Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your initial experience reading about Carralon Ridge? How did the depiction of the town and surroundings affect your reading experience and your feelings about the central mystery?

2. Many of Jane Harper’s novels feature a protagonist returning to a troubled small town to confront the past. If you’ve read her other work, like The Dry, The Lost Man, or Exiles, how did Last One Out compare for you? What elements felt familiar, and what felt new or different in her exploration of community and the individual?

3. What did you think of the final revelations concerning Warren’s and Sam’s deaths? Did you find the resolutions to the two mysteries satisfying? Why or why not?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Why do you think Ro felt that she had to leave Carralon Ridge to survive her grief, while Griff felt an obligation to stay? Have you ever felt a similar push and pull with a place from your past, and what do you think drives those different impulses in people?

2. Della acts as a mediator, advising her parents that they need to forgive each other for grieving differently. Think about a time when you’ve seen people respond to a shared challenge in very different ways. What kinds of friction did it cause, and how did they find a way to understand each other?

3. Darcy’s speech at the memorial directly challenges the town’s destructive habit of clinging to the past. Can you recall a time in a community or group you’ve belonged to where nostalgia seemed to hold people back? What did it take for people to start looking forward?

4. Griff’s quiet restoration of Ro’s garden is a powerful, nonverbal act of love and remembrance. What are some of the most meaningful ways you’ve seen people show they care without using words? How can these quiet actions sometimes communicate more than a direct conversation can?

5. The novel portrays Bernie’s and Noel’s identities as being completely wrapped up in their vision of Carralon Ridge. Have you ever felt so connected to a place that the thought of it changing felt like a personal threat, and what do you think drives that deep sense of attachment?

6. The book’s title is drawn from Darcy’s argument that “there’s no prize for being the last one out” (268). What does this phrase mean to you in the context of the novel and in life more generally? When is it brave to stay and fight for something, and when is it wiser to leave a losing battle behind?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the Lentzer mine’s slow takeover of Carralon Ridge reflect a real-world pattern of corporate expansion in rural areas? Where in our world today do you see similar conflicts between large corporate interests and the survival of local communities?

2. Sylvie felt that she had to lie about Warren’s decision to sell to avoid being judged. What does the novel suggest about how small, isolated communities handle secrets and social pressure? In what ways do urban social dynamics create similar pressures?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The three abandoned houses are described as “[e]xposed,” “strangled,” and “blinded” at the start of the novel (5). In what ways do these specific houses reflect the state of the town and the inner lives of the characters?

2. What effect did the idea of the persistent sound from the mines have on your reading experience, and what does it represent about the mine’s power over Carralon Ridge?

3. Noel is presented as a friendly, community-minded man for much of the novel. How does Harper use his character to explore the destructive consequences of idealizing the past? What specific choices in her portrayal of Noel make the final reveal so impactful?

4. The mystery of what happened to Sam is ultimately solved by a mundane detail: Warren’s teenage carvings. What did you think of this resolution? How does this simple explanation subvert the typical expectations of a crime thriller?

5. Why do you think the author chose to include direct flashbacks to Warren’s and Sam’s final hours? What did this structural choice add to the story that a traditional investigation narrative might have missed?

6. In novels like Tana French’s In the Woods, a past trauma shapes a present-day investigation. How does Ro’s investigation into Sam’s disappearance serve a similar dual purpose? In what ways is she also investigating her own grief and her family’s past?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you’re a filmmaker adapting Last One Out. Which element of the book do you think would be the most challenging to capture on screen? How would you deal with it?

2. What do you imagine happens five years after the book’s end? If you were to write an epilogue, where would you find key characters like Ro, Griff, Della, Darcy, and Jacob, and what new challenges or joys might they be facing?

3. The Last Chance Saloon is a museum of a romanticized past. If you were tasked with creating a more honest memorial for Carralon Ridge, what would it look like? What objects or stories would you include to capture both its cherished memories and its tragic end?