The Last to Vanish: A Novel

This was my first Megan Miranda novel, but I will be reading her earlier works of suspense. The Last to Vanish is the perfect small, tourist town mystery. Cutter's Pass is weary of newcomers to the area as it has a questionable past of hikers disappearing on their way to trails. Abigail Lovett has been in town 10 years and decides it's time to find the Truth. The Last to Vanish is a great suspense that keeps reader cheering on heroine for the truth to finally be found.

I recently read The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda. This is the story of a woman, Abby, who works at an inn in western North Carolina. The big draw of this picturesque vacation spot is the hiking, rafting, general outdoorsiness. In the past, there have been problems when people have gone missing on the hiking trails. When a mysterious guest checks in, Abby's curiosity is peaked. She discovers that the guest, Trey, is the brother of one of those who had disappeared. As Trey begins his exploration of his brother's actions Abby is surprised by what she discovers while trying to assist him. All is not right at the inn and the evidence is mounting that something is very wrong. While I don't really consider Megan Miranda's books heart pounding thrillers, this is more thriller than usual. The mystery is interesting and complicated. The story is intriguing and grabs you quickly. The writing is pleasant, as always. I wished it was a bit shorter, but at 336 pages the length doesn't seem outrageous. Overall, this was very enjoyable and my favorite by this author so far. Can't wait until the next.

Another great page turner from Megan Miranda! With so many twists and turns the reader is left wondering who the killer could be up until the final few pages. The clear mountainous North Carolina setting of the story added to the suspense and mystique of the story.

I have read most of Megan Miranda's books. Megan is very good at describing the places and people who feature in her novels, so much so you feel like you are right there. Dividing up The Last to Vanish into 5 parts was a fantastic way to give context to time periods and when major events happen in the town of Cutter’s Pass and The Passage Inn.

I have loved all the books I have read by Megan Miranda and her latest book, The Last to Vanish is no exception. The book is set in a small North Carolina mountain town called Cutter’s Pass. Cutter’s Pass is known for its outdoor activities, especially hiking, with access to the Appalachian Trail. Cutter’s Pass is also known for the mysterious disappearance of seven people spread out over twenty-five years. In June 1997, a group of four men known as the Fraternity Four went missing while hiking in the mountains. Alice Kelly went missing in September 2012, last seen at a tavern in town. Farrah Jordan was last seen as she was entering the hiking trail in January 2019. And the last to vanish was Landon West, who was last seen at The Passage Inn in April 2022. The book follows Abby Lovett, who moved to Cutter’s Pass ten years ago and is the manager of The Passage Inn. Though she sometimes feels like she is still an outsider, Abby loves Cutter’s Pass. This small town is a very close-knit community that looks out for each other. When Landon’s brother, Trey, comes into town looking for answers on what happened to his brother, he stirs up a hornet’s nest of secrets that the town has been keeping. Abby and Trey work together to try and find answers on what happened to Landon, but when they start uncovering evidence that leads them closer to the truth, Abby realizes that she does not really know her neighbors in town and all the secrets they are trying to keep hidden. I really liked Abby. She came to town just after Alice Kelly went missing but was there when Farrah Jordan and Landon West disappeared. She took the investigation and outcome at face value. But when she started working with Trey and uncovered secrets, she kept pushing forward even if she didn’t like the direction it was taking. She wanted to be able to give answers to the families of the missing people. I really liked her determination. I loved the setting of the book as well. Aside from people disappearing, Cutter’s Pass sounded like a great vacation spot. Megan Miranda did a great job of describing the town, that I could visualize the mountains and hiking trails. She made me want to jump in my car and go. I also like how the book was rolled out. It is broken up into five parts, and with each part we get a look into when each of the people went missing, starting with Landon West, and working backwards. And then in the last part, we get a look into what brought Abby to Cutter’s Pass and her connection to the town. The Last to Vanish is a great mystery with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.