautifully detailed descriptions of the landscape and town, setting the scene perfectly for the reader. This book is definitely a slow-burner; particularly the first 40% of the story. The slow pace however works here as it adds to the creeping sense of unease as if something menacing is lurking in this quiet town.

Miranda drops hints and teases the reader with snippets of information, ensuring that you can’t put the book down until you uncover the truth with Abigail. Every character seems to have something to hide and there’s a constant sense of unreliability about anything they say with regards to the disappearances. I would have loved to see some of the more intriguing characters developed further such as Georgia- what was her motivation?

Plenty of twists and red herrings leading to a dramatic climax. This story didn’t grip me as much as other books by Miranda but it’s still an entertaining suspenseful mystery. 4 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for the arc. The Last To Vanish is available to buy from the 26th of July.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC. This was my first book by this author and it did not disappoint, I found the pacing spot on. Plenty of details, scenery setting and character development and an interesting mystery to uncover. The ending was satisfying and I will definitely pick up more books by this author in future.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of The Last to Vanish, a stand-alone thriller set in the fictional North Carolina town of Cutter’s Pass.

Abby Lovett has been working at The Passage Inn in Cutter’s Pass for the past 10 years, but she’s still seen as an outsider, especially when she asks about the 6 people who have disappeared from the town over the past 25 years. Now journalist Landon West who was investigating the disappearances has now disappeared himself.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last to Vanish, which is an atmospheric thriller with plenty of twists and turns. It is told entirely from Abby’s point of view and that has a certain merit as she’s not part of the inner circle to share confidences with, but knows the town and its inhabitants well enough to understand the undercurrents or maybe not as they close ranks.

I love the premise of the plot, random disappearances that could be attributed to accidents in the dangerous nature surrounding the town, but with no remains ever found the rest of the country is fascinated by the story. Obviously the reader can assume that there is something nefarious going on - why else write the book? It is a bit slow to get going in terms of developments but I think the author makes up for it in insidious creepiness. There is never any overt threat but a sense of unease that something isn’t right, especially when Trey West, Landon’s brother turns up. It would appear that the town wants him gone while he believes that he can find a clue. Abby believes he is a catalyst and he jumpstarts her investigation.

I like the way Ms Miranda writes. Her style is open and welcoming while she keeps her characters’ secrets and any potential perpetrator’s identity well hidden. She teases and drops hints that keep me turning the pages but never enough that I can guess in advance and there’s no change in that here. I didn’t guess here either, but to be fair the information isn’t there until the final chapters. I also like the atmosphere she creates, making Cutter’s Pass a character in the novel, not a very likeable one to be sure, secretive, insular and self centred.

The Last to Vanish is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Atmospheric, but a little of a slow burner for me. A good read, generally though. Good twists and built in tension.

It took a little while to get into this book but I thoroughly enjoyed. The second are what makes this book so special, its creepy and beautiful and mysterious. Highly recommended xx

I have heard a lot of good things about this author but had not previously read any of her books and was keen to read this one. I feel a little flat after reading this book.

The book is slow, nothing seems to happen for a large section of the book, and for this slow start you really need characters who engage you and keep your interest. I didn’t feel that for Abby or any of the other characters…they were all such enigmas. All with much to hide and not a lot of substance nor relationships between them.

The thriller part was limited and also seems quite disjointed. I didn’t at all understand the character or motivation of Georgia!

An interesting read but nothing to write home about. That said I will read more by this author as I am hoping this is a blip.

Megan Miranda has done it again! I’ve enjoyed every book so far and this one was no different. Right from the beginning it was a very eerie feeling to the story and left me on edge throughout reading

I am never very good at guessing where a story is going and this time was no different. Highly recommend if you are looking for an immersive thrilling read.

