When I was sent the synopsis for this book, the publicist mentioned that I could probably read these without having read the first two. She also offered to include the first two, and I'm glad she did. This book could be read as a stand-alone but I don't recommend it. You'll have a much better appreciation and understanding if you've read the previous books. 
 Now, for this book. Oh. My. Goodness. The ending was NOT what I expected; I sat there going, "What. The. Eff?" I honestly thought he'd go a different direction. At first, I had trouble with the ending, not sure I believed it. But I thought about it some more and decided it did make sense, though it wasn't what I'd have chosen. 
 I should back up. I read the first book and didn't love it. It was slow, Ethan acted like an entitled jerk, and there were too many unanswered questions and some plot holes. I read the second book and enjoyed it much more; the pace was faster, I was invested in the story, and most of my questions and the plot holes were dealt with. But it ended on a cliffhanger. Gah! Luckily, I had book three waiting on my Kindle. *pats the precious* 
 "The Last Town" lives up to its name and seeing people's reactions to what was happening was emotional. I tried to put myself in their place and I think I would be one of those citizens who doesn't survive. The story has some slow moments, but I was invested in the story and teared up when certain characters died. Whereas, I was glad to see certain people get their punishments. At times, the story reminded of a western book or movies. We have a sheriff, a settlement far from help or civilization, invaders, and guys wearing white hats and black hats. Yet, very little in the story is black and white; there are many gray areas in the behavior and choices of the characters. Crouch gives us love, romance, betrayal, action, and a philosophical examination of faith, destiny, and fealty. Actually, those latter are explored in all three books but especially this one and the second one. 
 If you're willing to be patient, and enjoy a thriller with a sci f bent, give this series a try. It has some weak spots, and a few stereotypes, but overall I enjoyed this book, and the series. But damn, that ending. Yikes.