The Last to Vanish

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Alice Kelly was next in 2012, Farrah Jordan in 2019, and most recently, in 2022, Landon West, a journalist who was trying to link all of the disappearances together. Megan Miranda describes both the town and the hotel in detail, making the reader feel that we are there. As Abby gets more an more uneasy about the things that she and Trey are discovering, I felt more and more anxious. When she finds incriminating evidence that may bring them closer to the truth, Abby soon discovers how little she knows about her coworkers, neighbors, and even those closest to her. If you have thoughts on this book, opinions on the best Megan Miranda book, or ideas for readalikes, talk to me in the comments! Explore the role that “outsiders” play in The Last to Vanish , as well as in real life. Are they, like Landon and Trey West, able to pierce through the secrets that close-knit communities hide? Consider, in your evaluation, the role that Abby (who is both an outsider and not) plays in this novel. What kinds of revelations is she privy to as someone who occupies this unique position?

Many different forms of “reality” appear in The Last to Vanish . Characters divulge rumors, talk about myths, and share practical (as well as comforting) explanations for the vanishings of past visitors. What does the novel suggest about truth and its relationship to myth?Although the town is popular among tourists for its great outdoors, it is also notorious for the number of visitors that have disappeared, either in the town proper or on its hiking trails. The last person to vanish was an investigative journalist looking into these numerous disappearances over the last twenty-odd years. stars). I’m a little disappointed as I’ve read other books by Megan Miranda which I’ve really loved. This book, not so much… Ten years ago, Abigail Lovett fell into a job she loves, managing The Passage Inn, a cozy, upscale resort nestled in the North Carolina mountain town of Cutter's Pass. Cutter's Pass is best known for its outdoor offerings - rafting and hiking, with access to the Appalachian trail by way of a gorgeous waterfall - and its mysterious history. As the book begins, the string of unsolved disappearances that has haunted the town is once again thrust into the spotlight when journalist Landon West, who was staying at the inn to investigate the story of the vanishing trail, then disappears himself. Cutter’s Pass, NC is a small town in the mountains, near the Appalacian trails. The residents are a close knit group (aren’t all small towns?) and have a love/hate relationship with the tourists and hikers who come to their town. They need them to keep the town going but don’t like when they ask TOO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE VANISHED!!

Her first adult thriller was All the Missing Girls (2016). I think this might be my favorite of her books; it’s told in reverse. She published The Perfect Stranger in 2017, The Last Houseguest (2019), The Girl From Widow Hills (2020), and Such a Quiet Place (2021). How would you characterize the relationships that Abby has with other characters? Are her relationships with the town’s longtime residents different from her relationships with semi-outsiders like Georgia? What about with Trey? Harris had killed the others. He was dating Alice and they had argued and she died. Abby found out because Alice’s sister sent her a picture of Alice and Harris and some other friends. When Farrah and then Landon came around asking questions, he killed them too. Trey showed up and helped Abby take down Harris, and then the cops showed up. Harris was arrested, but Celeste’s secret didn’t get out. He also stopped by the police department and tried to get information, which chills Abby a bit since she realizes the police knew why Landon was there before he disappeared. One of the benefits of the guests is this resort has a lot to offer, including hiking trails that lead you to a beautiful waterfall. We learn very early on that many tourists have turned up missing, some known to have hiked the trails. An unexpected guests shows up and it turns out he is the brother of the missing and he wants answers.

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Despite its appearance as a cozy resort town, Cutter’s Pass is portrayed—to the reader—as a cold, isolated, and moody place. Considering the fact that Abby is the book’s sole narrator, how might you read this characterization, and what implications does it have regarding her presence within Cutter’s Pass? The novel is told from the POV of Abby and honestly, she was boring and it wasn’t that interesting to be in her head the entire time. The first person POV didn’t work here. What does “haunting” mean in the context of Trey’s role in the novel, and what does the word mean for the inhabitants of Cutter’s Pass at large? Are the longtime residents, like Celeste and Cory, haunted by different things than Georgia or Abby are? Discuss. The Passage Inn is an upscale hiker’s paradise in North Carolina near Appalachian trails. The views and hiking paths are extraordinary. People come from all over to hike, take in the small town and listen to the folklore of the town’s people of Cutter’s Pass. You see, the town and the inn have quite a history. For the people who live there, it is more of a curse as they always get tourists who think they can solve its secrets.