I have always enjoyed Megan Miranda’s thrillers, but this one particularly captivated me. From the isolated small town setting, to the suspicious characters and the long standing legend at the heart of the plot, everything was fascinating and kept me from putting this one down. I thoroughly enjoyed it,

Hmmmm, what to say about this book.
I’m not sure if I was just in a reading slump, so didn’t love this story as much or if it just didn’t resonate with me.

I liked the atmosphere of the story and I could tell what Miranda was trying to do, but I did feel as if there were some plot holes at the end.

I don’t think the characters were connected enough. There are lots of secret histories and relationships, but I found the twist more conditioning than revealing.

It was an extremely short book and I feel that the character development suffered as a result. The pace was also pretty slow. I’d say the story was 90% build up and 10% thriller action. This one just didn’t hit home for me, unfortunately.

I always enjoy a good Megan Miranda mystery/psychological thriller. The Last to Vanish was unexpectedly great! The last book I read by her I felt was predictable, so I went into this with some trepidation. It was not warranted! I did not see the twist coming or who the bad guy was until the reveal.

Abigal or Abby from the inn as the townsfolk know her, lives in Cutter's Pass. The town is adjacent to the Appalachian trail and they get a lot of hikers passing through. Abby works at the inn owned by her deceased uncle and his wife. Twenty five years ago a group of four hikers went missing and since then there have been three more mysterious disappearances. To Abby it seems like there is something wrong with the actual town and is sure the people living there are keeping secrets. Of course there are secrets in a smalltown! But Abby also has a secret of her own,

At times the story is a bit slow and I would have liked more background on a few of the other characters. Or maybe told from a second viewpoint. Overall this was a suspenseful mystery that hit the spot for a late summer release. If you have enjoyed Miranda's past works plan to check this one out! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Read my full review here: http://mimi-cyberlibrarian.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-last-to-vanish.html

Megan Miranda hiked on the Appalachian Trail when she was a child and now lives in North Carolina. The compelling atmosphere of those mountains became the setting for her newest novel The Last to Vanish.

Abby Lovett came to Cutter’s Pass and the Passage Hotel following the death of her mother when she was looking for a purpose for her life. The inn had been built by some relatives, but Abby knew nothing about the notoriety for Cutter’s Pass as the “most dangerous town in North Carolina.” It was so named because over 25 years, several trail hikers have disappeared, including a group of four college friends, nicknamed the Fraternity Four, a woman in 2012, a photographer in 2019, and an investigative journalist just four months ago Abby had met both the photographer and the journalist in her job as manager of the hotel, but she does not become particularly concerned until the brother of the journalist arrives at the hotel looking for information.

It is then that Abby really becomes interested in the mystery and concerned about the role the hotel (or people connected with the hotel) might have had to the disappearances. She finds an important piece of evidence in an unlikely place, and now she is firmly in the mystery. She discovers how little she really knows about the coworkers, people of the community, and even those closest to her. The tension increases until it culminates in a scene worthy of a scary film.

Miranda does a wonderful job creating the setting for the book. The village of Cutter’s Pass, the Appalachian trail that leads from the hotel, and the nearby waterfall are so well described that the reader settles right in, until the sense of foreboding strangles the beauty of the scenery. Here is a lovely description of an Appalachian morning. “In the distance, the fog was lifting off the mountain, like smoke. Wisps of heavy gray still clung to the trees in sections, muting everything. It was my favorite kind of morning, haunting and beautiful.”

Miranda also develops strong characters, although I had occasional trouble remembering who some of them were—particularly people from the village who play smaller roles in the plot.

The plot, itself, is a slow burn. A couple of times I thought I wanted to quit because the story moved so slowly, but I kept getting drawn in until I just couldn’t stop reading. The Kirkus reviewer suggests that “the plot finally loses itself somewhat in a tangle of strained connections.” However that reviewer calls The Last to Vanish a “richly atmospheric thriller.” Publisher’s Weekly gave it a starred review and mentions that Miranda is “writing at the top of her game.”

I wouldn’t go so far as to give The Last to Vanish five stars, nor would I say that this was my favorite book of the summer. However, it made me want to go on a hiking trip—just not alone!

