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Last Resort: A Joe Dillard Novel
The New Joe Dillard Novel.
A young girl vanishes without a trace in the dead of night.
Was her menacing absentee father involved? Or did something even more sinister occur?
In the tenth installment of the best-selling Joe Dillard series, Joe finds himself turning 50 and on the brink of despair. His involvement in his law practice has tapered to the point of near retirement. He spends his days with his wife, Caroline, who is finally succumbing to the ravages of cancer after a decade-long battle. His son, Jack, is struggling with alcohol abuse and self-loathing after accidentally killing a young mother while protecting the woman he hopes to marry. Joe is nearing the end of his rope.
When the girl goes missing, Joe learns she is a member of Jack’s little league team. Her disappearance derails his already teetering son and starts a ticking clock. If she’s not found within 48 hours, the chances of recovering her alive dwindle to nearly zero. Joe knows this, so Caroline charges him with finding her.
As the investigation ramps up, law enforcement quickly zeroes in on a likely perpetrator. The identity of the prime suspect hits closer to home than Joe could have possibly imagined, adding frantic urgency to his quest to find the girl.
“Pratt’s richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a façade of vulnerability.” (Publishers Weekly) ***A portion of the profits from the sale of every Joe Dillard novel is donated to the Ballad Health Cancer Patient Assistance Fund. Unfortunately, cancer plays a big role in the legacies of both Scott Pratt and Joe Dillard. This is our way of making the best of it.
Praise from Amazon “Joe Dillard is a worthy, more down-to-earth alternative to the heroes of Child, Thor, Flynn et al.”
“If you like John Grisham or Lee Child (Jack Reacher series), you’ll like Scott Pratt’s Joe Dillard series.”
“Fabulous read. If you like John Grisham, James Patterson, Lee Child, John Sanford, etc. you will love Scott Pratt.”
“I had read all the Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller and Jack Reacher books at least twice and was looking for something along the same lines, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Dillard, who turned out to be everything one wanted, and more! I am on Book 3 now. If you like action, detective, lawyer-type novels, Joe Dillard is for you!”
“Joe Dillard is a kinder, gentler ‘could have been’ Jack Reacher!!!!!”
“Scott Pratt has created a character worthy of movies. Not since Jake Brigance has an attorney made such a great debut. Read this. It's fantastic.”
“As good as Grisham.”
“Dillard is a great character, on the order of Grisham's Jake Brigance. And who would have thunk that setting a novel in rural Tennessee would be as enthralling as it turned out to be.”
“I had read all the Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller and Jack Reacher books at least twice and was looking for something along the same lines, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Dillard, who turned out to be everything one wanted, and more! I am on Book 3 now. If you like action, detective, lawyer-type novels, Joe Dillard is for you!”
A young girl vanishes without a trace in the dead of night.
Was her menacing absentee father involved? Or did something even more sinister occur?
In the tenth installment of the best-selling Joe Dillard series, Joe finds himself turning 50 and on the brink of despair. His involvement in his law practice has tapered to the point of near retirement. He spends his days with his wife, Caroline, who is finally succumbing to the ravages of cancer after a decade-long battle. His son, Jack, is struggling with alcohol abuse and self-loathing after accidentally killing a young mother while protecting the woman he hopes to marry. Joe is nearing the end of his rope.
When the girl goes missing, Joe learns she is a member of Jack’s little league team. Her disappearance derails his already teetering son and starts a ticking clock. If she’s not found within 48 hours, the chances of recovering her alive dwindle to nearly zero. Joe knows this, so Caroline charges him with finding her.
As the investigation ramps up, law enforcement quickly zeroes in on a likely perpetrator. The identity of the prime suspect hits closer to home than Joe could have possibly imagined, adding frantic urgency to his quest to find the girl.
“Pratt’s richly developed characters are vivid and believable, especially the strong Southern women who fight their male-dominated culture from behind a façade of vulnerability.” (Publishers Weekly) ***A portion of the profits from the sale of every Joe Dillard novel is donated to the Ballad Health Cancer Patient Assistance Fund. Unfortunately, cancer plays a big role in the legacies of both Scott Pratt and Joe Dillard. This is our way of making the best of it.
Praise from Amazon “Joe Dillard is a worthy, more down-to-earth alternative to the heroes of Child, Thor, Flynn et al.”
“If you like John Grisham or Lee Child (Jack Reacher series), you’ll like Scott Pratt’s Joe Dillard series.”
“Fabulous read. If you like John Grisham, James Patterson, Lee Child, John Sanford, etc. you will love Scott Pratt.”
“I had read all the Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller and Jack Reacher books at least twice and was looking for something along the same lines, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Dillard, who turned out to be everything one wanted, and more! I am on Book 3 now. If you like action, detective, lawyer-type novels, Joe Dillard is for you!”
“Joe Dillard is a kinder, gentler ‘could have been’ Jack Reacher!!!!!”
“Scott Pratt has created a character worthy of movies. Not since Jake Brigance has an attorney made such a great debut. Read this. It's fantastic.”
“As good as Grisham.”
“Dillard is a great character, on the order of Grisham's Jake Brigance. And who would have thunk that setting a novel in rural Tennessee would be as enthralling as it turned out to be.”
“I had read all the Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller and Jack Reacher books at least twice and was looking for something along the same lines, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with Joe Dillard, who turned out to be everything one wanted, and more! I am on Book 3 now. If you like action, detective, lawyer-type novels, Joe Dillard is for you!”
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2025
About the author
Scott Pratt
59 books1,591 followersScott Pratt is a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Bestselling Author whose books have sold more than five million copies. He was born in South Haven, Michigan, and grew up in Jonesborough, Tennessee. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from East Tennessee State University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee. He lived in Johnson City, Tennessee until his tragic, untimely passing in November of 2018.
This page is maintained by his family. We're finishing up all of the projects he was working on when he passed away. If you'd like to stay up to date on that progress, or if you'd just like to say hello, you can visit us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/19664...
This page is maintained by his family. We're finishing up all of the projects he was working on when he passed away. If you'd like to stay up to date on that progress, or if you'd just like to say hello, you can visit us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/19664...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 22, 2026
Great great great!!!
Oh my goodness, this was so great. Very exciting on the edge of my seat kind not knowing how this would end and how Joe would resolve things with him and Jack and Abby. Had rounds of tears over Christine and her strength. Really enjoyed it all. Don't know how book 11 can top this one but anxious to find out.
Oh my goodness, this was so great. Very exciting on the edge of my seat kind not knowing how this would end and how Joe would resolve things with him and Jack and Abby. Had rounds of tears over Christine and her strength. Really enjoyed it all. Don't know how book 11 can top this one but anxious to find out.
April 2, 2026
Best one yet !
The last resort is the best in the Joe Dillard series. I seriously could not put it down. Usually it takes me a week or two to read a booK .
I finished this book in 3 days . I highly recommend reading the entire series. Nu
The last resort is the best in the Joe Dillard series. I seriously could not put it down. Usually it takes me a week or two to read a booK .
I finished this book in 3 days . I highly recommend reading the entire series. Nu
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews