Bookseller Reviews
View all
Uncomfortable, dark and oh so good!
Whatever you do, do not start this before going to bed! Trust me once you have started you will not be able to turn away. The book is narrated by “Jane” wh... READ MORE
Dark and disturbing thriller.
An extremely harrowing read, this is the story of a young Vietnamese woman who has been trafficked. She is struggling to hold on to her identity as her "hu... READ MORE
Addictive
This has to be one of the saddest books I've ever read but in these times of people trafficking and refugees used for cheap labour it is very relev... READ MORE
Synopsis
He is her husband. She is his captive.
Her husband calls her Jane. That is not her name.
She lives in a small farm cottage, surrounded by vast, open fields. Everywhere she looks, there is space. But she is trapped. No one knows how she got to the UK: no one knows she is there. Visitors rarely come to the farm; if they do, she is never seen.
Her husband records her every movement during the day. If he doesn't like what he sees, she is punished.
For a long time, escape seemed impossible. But now, something has changed. She has a reason to live and a reason to fight. Now, she is watching him, and waiting ...
Publisher information
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
- ISBN: 9781529307054
- Number of pages: 256
- Dimensions: 238 x 160 x 30 mm
- Weight: 454g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allThis book is a triumph.
This is the story of a woman whom we will not call Jane. She is a woman in the most awful circumstances and the story Will Dean tells is told entirely in h... READ MORE
You must read this phenomenal novel!
Will Dean’s “The Last Thing to Burn”, quite frankly, is phenomenal. Painfully brutal, distressingly tense and viscerally affecting. This will take 2021 by ... READ MORE
His Best Yet!
Thank you for the early review copy, having read Will's three previous books I was a little surprised to see that this was a standalone, not from the serie... READ MORE
A nail biting read
Will Dean is an author I have heard lots of goods things about, but until now I hadn’t read any of his books, and what a book to start with. The Last Thing... READ MORE
A Thrilling, Chilling and Gripping Read.
On an isolated farm un the UK, a woman is trapped by the monster who kidnaoed her seven years ago. When she discovers she is pregnant, she realises to prot... READ MORE
Thought provoking and gripping
Not a normal thriller. So many adjectives come to mind when thinking about this book. Powerful, bleak, cruel, unsettling, but a few. I found it hard to rea... READ MORE
Tension filled book that you won't want to put down.
We start the book gripped, terrified with fear, but hope that he won't find her, won't hurt her.... The book is filled with tension, with the ongoing fear ... READ MORE
An intense and gut-wrenching story
The “The Last Thing to Burn” by Will Dean is an intense and gut-wrenching story; “Jane” has been cruelly trafficked to the UK and is now being held captive... READ MORE
A terrifying story of people trafficking, abuse and control
Human trafficking is not normally associated with a young girl living in a farm house with a farmer where she appears to have run of the farmhouse as a hou... READ MORE
Ok read
I felt quite disappointed in this book. After all the good reviews it received I was expecting something more original. It's very much like Room by Emma D... READ MORE
The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean
Review I found this book very disturbing and very hard to read, I didn’t know what it was about before I started reading but then found the storyline very ... READ MORE
Human Slavery
I had no idea what to expect from this book but was very quickly hooked by the tail of a young Vietnamese girl, sold into slavery to a fenland farmer. With... READ MORE
Dark, but incredibly moreish
Dark, but incredibly moreish - as I found myself compelled to read 'just a little more' at each sitting. This story of human trafficking is a must read, an... READ MORE
What. A. Book!!!
The Last Thing to Burn is the first of Will Dean’s books that I’ve read, and it most definitely won’t be my last. I had to keep reminding myself to breathe... READ MORE
An interesting diversion...
Despite The Last Thing To Burn attracting some stellar praise from the writing and blogging community this did, I’m afraid, leave me rather cold. As much a... READ MORE
It really packs a punch...
Will Dean’s ‘The Last Thing to Burn’ is told from the point of view of ‘Jane’, a Vietnamese woman held captive by an abusive man in his little cottage on a... READ MORE
A graphic, gripping story that will stay with you a long while
This is a gripping story about the harsh abuse suffered by Jane, who is held captive by Lenn, in an outlying farm miles from anywhere.
Jane (whose real nam... READ MORE
compelling exploration of difficult themes cunningly disguised as a page turning thriller
Content warning: abuse, violence, trafficking
A young woman lives in a remote farmhouse in England, keeping house for the farmer. She doesn't leave the... READ MORE
Brutal and realistic
Jane is an unwilling participant in her marriage. She is a captive. She stays only to keep someone else safe, although her husband has made it impossible t... READ MORE
Totally Gripping - a must read!
This brilliant book drew me in from the first to last page. Disturbing, raw, invoking great emotions. Brilliantly written and definitely needs to be read!
A rollercoaster ride
Will Dean's 'The Last Thing to Burn' should come with a health warning, but for all the right reasons.
A woman lives with her husband in a remote farm cot... READ MORE
Decent thriller
An atmospheric page-turner, for sure. A Vietnamese woman, Thanh Dao, was amongst a group that had been human trafficked into England and she has been held ... READ MORE
The Last Thing to Burn, by Will Dean
This book is terrifying from the very first sentence. The story begins “I am not going back”. You do not know who is running or what they are running f... READ MORE
Gripping read
Jane lives in a cottage on the farm land owned by her husband, running the house and farm between them. But Jane is not who she seems. Who is she, where di... READ MORE
The Last Thing to Burn
Was a little disappointed with this book as it had great reviews. It was an enjoyable read but that's about it I am afraid
Emotional and tense
This might be my favourite book of the year. It’s only January, but I really think this book will stay with me for a long time.
I was tense throughout t... READ MORE
A short read that will leave a big impression.
A young Vietnamese woman is held against her will in a cottage on a remote farm in England. Her “husband” controls every aspect of her life, records her ev... READ MORE
Terrifying
This is a hit you in the gut sort of story that breaks you up into a million pieces. Thanh Dao and her younger sister Kym-Ly had travelled from Vietnam nin... READ MORE
A brilliantly gripping thriller that takes you on a journey through darkness,bravery and human trafficking in a different way.
My thoughts about this brilliantly written gripping intense thriller, was just mindblowing, what can I say just fantastic, Author Will Dean has written a p... READ MORE
Well-written and gripping
We meet our protagonist Jane as she goes about her daily routine, cleaning her home and preparing dinner for her husband, before quickly learning that her ... READ MORE
Claustrophobic and intense
An outstanding, thrilling story of survival and strength. This story broke my heart throughout and will stay with me forever! Incredibly powerful.
So dark. So gripping.
'm grateful to the publisher for an advance e-copy of The Last Thing to Burn via NetGalley.
Gosh.
This is a scorching, claustrophobic and intense thrille... READ MORE
A powerful thriller addressing the serious issue of human trafficking
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Last Thing to Burn’ by Will Dean in exchange for an honest review.
There has been a grea... READ MORE
Utterly shocking!
Dark, disturbing, completely absorbing. I could not put The Last Thing to Burn down and stayed awake reading late into the night on more than one occasion.... READ MORE
The Last Thing to Burn
I love Will Dean – I love his lovely, soft flowing beard, his stunning photos of life in Sweden, his gorgeous dog, his lumberjack shirts and having met him... READ MORE
Rubbish
Not very good. Repetitive and very simply written. Why bother? I'm not sure if this was written for people with reading difficulties as it was just very ba... READ MORE
A stunning piece of work
How do you write a review of a book like The Last Thing To Burn? It has been seeming like an impossible task to put down in words the feelings I have about... READ MORE
Scary!!! and uplifting
This book had me on the edge of my seat, it is so well written. I went through every emotion going, can't recommend it enough.
Too dark for me
Jane (not her real name) lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere. She has been there for nine years since she arrived from Vietnam. Her every move is rec... READ MORE
Brilliant
Wow
What can I say?
I could not put this book down, an uncomfortable read in parts but a gripping edge of the seat read.
A simple book, disturbing in pa... READ MORE
Gripping and Heartrending
I love Will Dean's Tuvy Moodyson books, but this is something a little different. Set in the UK, 'The Last Thing to Burn' is the story of' 'Jane' - a traff... READ MORE
Fiction it may be but do not lump it in with all of the other fiction as I believe that this story is very close to reality.
