Our Last Wild Days

De: Anna Bailey

Brought to you by Penguin.

The gripping new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Tall Bones, the haunting bestseller and Book of the Month for the Guardian, Grazia and the Observer.

‘There's nothing like it. The way the world gets real quiet when a gator’s nearby...And then the water, suddenly boiling as that black head surfaces and the ancient reptile erupts into the air hissing like a devil…’

The Labasques aren’t like other families.

Living in a shack out in the swamps, they scrape a living hunting down alligators just to get by. To the good people of Jacknife, Louisiana, they are trouble-makers, outcasts, the kind of people you wouldn’t want living on your doorstep.

So when Cutter Labasque is found face down in the muddy swamp, no one seems to care, not even her two rough-cut brothers. The only person who questions the official verdict of suicide is Cutter’s childhood friend, Loyal May, who has just returned home to care for her ageing mother.

Loyal left town at the age of 18, having betrayed everything she valued most. Now, there may be no way for her to find forgiveness, but there may be restitution…

Set against the haunting beauty of Southern Louisiana, Our Last Wild Days is a stunning, evocative novel about the ways in which we come to understand our place in the world.

'A propulsive, bold and brutal slice of Southern Gothic brilliance. Anna Bailey writes so beautifully about family, friendship, loyalty and betrayal, yet also delivers a truly atmospheric thriller.'
Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colours of the Dark and We Begin at the End

'A bewitching slice of southern Gothic, in Our Last Wild Days, Anna Bailey cements her reputation for writing 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, author of The Chamber

© Anna Bailey 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025