Our Last Wild Days: 'Propulsive, bold and brutal. A truly atmospheric thriller.' Chris Whitaker - Softcover

Bailey, Anna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1804992011 ISBN 13: 9781804992012

Publisher: Penguin, 2026

Synopsis

For fans of All the Colours of the Dark and Where the Crawdads Sing, a beautiful atmospheric thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Tall Bones

THE TIMES BOOK OF THE MONTH

'Propulsive, bold and brutal...A truly atmospheric thriller.' Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark

'Bewitching... thought provoking, character driven crime fiction.' Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

‘Sublime. The best thing I’ve read in ages.’ Will Dean, bestselling author of The Chamber

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The Labasques aren’t like other families.


To the good people of Jacknife, Louisiana, they are trouble-makers. Outcasts. The kind of people you don’t want living on your doorstep.

So when Cutter Labasque’s body is found face down in the swamp, most people don’t care.

Only Loyal May, once Cutter’s closest friend, isn’t like most people. She betrayed Cutter the day she left town.

Now, perhaps she’s the only one who can find out her true story…

_______
‘What lifts Anna Bailey’s marvellous second novel is the hothouse lyricism of their writing, which is as lush as the setting’ The Times Book of the Month

‘A brooding, evocative novel’ i paper best new crime and thriller books
‘The author hit the Sunday Times bestseller list with their debut… and I’m certain this will follow’ Prima
‘A remarkable job of conjuring up the haunted swamplands of southern Louisiana…A particularly spicy gumbo of a thriller’ Daily Mail

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WHAT READERS & AUTHORS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR LAST WILD DAYS:

'A masterpiece...you will be hooked!' 5-star reader review

'A sweltering fever dream of a novel – brimming with atmosphere, tension, and a truly unforgettable cast of characters.' Colin Walsh, bestselling author of Kala

'If you like Chris Whitaker (another Brit who does small-town America so well) this is for you' 5-star reader review

'The heat and humidity sink into your bones as you are sucked into the lives of the people of the backwaters' 5-star reader review

'With a setting as atmospheric as Where the Crawdads Sing...a stunningly written thriller' Nikki Smith, author of Look What You Made Me Do

'A brooding atmosphere with loads of twists along the way that will keep you guessing' 5-star reader review

'Exquisite. A rare, extraordinary talent' C.J.Cooke, bestselling author of The Lighthouse Witches


'Every page is enthralling and to be read with your breath held against what's coming next.' 5-star reader review

'Likely to be one of my books of the year' 5-star reader review

'Filled with lines worth tattooing and passages worth framing.' Megan Collins, author of Cross my Heart

'Anna Bailey is the master of things that move in the dark, with language so lush you feel like you could reach out and touch it' Hayley Scrivenor, bestselling author of Dirt Town

'Raw and unflinching...a stunner.' Ashley Winstead, author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour

'I didn't want this one to end...a perfect crime thriller' 5-star reader review

About this title

About the Author

Anna Bailey is a Sunday Times bestselling author from Gloucestershire. Their debut novel, Tall Bones, inspired by their experiences living in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, was nominated for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and Goldsboro Glass Bell awards, as well as the Prix Nouvelles Voix du Polar. Their short stories, based on their travels through rural America, have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4, including ‘Long Way to Come For a Sip of Water’, which was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. They live in Bordeaux with their wife.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1804992011
• ISBN 13: 9781804992012
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320