A work of fiction that you just know is based on reality. I really found this a hard book to read as the story reflects so many aspects of what I believe a... READ MORE
Just brilliant.
Jane. That’s what he calls her but that’s not her name and never will be, but she must play along as he has her trapped on his farm miles from anywhere. Ja... READ MORE
Intense and Poignant
I have read Will Dean’s previous novels which have been excellent crime novels. This time Will Dean ratchets the tension up to give us a powerful novel tha... READ MORE
Moving brutal tale
This is the story of ‘Jane’, the name given to her by her ‘husband’ Leonard who keeps her captive on his isolated Fenland farm. He has cameras watching her... READ MORE
A very tense but compelling story
What a tense story. The story of a young Vietnamese woman Thanh Dao coming to the UK for a better life only to find herself at the 'mercy' of a stranger, L... READ MORE
Will Dean at his very best !
This is a book that tugs at your heartstrings over and over again, a book that was so engrossing that I forgot about everything else I just lived every pag... READ MORE
Tense and well written thriller
This is an incredibly well written book covering themes of imprisonment, abuse and people trafficking.
By limiting the "action" to one solitary farm, the... READ MORE
The book is compelling
The Last thing to Burn is a gripping, exciting thriller from author Will Dean. It is the first book of Will’s that I have read but judging by the fact that... READ MORE
A Harrowing Read
If you like your reading to be completely consuming then this book qualifies. The statement “couldn’t put it down” is so apt for this story. A harrowing re... READ MORE
Tense and Chilling
A woman is trapped, held captive on a lonely farm in flat fen land, constantly under watch for signs of attempted escape or rebellion. She dreams of escape... READ MORE
Disturbing
I’ve had this book sat staring at me on my shelf. It’s clear enough to see! It’s very brightly coloured sleeve jacket is hard to ignore so why has it taken... READ MORE
What a book !
What a book !
A just brilliant stand alone novel from Will Dean. It might be short (245 pages) but every page is packed with tension.
I read this book on ... READ MORE
Tense and terrifying
This is my first Will Dean novel and what a novel to begin with. A woman is trapped on a farm by her husband. Why? Why is she not free to come and go as s... READ MORE
The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean
I wholeheartedly agree with the exceptional praise this novel has received. The Last Thing to Burn is a truly unsettling, uncomfortable read but it’s essen... READ MORE
Phenomenal. So Cleverly Written!
Phenomenal! Suspenseful doesn't even begin to describe the feelings this novel evokes.
Jane lives an isolated life; she is subjected to the whims and dema... READ MORE
Addictive, horrific and amazing!
Well where do I even start! I was instantly drawn into this book- dragged in, forced in once I had read the opening couple of paragraphs. This book hits yo... READ MORE
This will keep you reading....
This is a fantastic book which had me reading into the night, heart pounding, to finish it.
It’s dark and disturbing and tackles a subject which is much ... READ MORE
Taut and Suspenseful Read !!
Two young sisters from Vietnam are smugg;ed into England with the promise af a better life and well paid jobs to be able to send money back home to tjheir... READ MORE
An important contemporary issue
A well written book about an important contemporary issue, with a male writer giving an authentic feeling voice to female characters. However, not wanting ... READ MORE
At a time when we have become more aware of modern-day slavery, this novel is a prescient reminder that it can happen in the most ordinary of places.
‘I remember his terrible threat every time I see the long dyke. I look at that unending line of still water and my heart collapses in on itself.’ So says... READ MORE
Intense and Unput-downable
Wow. The Last Thing to Burn is an incredible book. The tense tale of ‘Jane’, imprisoned by a man who holds himself out as her husband. It is a brutal story... READ MORE
A brilliantly written, atmospheric and suspenseful character-driven thriller
I knew I wanted to read this stand-alone as soon as I first heard about it. I mean, have you seen that blurb?! A man keeping an illegal woman trapped in hi... READ MORE
Tense and Claustrophobic
WILL R DEAN –THE LAST THING TO BURN
I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This has to be one of t... READ MORE
fast-paced and gripping
Jane and her husband Leonard live on a farm. While he works in the fields and tends to the pigs, she cooks his meals and cleans the house.
