Book Review - The Last Town by Blake Crouch

Title: The Last Town (Wayward Pines # 3)
Author: Blake Crouch
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Published: 2014

Description: Welcome to Wayward Pines, the last town.
 
Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrived in Wayward Pines, Idaho, three week ago. In this town, people are told who to marry, where to live, where to work. Their children are taught that David Pilcher, the town’s creator, is god. No one is allowed to leave; even asking questions can get you killed.
 
But Ethan has discovered the astonishing secret of what lies beyond the electrified fence that surrounds Wayward Pines and protects it from the terrifying world beyond. It is a secret that has the entire population completely under the control of a madman and his army of followers, a secret that is about to come storming through the fence to wipe out the last fragile remnant of humanity.
 
Review: “The Last Town” is the third and final book in the “Wayward Pines” series. And it’s different in tone. Where “Pines” and “Wayward” were more sci-fi, mystery, thriller, “The Last Town” has more horror elements to it. And it’s really good.
 
WARNING! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE PREVIOUS TWO BOOKS OR ARE READING THEM RIGHT NOW, PLEASE BE AWARE THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
 
In “The Last Town”, only a month has passed since Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke has arrived at Wayward Pines. He has finally confronted the residents of the town with the horrific truth that its creator David Pilcher has been hiding from them. But has Ethan done the right thing? After all, aren’t the residents much better of living in ignorance? But Pilcher has his own plan and confronts the residents with the horrific outside world. The result: a life and death struggle.
 
In the previous books the tension was mainly caused by the secrets in the town. Not knowing what was really going on. But in “The Last Town”, the story becomes significantly terrifying because of the monsters on the loose and bloody attacks. It’s very easy to see the story happening in your head while reading and that’s all due to Blake Crouch’s wonderful writing.
 
The main characters in the book are the same ones who played important roles in the other books. In the process we learn more about their pasts. What led Pilcher to create Wayward Pines. What secrets does Theresa carry with her? Beautiful in this is to see how each of the characters deals with the prevailing danger. The writing style is accessible with short chapters, cliffhangers and POV changes.
 
“The Last Town” is an exciting, terrifying and very worthy finale in the “Wayward Pines” trilogy. With a perfect score for all three books, this series became one of my favorite books series I’ve ever read.

Rating: 5/ 5