After that ending of Wayward, it was immediately clear that the final book in this trilogy was going to be intense. My colleague and I didn’t hesitate for a second before diving into The Last Town.
And yes, “intense” is definitely the right word!

Blake Crouch – The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3) ★★★★

Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller / Horror

Welcome to Wayward Pines, the last town.

Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrived in Wayward Pines, Idaho, three weeks ago. In this town, people are told who to marry, where to live, and 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 outside. It is a secret that has placed the entire population under the control of a madman and his army of followers—and one that is about to come storming through the fence to wipe out this last, fragile remnant of humanity.

Just like the previous installments, this is a true page-turner, but here that feeling is pushed even further. The Last Town picks up exactly where Wayward left off, making the trilogy feel like one continuous story split into three parts. Most of the mysteries have been resolved, everyone now knows the truth, and the focus shifts almost entirely to action, chaos, and survival. The pacing is relentless, the tension nearly constant, and the stakes higher than ever. This was by far the hardest book in the trilogy to put down.

The writing once again does exactly what it needs to do. Short, punchy sentences, rapid perspective shifts, and a constant forward momentum create an almost breathless reading experience. The addition of multiple viewpoints works particularly well here, offering a broader view of the devastation unfolding in Wayward Pines. It not only heightens the suspense, but also reinforces the overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

At the same time, that shift in focus also exposes some of the series’ weaker elements. Because the story moves at such a rapid pace, certain developments feel rushed or not fully explored. A fair amount of attention is also given to relationship dynamics, which didn’t always land as strongly for me as intended.

Even so, the novel ultimately succeeds in delivering a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Most lingering questions are addressed, and although some resolutions feel a bit quick, there is a clear sense of closure. The direction the ending takes was not one I expected, but it ultimately felt like the right choice. There’s a glimmer of hope within an otherwise bleak and unforgiving story, and the slightly open ending fits surprisingly well with the tone of the series.

So despite a few imperfections, The Last Town is an explosive and compelling finale to the Wayward Pines trilogy; one that makes for an incredibly bingeable reading experience.

Spoilers

This book really cements just how completely unhinged Pilcher is. There’s no doubt left, no remorse, no hesitation, no empathy, only his absolute conviction that he is right. The fact that he genuinely believes Ethan opposes him out of jealousy rather than moral conviction is both disturbing and, in a strange way, almost pitiful. His ending felt entirely fitting.

What didn’t fully work for me was the heavy focus on the Ethan/Theresa/Kate/Adam dynamic. Given the scale of what’s happening, it sometimes felt like too much attention was being placed on this relationship “square”, especially since it didn’t endear me to the characters.

Ethan’s behaviour, in particular, was often frustrating. His continued fixation on Kate – how she looks, smells, feels – while simultaneously claiming to love Theresa deeply felt uncomfortable at best. And his anger toward Theresa for moving on after believing him dead for years? What exactly was she supposed to do? Stay alone forever in a completely broken world?

And then there’s Adam. The attempt to frame him as a tragic, loving figure didn’t work for me at all. If anything, his actions are deeply unsettling. He actively enabled Pilcher’s entire project, mostly driven by his obsession with Theresa. That’s not romantic, it’s disturbing. The fact that he’s barely held accountable (how many were kidnapped while he enabled Pilcher?), and that Ethan even agrees to keep his involvement quiet, felt incredibly unsatisfying. Granted, there is nothing left to be done, but still…

Theresa, meanwhile, deserved better than being positioned as something to be “fought over” or “won” between two men. The idea of choosing between “being loved” and “loving” is interesting in theory, but the execution here didn’t fully convince me.

The suggestion that Adam might end up with Kate, neatly tying up the relationship dynamics, felt unnecessary and honestly quite unrealistic.

Another element I really didn’t appreciate was the inclusion of sexual violence. The situation was already horrific enough, and this addition felt more gratuitous than meaningful.

What did work for me, however, was the direction of the ending. Releasing Margaret and the idea that change might still be possible for the Abbies opens up an intriguing perspective for the future.

The ending itself is open and somewhat ambiguous – something I’m not always a fan of – but here it felt fitting. A leap into the unknown: uncertain, but hopeful.

One lingering question remains, though: what happens to the memories of those who return to suspension? Many of these people have lived in Wayward Pines for years, do they lose all of those memories? Or was memory loss something specific to Pilcher’s manipulation rather than an inherent side effect of the process?

Despite my criticism, this was a genuinely memorable trilogy. It’s fast-paced, intense and incredibly bingeable.