ALC Review: A Small Town Mystery

Last One Out by Jane Harper

Read by Angeline Armstrong

Publication Date: April 14, 2026

Summary from Netgalley:

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.

ALC provided by MacMillan Audio via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

This is a quiet and melancholy story, that is beautifully written and deals with many issues facing our rural societies today. It is not a fast paced story, and the mystery is a very gentle one. But the emotions are very real, and the secrets the characters are keeping are key to the whole story.

Angeline Armstrong does a marvelous job with reading this story. Her voice is perfect for Ro, and all of the emotions that Ro goes through, comes shining through. Her accent is lovely, and she does a lovely job with the other character voices as well, making them distinct. Her pacing and cadence are also well done.

Ro is the main narrator of this story, and you feel her sadness and heartbreak from page one. The loss of her son, has driven her life for the past five years. Yet she still wants to learn what happened to him. This year on the anniversary of his death, the secrets start to come out, many do not pertain to Sam’s disappearance, but they all contribute to the story of a dying town. Ro is a character I can relate to, and one that I can get behind while she searches for the truth. She is brave and thoughtful and determined.

There are many secondary characters in this story, and at times it was hard to keep straight who was who. But they all shared the stories of their lives in this small rural town and why they were choosing to stay. Ro’s husband and daughter stand out in particular in this story as do a few others.

The setting and the atmosphere of a dying rural town is almost a character in itself in this story. The author does a terrific job describing the town and the desolation. The looming mine near the town, and part of the reason for its decline, is ever present in the story. The town and the mine set the mood and have a tremendous influence over the characters in the story. This was all very well done and really added to the mystery as well.

Small rural towns all over the world are dying. This story explores many of the reasons and does an excellent job with it. This is a heartbreaking story that explores the themes of family, loyalty, and community. It is also very much about grief, both on a personal level and of the town’s grief as the community dies.

The mystery is a very quiet one. There are many secrets being held by the townspeople and not all have to do with Sam’s disappearance. As these secrets are uncovered, the truth does eventually reveal itself and it wasn’t at all what I thought had happened. But the ending did make sense, and I was also glad that we got a glimpse of what happened to some of the characters after the truth is revealed. It is a bittersweet ending, but a good one.

If you are looking for a quiet mystery with a story that perhaps overshines the mystery, than this is a book you might consider. If you are looking for a beautifully written story about community, loyalty, and family this is definitely a story for you.