Digging deep into a heartbreakingly human crime,The Last One to Burn is an uncomfortable yet utterly absorbing read by an author who does not shy away from difficult subjects. I was captivated by Jane's story, horrified as it unfolded, and left with a feeling that this book would stay with me for a long time. Tense, emotional, and highly recommended.

This novel pulls zero punches. It makes no concessions to sensitive or squeamish readers. With precise delicacy, author Will Dean exposes a festering wound of western society and challenges the reader to hate the crime – but love the storytelling. Where a lesser writing talent might’ve stumbled into the sleazy territory of titillation through graphic brutality, Dean skilfully avoids presenting emotional and physical abuse for the reader’s gratification while making it absolutely clear what’s happening.
The Last Thing To Burn takes us into the nightmare territory of a young woman imprisoned in a domestic setting. She’s one of those unfortunate souls sold a lie in her homeland, whose family may be indebted for her ‘new life’ in Europe, and who then is kept in 21st century slavery. The bars of this young woman’s cage are both literal and psychological: her tormentor has broken her body so that she cannot run and he’s imprisoned her psyche so her familial duty keeps her tethered in domestic servitude.
This sounds pretty grim, doesn’t it? Fear not. This story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, to the sheer grit of the survivor. This woman may be fictional but she’s 100% convincing, and channels the indomitable determination of trauma casualties who stubbornly cling to life and to what they love.
At first, the similarities with Stephen King’s Misery are inescapable, but where King’s story is an obvious flight of imaginative inventiveness, Burn is blisteringly grounded in the real. It explores unsettling aspects of Stockholm syndrome, of intentional drug addiction and of the massively powerful forces of parenthood. All this, and tension strung so tight it’s a surprise the pages don’t squeak as you turn them. Don’t start this unless you have the time to finish it!
Oh, and the title is brilliant too. But you’ll have to read the book to find out why…
9/10

This is a tough book to read. If you can't deal with the 'hobbling' scene in Misery you're not going to like this. At several points in the book I was wincing as I actually felt 'Jane's pain and that's a reflection on the strength of the writing. A testament to the strength of the human spirit, a mother's love and female friendship this book takes the reader to the depths of despair and to the giddying heights of hope. An absolute powerhouse of a novel I could not stop reading it.

Known as Jane, but that is not her real name, she is being kept captive by her husband, her every move is watched and she must cater for his every need. Any discretion is punished and no one knows she is missing. The house where she is being kept is remote, her ankle is badly injured and there seems to be no escape from this horrific situation.
Things change when a new distant neIghbour knocks at the door but escape is still elusive.
I found the hopelessness of the story rather drawn out and depressing, it wasn’t really for me.

I never repeat the blurb. I skim read this in the end, to see what hapened, but didn't really enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. Seemed a little superficial to me, unlikely.

Two young sister make the journey from Vietnam to the UK for a better life and to earn some money to send home to their parents.
A sad and frightening story about human trafficking and modern slavery than I found difficult to read but also hard to put down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the most powerful books I've read and it will stay with me forever. I started reading 'The Last Thing to Burn' this morning and I've just finished it within hours. It's heartbreaking and at times, I felt physically sick. This isn't an enjoyable read, but it is a necessary one because although this is fiction, the topic is all too real. This is a story that starts off as one women's fight for survival but soon becomes a fight for so much more. Will Dean has the ability to make his characters feel incredibly real, frighteningly so at times. He is able to paint vivid pictures of their surroundings and dire situations, immersing you in a situation that is unimaginable for most. I will be left thinking on this for a very long time.

Where to begin? I haven’t read a book this devastating and claustrophobic since 'Room'. As much as I wanted to keep on reading there were times when I had to stop and put the book down. I was so affected by the narrative and Jane’s (not her real name) terrible plight. Will Dean captures her voice beautifully. A woman desperately trying to hang onto herself and her sense of worth whilst systematically stripped of her few possessions and her humanity. A woman forced to slave for a man who claims to be her husband, watched by cameras when he’s out. A woman physically, sexually and mentally abused. A woman whose life seemed incredibly real to me. But in this dark, dark place there is a spark of joy for ‘Jane’. I’m not going to say any more about it but it’s this spark that lights a beacon of hope and points a way forward.

I know Will Dean does a lot of research for all his books and aims to make them as accurate as possible. I’m sure he’s done the same here. As I’ve already said, this story was all too real for me. My hope is that people don’t just read this and wax lyrical about how wonderful it is (which it is) but will be spurred into action too. And that’s the whole point. This may be fiction but it’s a fact for so many people trapped in modern day slavery. 'The Last Thing to Burn' highlights this clearly and setting it in the Fens in the UK makes it our problem, something that can’t be ignored.

A truly outstanding novel.

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 families .
They reach England -and then their nightmare begins.
The older sister who is renamed Jane -is sold to a farmer who keeps her in horrific circumstances .
It made for uncomfortable reading at times - but you couldn't stop turning the pages to see how it is all going to end
Fantastic Read .

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Firstly, I love a stand alone. And u love it even more when you actually finish the book satisfied with the ending as I did here. Very dark and very well written

“My name isn’t Jane”

Jesus Christ on a bicycle! Now this is how fiction should be done!

The Last Thing to Burn isn’t a happy book, you aren’t going to look back at it with fond memories but it’s probably the best story I’ve read this year. No messing around, no silly plot points...again this is fiction how should be done! The storyline is horrific, scary and will leave your heart hanging out your butt! I think it’s made scarier because so many live like this. The horror of humans is scarier than any made up monsters.