‘The Last to Vanish’ has one of the most intense, claustrophobic atmospheres that I have read in a long time. The premise details a remote inn just off of the Appalachian trail and how it became the site for several unexplained disappearances. The latest person to have gone without a trace was journalist, Landon West, and now his brother is retracing his last movements. Trey West joins up with Abigail, who feels at home working at the inn but is still an outsider to the small community, and together they try to find the truth.
The pacing felt a little slower for me than other Miranda books I have read but I understand that the environment is almost a character within itself, and so the mood has to build slowly and steadily to fulfill the plotline for maximum impact. Aside from that, this novel has everything I have come to expect from this author; strong characterisation and a lot of twists building up to a dramatic climax. An intriguing and super creepy suspense.

This had real potential - a small isolated town in the mountains where the residents all have secrets and will do anything to protect their own. Sadly though it took a while to get going and then the most intriguing characters were left largely underdeveloped somewhat irrelevant to the plot. Whilst I never guessed the perpetrator until pretty much the same time as main character Abbie I think that was perhaps because in my opinion it was a disappointing choice being one of the bit characters rather than main players. Not really getting to know of the characters I was also none the wiser really on the 'why'. A nice enough but somewhat underwhelming read and definitely not one of my favourites by this author.

Corvus (28 July 2022)

A winding path ★★★☆☆

Cutter’s Pass is infamous for a string of disappearances on the mountain path, starting with the Fraternity Four in the eighties. Abby has been here for ten years and knows it’s just coincidence and her close knit community is safe. Isn’t it?

When a relative of one of the missing hikers checks into the inn where she works, Abby starts to see the past with new eyes. There are secrets in the village after all and pursuing them puts them all at risk. Who can she trust? And whose secrets must she expose?

I’m a big fan of Megan Miranda – especially All The Missing Girls (2017) and Such a Quiet Place (2021).

I really enjoyed the setting of this novel and I liked Abby a lot as the lead character. I enjoyed the storyline but I did have fairly concrete suspicions about part of it early on. However, there were also aspects I didn’t feel the reader could have worked out which was frustrating.

A solid mountain thriller.

I thoroughly enjoyed this moody mystery story. A good portion of the book is scene setting, us getting to know the main players in this small community as well as finding out about those who have vanished before!
The writing is excellent so these slower paced portions are easy to read and once the story reaches it's peak it is a bit of a rush with one twist after another. Some foreseeable some not so.
On finishing the book I was left wondering what was in a letter and if the author of said letter was who I suspected they might be. That said, I cant see there's much left to tell other than that so I guess I will always be left wondering as I doubt there will be a book 2 to tell me!

The Last to Vanish is the sixth book that I’ve now read by mystery/thriller author Megan Miranda. I loved All The Missing Girls; it’s an absolutely cracking thriller, and I guess I’ve been hoping to find that same brilliance in her following books. I would say it’s been hit and miss! But we keep trying!

The Last to Vanish is set in a small resort town in North Carolina; Cutter’s Pass. People really only come there for the mountain hiking, beautiful scenery, and of course, to try and find out what happened to the seven people that have mysteriously disappeared without a trace from the Appalachian Trail.

Abby Lovett has worked in The Passage Inn for the last ten years, alongside her aunt who owns the cosy resort. They’re used to nosy people staying who want to find out more about the disappearances, but they’re shocked when Trey West checks in; brother of Landon West, the last person to vanish. Trey is determined to find out what happened to his brother, and the others, and he believes Abby knows more than she’s letting on. Abby decides to try and solve the mystery herself before anything else can happen.

Firstly with this I would say that while it moves along at a good pace and I read it relatively quickly, nothing really happens for the first 40% of the book. There’s a lot of descriptions of beautiful scenery and setting up of the storyline, which is fine, but I didn’t at any point feel the tension I’m sure the author was trying to build. The big reveal was a bit disappointing too.

This was an absolutely fine read, it just didn’t grip me as much as some of her other books have. I’ll still read her next one though, I love a summer thriller and she’s the queen of those!

With thanks to @netgalley and @atlanticbooks for the opportunity to read The Last to Vanish, available to buy on the 26th of July.