Here is Megan Miranda’s website and a list of all her books. The Last to Vanish was the first that I had read although, as it turns out, I have two other of her novels on my Kindle, sent from the publisher. I’ve got a lot more reading to do!

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda is a thriller that is written back to front. The things that happened are n the past. Just now, Abby is concerned with them. She’s been at the inn 10 years.; is almost considered a local. Locals don’t talk about the disappearances. The first one, the Fraternity Four, had occurred over 25 years earlier. Not a trace. Or so it seemed. Then, occasionally, people came looking for them. Only a few. They had disappeared as well. Without a trace. Was it the reporter’s brother, Trey, arriving that had her in such a state? Abby had to know. Then she and Trey discovered a flash drive hidden in his room. By his brother? The photos were not right, though. She had been a professional landscape photographer. These didn’t look like her work. There were other hints. Then Georgia, the day clerk, was gone. Not disappeared. She had just . . . left.

Common sense told Abby and the reader, both, that there was a human involved in these disappearances. People didn’t just disappear without a trace. Multiple times. Abby was level-headed, a good character, well-written. She knew there was an explanation, but she was blinded by her relationships with the people in town. Would knowing change anything? She wasn’t sure but she had to find out. It was well-plotted and gripping. Abby was a terrific sleuth and heroine. It held my attention and made me think. Always a good thing.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Last to Vanish by Simon & Schuster, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #simonandschuster #meganmiranda #thelasttovanish

Absolutely fire. This book will take you out of a book slump and bring you on the rollercoaster that is "The Last to Vanish". Definitely scary and thought provoking.

10 years ago Abby Lovett's mom died, leaving her to restart her life somewhere else and to find a purpose. She decides to move to Cutter's Pass, North Carolina and starts working at an Inn. What she soon finds out is that Cutter's Pass has a reputation and it's not a good one. Over the last 25 years, multiple people have gone missing and most recently is a man named Landon West. When Landon's brother Trey shows up, Abby and the other townies know this will mean trouble and stir up things about the investigations that they are trying to leave in the past. Abby has always felt like an outsider and she soon comes to learn that she doesn't know the community and her coworkers as well as she thinks she does. When incriminating evidence shows up in a locker registered under her name, she knows she must take a deep dive into the disappearances and try to find out what exactly happened.
I found this book enjoyable. It was a bit of a slow burn but once it got going, the going was good. I love that everything was wrapped up at the end and there were a few twists. I wish the characters were explored a little more. It felt like the only one we truly got to know was Abigail. I enjoy Megan Miranda's writing style and look forward to any future writing by her.

This book was fantastic! There were so many unexpected twists and turns. I never even had a good idea of how it would play out. I definitely recommend this if you need a fast paced thriller with so many plot twists!

The Last to Vanish, by Megan Miranda, is a mystery/thriller set in a picturesque and quirky mountain vacation town in North Carolina. Miranda creates atmospheric settings that instill that delicious sense of impending doom. She is equally adept at writing characters that are nuanced, likeable, and ultimately flawed. For both of these talents, I hope this book becomes a movie! Pacing, however, is problematic. It takes the entire first half to set up the action. Although the writing is masterful, it was at times painfully slow. At 51 percent, the pace accelerates and the action leaps forward and continues unabated until the very last page. Miranda skillfully pulls all the loose ends together in a series of twisty turns. I was never even close to figuring out the resolution! If you love twisty thrillers and scary mountain small towns, this novel is for you! Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. I enjoyed it!

👻SYNOPSIS: A thriller that opens with the disappearance of a journalist who is investigating a string of vanishings in the resort town of Cutter’s Pass - will it’s dark secrets finally be revealed?

👻REVIEW: I’ve got mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I simply couldn’t put it down, needing to find out what happened to the vanishing hikers, but the end ultimately ended up but anticlimactic for me.

This thriller was a true page turner though; you wanted to know why the individuals had vanished from Cutter’s Pass, and I found myself finding any excuse to read it, which I love with a book.

The flow was steady, and the atmosphere was described perfectly. My only gripe is that I just didn’t jive with the ending; I just felt like “this was it?!” .. but maybe I’m jaded from too many thrillers.

