The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean

A woman being held captive is willing to risk everything to save herself, her unborn child, and her captor’s latest victim in this claustrophobic thriller in the tradition of Misery and Room.

On an isolated farm in the United Kingdom, a woman is trapped by the monster who kidnapped her seven years ago. When she discovers she is pregnant, she resolves to protect her child no matter the cost, and starts to meticulously plan her escape. But when another woman is brought into the fold on the farm, her plans go awry. Can she save herself, her child, and this innocent woman at the same time? Or is she doomed to spend the remainder of her life captive on this farm?

Intense, dark, and utterly gripping The Last Thing to Burn is a breathtaking thriller from an author to watch.

Audiobook, 8 hours, 29 minutes

Published April 20, 2021 

by Atria/Emily Bestler Books

4/5 stars

This book has been on my TBR for so long, ever since I heard thebakingbookworm rave about it. Finally, I grabbed the audiobook while on a recent vacation. It was my listen while I walked on the beach, needless to say I did a lot of walking

The Last Thing to Burn was a fast paced story about a young woman kept hostage by someone who was supposed to offer her freedom. In exchange she is trapped going on seven years. I really didn’t know what to expect here but what I got was a suspenseful story that was atmospheric in that I could tell the surroundings that Jane was forced to live in. It was told from her point of view, which was great showing everything that she has gone through

Though I’m not usually into these types of stories, this was well written and hard to read/listen to at times, since it deals with both physical and mental abuse. It was great to witness her bravery, resilience, and thought process.  As for the ending yeah I didn’t see that coming.

This listen it isn’t very long, approximately 241 pages or 8 and half hours for the audiobook.  
I highly recommend the audiobook if that is available to you.

My audio was obtained through my subscription with Everand

The Last One by Will Dean

An unputdownable locked-room thriller about family, trust, and survival from the acclaimed author of the “utterly thrilling” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author) First Born.

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing.

And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.

Kindle, 352 pages

Expected publication

August 8, 2023 

by Atria/Emily Bestler Books

2.75/5 stars

I am so conflicted in my feelings for this book. So for something completely different here is a list of the Good, Bad and Ugly.

The Good

- grabbed my attention right away with a unique plot (well maybe not the everyone disappeared theme but it's on a cruise ship - that's a good one)

-nice short chapters (132 of them), self explanatory, I 'm not a fan of long chapters, enjoying shorter ones to a certain point SEE The Bad
-nice mix of personalities, unreliable, unlikable and suspicious
-genuinely interested in outcome

The Bad
-way too long, 448 pages long was just too long
-so much suspension of belief

-those short chapters got to be a bit much, especially all those 1 or 2 pagers

The Ugly
-the ending, seriously? Not a fan

This is my 2nd Will Dean read, it releases in just a month.

My thanks to Atria Books (via Edelweiss) for digital arc in exchange for honest review

First Born by Will Dean

From the acclaimed author of The Last Thing to Burn, a psychological thriller about the dark secrets that emerge when a woman’s twin sister is murdered, with his signature “intense, gripping, taut, terrifying, moving, and brilliant” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author) prose.

Sisters. Soulmates. Strangers.

Molly Raven lives a quiet, structured life in London, finding comfort in security and routine. Her identical twin Katie, living in New York, is the exact opposite: outgoing, spontaneous, and adventurous.

But when Molly hears that Katie has died, possibly murdered, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. As terrifying as it is, she knows she must travel across the ocean and find out what happened. But as she tracks her twin’s final movements, cracks begin to emerge, and she slowly realizes her sister was not who she thought she was and there’s a dangerous web of deceit surrounding the two of them.

Paperback 368 pages

Expected publication July 5, 2022

by Atria/Emily Bestler Books

3.5/5 stars

Will Dean is an author I heard about through his previous book, The Last Thing to Burn.  I haven't read it yet but it does come highly recommended.

First Born might have gotten off to a slow start for me but it was still rather intriguing. I was advised of a twist at the halfway mark which kept me reading. The twist took me totally by surprise which in turn opened the door to more questions and kept me turning the pages.

Ultimately First Born is a story about the relationship between twin sisters. With glimpses into the past one realises the differences between Molly and Katie (KT) and slowly the mystery unravels. There were many times I had to suspend my belief but the author made me genuinely curious about this story.  It had the surprise ending and though I still had questions I was satisfied.   Also I might not have connected with the characters but this still was an entertaining read.

First Born releases today and available for purchase.

My thanks to Atria Books for a print arc in exchange for a honest review.