Last One Out by Jane HarperMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Honestly a disappointing offering from someone who started so strong. I find Jane Harper's stuff really hit or miss!
If you're into the atmospheric stuff, you might enjoy this tale of a dying town, but I wouldn't look here for a good crime story.
The story begins with a kid going missing, after visiting three abandoned houses. The story then shifts to the present, where we learn more about the abandoned houses than we do about the kid that's gone missing.
It sets the tone for a novel that then discusses every element of the town's collapse, and draws all fun out of the mystery by burying it in dust and broken things. There are broken relationships across town, with many caused by people staying-or-going as the town becomes slowly less inhabited.
It was written well, for sure - no one can ever say Jane Harper doesn't know how to craft a well-written story. It's just that the subject matter wasn't all that interesting.
We do get a payoff eventually, with the mystery unravelling towards the end, but it's mostly dull up until that point so rather disappointing.
If you like the slow stuff that explores relationships between people and setting, this might still entertain. But crime fans might be disappointed if drawn here after reading the more entertaining The Dry or The Lost Man.
With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC
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