The Last To Vanish

A pall hangs over the town of Cutter’s Pass, NC. Four fraternity brothers disappeared from the trails near the mountainside town’s lodge 25 years ago. No trace of them was ever found. Years later, a young woman hiking on her own disappeared, as did a journalist looking into the disappearances. This tense story is told by Abby, who works at the lodge and agrees to help the journalist’s brother conduct an investigation. Even though Abby has lived and worked in Cutter’s Pass for 10 years, she’s still treated as an outsider by most of the secretive, suspicious townspeople. As the investigation deepens, Abby begins to find clues to the past, and listeners learn that everything is not as it seems. Narrator Alex Allwine’s melodic style perfectly conveys Abby’s curiosity, fear, and determination. She occasionally puts emphasis on the wrong word, but her keen sense of timing makes up for this by stoking the tension when the action ratchets up.