#TheLastToVanish #MeganMiranda #BookReview #NewBook #Bookstagram #Books2022 #ThrillerReads

This is the first book that I've read by Megan Miranda but it certainly drew me in.
What I really liked about this was that even though this is the kind of story that you might assume goes one way, this was much more unpredictable. So much so that I never imagined that the person or persons responsible were in any way involved.
I liked the isolated setting and how I felt like I was there at the inn with Abby.
I'm not sure I was fully behind the fact that all along, even though this is from Abby's perspective, such a big fact about her is hidden from us. That took me away from the bond that I felt I had made with Abby as a main character.
It is also quite a slow burn, with small things happening that ultimately lead us to the big climax. It did keep me gripped though.
I also liked the way you could feel the 'locals' closing ranks and Abby not quite feeling like a local lifer or a tourist.
If you love a good mystery, there are plenty of red herrings and suspicious things going on in this.
I would definitely be up for reading more from Megan Miranda and will be going back and reading her back catalogue when I next get a chance.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Despite enjoying this I found this to be slow at times. Not necessarily a bad thing as I was gripped throughout.
Trying to figure out how the cases were connected but also what even happened to them. Would more go missing?
I liked that each case had their own part. While still keeping the flow of the story and overall mystery going.
Megan Miranda had me side eyeing everyone. I just couldn't trust anyone.
While I didnt figure out the twists. I was especially surprised about the Abby reveal. I was still intrigued and entertained throughout.

A really enjoyable read that was perfectly paced, twisty, suspenseful and full of unpredictability. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

How was this my 1st time reading g this amazing author?! Normally I find the kind of small town murder/ closed room thriller type super boring an dpredictibke but this absolutely blew the genre out the water. I loved it!! So many twists and turns and interesting characters. The overall premise had me intrigued and the book definitely delivers. What a ride! I'm off to download the back catalogue

Megan Miranda, The Last to Vanish. 4/5

Cutters Pass, a remote hiking town with a history of mysterious disappearances on the trails that haunt the residents. Manager of the popular local inn Abby is surprised when the brother of vanished Landon West appears, stressed and looking for answers. As she tries to help Trey, Abby begins to uncover secrets about the town she thought she knew well, but may not have known at all.

I adore Megan Miranda and her moody, atmospheric and tense thrillers and this was no exception. This time however it felt away from her usual style, still hugely enjoyable but perhaps Miranda is trying to throw us regular readers off the surprises?

Plenty of red herrings, twists and creeping suspense to keep you entertained. Another solid from Miranda. Where are her adaptions? Thanks to #NetGalley and #AtlanticBooks for my copy

Amazingly this is the first novel I've read by Megan Miranda but I'll definitely be reading her back catalogue after this.
The Last to Vanish is set in Cutters Pass, a small North Carolina town at the foot of the Appalachian Trail. There have been a string of disappearances in Cutters Pass and after the latest disappearance of a journalist , his brother arrives in the town to investigate. Abigail Lovett has been working at the Passage Inn in Cutters Pass for the past ten years and she believes that someone in the closed community knows what happened.
I absolutely loved this. It's a very slow burn thriller but completely immersive. The author has created such an atmospheric setting and I felt completely drawn into it and had a real urge to walk the Appalachian Trail after reading this. I loved the characterisation and the author brings the small town community to life. Although it is fairly slow paced it's a gripping and original read with some unexpected twists. Highly recommended
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have not read anything from this author before but will be changing this. Great read from start to finish, great storyline and great characters. Would recommend.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like Megan Miranda can never disappoint me. This is my third one and I think the one I so far enjoyed the most. They are the books I want to read on a beach during summer holidays but at the same time I want to read them during the fall or winter with a cup of tea on the couch during a rainy day.

This novel was so atmospheric and I felt like that was the major thing I enjoyed about this. This small time mystery of tourists that have gone missing and the big questions of what happened to them and who's done it were done very well although I had a bit of a what am I missing thing at times. But that really was the only thing that bothered me. I did not see it coming and then I did see it coming. The characters were interesting and well developed. But for me the small town mystery atmosphere of a mountain town did it this time.