All in all though, I’d definitely recommend this for your summer reading list. Thanks @scribnerbooks for an ARC of this one, it comes out the 26!

👻VERDICT: 4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley and Scribner Books for the gifted e-copy.

This was my first book by Megan Miranda, and overall I enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, but it was atmospheric and a unique setting. This one was a slower burn than I was expecting, so I did find myself slightly bored at parts. However, once the twists picked up, I found myself guessing (incorrectly) about what was going to happen next.

This one is out now, and I recommend it for fans of atmospheric, slow-burn, popcorn thrillers!

Twisting plot with intertwined, secretive characters. Everyone is looking for something, hiding something, or outright lying about something. Keeps you guessing.

I love Megan Miranda’s books, and this one was no exception. A town full of secrets has led Abby to question many things about the people around her. I was definitely hooked, and had trouble putting it down!

Megan Miranda is an auto buy for me. I read All the Missing Girls and was floored at its creativity and uniqueness in a genre where stories often feel reused. The last few years it’s been up and down for me with her stories. Some are good, others just aren’t for me. But without a doubt, The Last to Vanish is one of her best since her debut. It feels fresh and raw. The story and the characters are unpredictable and the setting is so vivid. Highly recommend!

This one was just okay to me – I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it.

Cutter’s Pass is in the mountains in North Carolina. It’s a place where people come to explore the outdoors and a place where there have been multiple unsolved disappearances. Abby works at an inn in town, and when one of the missing person’s brother shows up to do his own investigation, Abby decides to help out. Will they be able to find the truth of the disappearances?

I loved the setting and the creepy atmosphere. The beginning was a little too slow for me, but it picked up towards the middle. I did enjoy the multiple POV’s and there was a twist that I didn’t see coming. One of my big complaints was that I didn’t find it suspenseful at all, which is a must for me in thrillers.

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner / Marysue Rucci Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Who doesn't love a thriller? This book was good. The details of the Appalachians, the town, and the hotel were really great. It helped me visualize it even more. The plot held my attention as did the mystery surrounding it. Abby was a great main character and she was also likable. The writing was suburb and this will not be my last Megan Miranda book.

Megan Miranda does it again. I loved this story. The twists and turns kept me engaged and I finished this in just a couple of sittings. Her characters are so real and her deep dive into their psyches keeps me reading.

Due to the disappearance of 6 hikers over the years, Cutters Pass has been called “the most dangerous town in North Carolina”. What secrets are the citizens of this tight knit community hiding? Abigail Lovett has been working at a local inn for 10 years, yet she still has not been fully accepted by the locals. When the brother of one of the missing shows up at the inn, separately and together they are caught up in solving. the mystery.

Miranda’s writing conveys a good feel for the call of the mountains for those who love it so. The story does get bogged down a bit in trying to get to where it was going and there were a few too many convenient coincidences, but, overall, it was an engrossing, finished in one day read.

Thanks to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for the ARC

I always enjoy Megan Miranda's books and I found this a solid mystery with an interesting setting. In a small in near the Appalachian trail, a number of hikers have mysteriously vanished. Then a reporter investigating the disappearances also goes missing.

For me the strength of this one was the setting, which was interesting and well-portrayed. It's a small town setting and because the disappearances took place over a long span of time, it's pretty likely that someone in town was involved.

I don't want to say too much but there was an aspect of the ending I liked and one I liked less. But I did enjoy this one!

3 stars ⭐ ⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC of The Last To Vanish by Megan Miranda. I absolutely enjoy thrillers where I can't wait to turn the page and be shocked/surprised/devastated. This thriller did not fall into this category. It was a slow read for me. Maybe because I wasn't really invested in the characters. There were a lot of characters to keep track of in the story. Abby Lovett, the main protagonist and manager of the Passage Inn in Cutter's Pass, seemed to be trying to solve a really hard puzzle and so many pieces are missing. There was much detail about the town, the hotel, the paths in the woods - at times, I just felt overwhelmed with all the detail. I thought it slowed the book down. And Georgia, another employee at The Inn, gets scared at some point and leaves. As in, the rest of the book, she is not hard from until the very end of the book. It just seemed odd. The ending exposing the killer (s) was a shock, but it felt like the plot got too tangled up in itself.