5/5 - you need to read this! I’m off to find my next read by Will Dean!

The locked-in captive premise is given a modern twist in this new novel addressing the issues of human trafficking. Dean’s strengths of creating an unsettling and claustrophobic atmosphere continue to provide the background but this time it isn’t the dark Swedish forest of his previous novels but a house in open British fenlands which become a prison.

This isn’t a page turner ; more a slow burner ( with no intended reference to the title) as the one person narrative is slow at times but this only serves to reflect the repetitive daily routine of Jane, the Vietnamese refugee held prisoner by her abusive husband , and of course the reader needs to discover how or if she will escape this hell.

The Review
This story is told from the point of view of “Jane”, a woman held captive by her abusive husband, on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Originally from Vietnam, Thanh and her sister Kim-Ly, came to the UK in search of a better life, but, as is all too familiar, the people they relied on to help them, had their own agendas and instead, they were sold in to slavery.

As we learn about Thanh’s life now, we get to discover what her life was like before, and what has happened to her since she fell in to the hands of her husband, Lenn. It doesn’t take long for us, as the reader, to get our hopes up that she will find a way to escape, despite the obvious barriers, especially when she discovers she’s pregnant, and has an even more urgent reason to get away.

This is a hard book to enjoy, in the traditional sense, given the subject matter. Whilst the abuse is not as graphic as it could be, in many ways it’s the classic “it’s what’s not said” that makes it really quite harrowing. Dean has done a brilliant job of creating a terrifyingly atmospheric setting and situation, that I found to be quite haunting.

I note other reviewers have commented on, and at times, complained about the repetitive nature of elements of the narrative. It’s true, there are a lot of references that are repeated throughout; her name not being Jane, the fact things belong to her husband, or his dead mother etc. Whilst I understand the frustration this can cause, I also admire the relevance of it. Thanh is trapped in an endless cycle of repetition; the words merely reflect this bleakness and, as such, help with the overall storytelling.

I found the ending perhaps a little rushed, and I had a few unanswered questions. Nothing major, just a few little niggles. I also struggled with the epilogue, in comparison to the rest of the book. I understand the contrast in the telling; however, it just felt odd, given all that had come before. Like coming out of a darkened room, I found myself blinking in the bright light.

The Stars
A really strong 4 stars from me, as I found this to be an absorbing and pacey read. It captured my attention, and I continued thinking about it long after I put it down and tried to go to sleep! Definitely an author to watch.

Brilliant book, so sad and so real. I devoured this in two days, and found the ending so suspenseful, it was amazing. Very very sad that human trafficking still happens to this day, this book was really good to read and I felt it would raise awareness over these real life issues.

Read in one sitting! Wow, i could not put this book down. Heartbreaking story of two sisters looking for a better life, trafficked into the UK and kept captive by debt bondage and the fear of repercussions for their family. Dao's story and the casual cruelty as well as some horrific events caused by her "husband" are kept just on the right side of unnecessary violence. Her first person view point lets us see everything through her eyes while letting us make our own conclusions about Lenn's callous and inhuman behaviour. When he does show some humanity for her, it actually makes it worse. I was rooting for her until the end. Fantastic book, will seek out Will Dean's other books

Not since Tara Westover’s “Educated” have I read a story as utterly and devastatingly soul-shattering as this one. At times, it was almost too painful to read on, the sheer helplessness taking your breath away.

Thanh Dao and her sister Kim Ly were trafficked from Vietnam to the UK, where their ordeal began seven years ago. Thanh Dao was sold to a farmer in the Fens who abuses her physically and mentally. His possessions, his brutal routines determine every inch of Thanh Dao’s life. Any attempt to escape is punished severely, her every move is recorded on camera - there’s no way out. The 17 things that are personal to her get burnt one by one as a punishment for minor “misdemeanors” until only her sister’s letters are left.

When a spirit is crushed so comprehensively, is there a point when a person simply resigns and gives themselves up to their oppressor or is there, somewhere deep inside, a spark, an irrepressible hunger for survival, be it for oneself or someone we love?

A raw, bleak, pitch-black book - edge-of-seat, cower-in-corner and white rage.
Read it! Read it! Read it! It will shake you to the core.

What a story! Very sad and dark and depressing though about a young girl from Asia who has been trafficked and who is now at the mercy of her captor. Told through the first person voice, this is compelling stuff but I found it very dark and sad. Sadly true to life I would imagine as it all feels very authentically written and care has been taken to really get into this girl and her captor's head.

The stark farmland around where she is held and the anonymous place somewhere in England really adds to the overall helplessness of the girls situation.

I prefer the Tuva novels I have to be honest. This was hardhitting and raw but a bit too much for me .

The onLy reason this book didn’t get full marks was because of its similarities to Stephen Kings Misery
Short, sharp, and very poignant this one will live with me for a long time

A story that may be true for so many people yet unknown, however it was a strange read. Couldn't decide if I enjoyed it or not but it did keep me reading it.

'Jane" is a young Vietnamese woman who finds herself living on a fenland farm with Lenn. She has been smuggled in to England with her sister Kym-Ly. All she has are letters from her sister, her copy of 'Of mice and men' and photographs. Every time she displeases Lenn, one of her prized possessions is burnt in the rayburn. Jane is a modern day slave. Used to cook, clean and provide sex. When she finds herself pregnant, she must do everything to protect her daughter. The story is horrific, but the language is beautiful. Descriptive in a way that you can visualise the setting, and feel the emotions. Couldn't put it down.