Except Jane's na... READ MORE
Absolutely amazing
I read this book in less than 24 hours. Once I started, it was that gripping that I just didn't want to put it down. I can honestly say this was one of the... READ MORE
Horrific yet totally compelling
I'm having an epic year bookwise. There have been some fabulous reads during the early part of 2021, and they've definitely been a distraction during the l... READ MORE
The Last Thing to Burn
I am a big fan of this author's Tuva Moodyson series of books so I was quite excited when I heard he had segued with a stand alone thriller. And what a chi... READ MORE
This is going to be one of my books of the year!
'Jane' is being held captive and her life is no less than a living hell. Set on an isolated farm in the flat lands of the east of England, The Last Thing t... READ MORE
Harrowing but very well written
Do not read the 'blurb' on this tale - come to it blind and with no other commitments!
'Jane' lives on an isolated farm with her 'husband' Lenn who feeds ... READ MORE
This will keep you reading!
This is a fantastic book which had me reading into the night, heart pounding, to finish it.
It’s dark and disturbing and tackles a subject which is much ... READ MORE
Unforgettable
I was aware of the great reviews this book has received before I started reading it and wondered if it would live up to expectations. I needn’t have worrie... READ MORE
Slow-burning and heartbreaking
Let me start by saying that The Last Thing To Burn is not an easy read. It is intense, it is emotional, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was ... READ MORE
A good read!
At the start you see the victims, the horror and psychological terror of the situation by the end you see strong women who are survivors not victims with a... READ MORE
Tense and uncomfortable
I read so many rave reviews of this book so was very excited to read it. The hardback is lovely, with a striking cover and sprayed edges.
‘Jane’ is held ... READ MORE
Absolutely brilliant, couldn’t put it down!
TRIGGER WARNINGS: physical abuse, sexual abuse, drug abuse, mental abuse, kidnap, captvity
This book had been on my tbr list as soon as I saw it on social... READ MORE
A dark tale of abuse
A dark tale of abuse
The plot is set almost exclusively on a small farm in Norfolk from the point of view of Jane (not her real name). Slowly the reader b... READ MORE
Nail bitingly tense
4.5* gore score 1/5
A new author to me. A great read, kept me anxiously turning the pages.
Thanh or Jane as she is being called is a victim of people traf... READ MORE
Intense (also relevant to current world events)
Gosh! So tensed and heart racing. The writing is excellent, the repetitive description makes it all the more gruelling (not in a not again type thing). I f... READ MORE
A compulsive read full of nail-biting suspense!
Wow! What a fantastic book this is! I can be drawn into a book within its first few pages but this one had me within the first few sentences! This is an in... READ MORE
Brilliant book
I’ve read and enjoyed all Will Dean’s previous books but when I started to read this one, I was initially a bit taken back, as it wasn’t what I was used to... READ MORE
Could not put it down!
Oh my gosh.....okay, so how long does it take you to read 256 pages? And factor in how quickly you can turn pages. That's the length of time you need to bl... READ MORE
Powerful and Disturbing
Oof! What can be said about Will Dean’s The Last Thing to Burn? It throws up a lot of uncomfortable and difficult subjects that are painful to read but it’... READ MORE
Unputdownable
Oh my goodness. What a fantastic book. Will Dean has excelled with this novel.
Jane lives with her husband in a isolated cottage with no one for miles.
Bu... READ MORE
A heart wrenching, poignant tale, brilliantly told. A 'must read'.
Oh, my! Prepare yourselves for this amazing book about the incredible strength of the human soul and the appalling things human beings can do to each other... READ MORE
Breathtaking!!
If you are a fan of the kind of books where the characters stay with you and you find yourself worrying about them between reading sessions, then this is ... READ MORE
Intense and claustrophobic thriller
From his self-built cabin in a boggy Swedish forest, Will Dean has become a rising star on the crime writing scene thanks to his excellent series starring ... READ MORE
The Last Thing to Burn
⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️
The Last Thing to Burn is certainly a compelling read; I just couldn’t put it down. I was gripped from the first page and desperately needed to ... READ MORE