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By Blake Crouch

Series: Wayward Pines #3
ISBN: 1477822585
Publisher: Amazon/Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: 07/15/14
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 Stars

A special thank you to Amazon Publishing for a complimentary reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE LAST TOWN by Blake Crouch, #3 in the Wayward Pines Series taking readers to a town in Idaho, filled with dark secrets, and controlled by one man, for a paranoia-driven conspiracy thriller.

The conclusion of Crouch’s trilogy of dystopian thrillers, following the inhabitants of Wayward Pines, Idaho, who, after spending 1,800 years in a cryogenic deep freeze, represent the last of humanity in the year 3813. The isolated community, conceived and created by David Pilcher, resembles a small town ideal of the 50s.

The ideal ended when, in the previous volume, Ethan Burke revealed to the townspeople that Pilcher, Wayward Pines’s self-appointed deity, is the man behind the curtain. Pilcher retaliates by removing the town’s electronic protection and allowing mutated humans known as “abbies,” or aberrations, to attack.

Since I have not read the previous books in the series, did some catching up, with Secret Service agent Ethan Burke found himself in a small community of Wayward Pines after a car accident. He was sent to the town to search for a pair of missing agents; however, everything goes wrong. At the close of the second novel, Burke clued in the other residents about the truth behind their idyllic community, and in a fit of rage, the town-founder/cult-leader, David Pilcher, opened the doors sealing Wayward Pines off from the rest of the big, bad world.

Wayward Pines, Idaho is a town filled with secrets where the law is controlled by the hands of one man, leader David Pilcher. Sounds as though the first books were more thrillers whereas THE LAST TOWN, definitely leans heavily towards post-apocalyptic horror.

Ethan, a flawed character has a past and demons of his own, which still haunt him, which drives him to make amends for his past misdeeds to right all the wrong. He is a character you root for, despite his past mistakes.

A compelling twist, and a fast-paced novel, of corruption and power, Crouch revels in the horror of the narrative as the abbies roam through town, disemboweling people in the streets and invading homes to tear apart the town's citizens for a heavy read. Idaho was an ideal setting, as formerly served as a Regional Southeast Sales Manager in Atlanta for a commercial real estate investment company based in Boise, ID and traveled there monthly through Denver connection-very fitting.

As a current resident of South Florida, am a native of Statesville, NC, and was intrigued the author is also, from this small town. (most people have never heard of this town). Was excited to learn about Crouch's new upcoming TV series, debuting Winter 2015 on FOX. Even though I am not a huge fan of horror, or this genre, enjoyed the writing style, and look forward to reading more from this talented author!

I also purchased the audio version, due to traveling and Paul Michael Garcia, did a great job in keeping the suspense high for an intense read.