Huge fan of Will Dean and wow, this story did not disappoint!!
Full of suspense, grit and everything you need for a thriller. From the first few pages there is already tension, so straight away I was on the edge of my seat. The story is fast paced and the short chapters are also good especially when you need to take a breath before reading on.
Highly recommended!

Caroline ( Caz.) Ripley has a demanding job running a busy cafe in Doncaster, Yorkshire. She has started a relationship with Pete Davenport. They are booked on a holiday on the cruise ship Atlantica, leaving Southampton and bound for New York. They want to walk the Freedon Trail in Boston, Massachusits.
After a very good dinner in the Platinum Grill restaurant, they retire for the night. Caz had a difficult relationship with her father who had a very bad gambling habit which ruined their family.
When Caz wakes in the morning there is no sign of Pete and their luggage has gone! When she goes looking for answers the ship is empty of passengers and crew. The ship is out at sea steaming along but who is steering and navigating? There is no one on the bridge! After several hours searching she comes across a man - Daniel Cho another passenger. Eventually a young girl appears - Frannie, who came aboard with her parents. But no sign of them now? Then they come across a man in his sixties. He calls himself Smith. He boasts about being in a top tier cabin - Diamond. He came with his friend John, who has also disappeared.
Together they try to make sense of their surroundings. However there are more surprises in store for them. They are contacted remotely via a TV screen and are set various challenges, if successful they are rewarded with food and drink, although there is much danger if they fail.
I enjoy the author's Tuva Moodyson thrillers. I found this one interesting but unbelievable, but certainly keeps your interest. Recommended.

Well, when I picked this ebook to read and review, the main pull was Will Dean himself as his writing is fantastic and whatever I read of his, which is most of his books I thoroughly enjoyed them.
This book was no different. The story follows a lady called Caz, and she's on a luxury ocean liner, travelling to New York with her boyfriend Pete. This is a special treat for them and they are excited about it. All is great that night but then she wakes up in the morning all alone and the whole ship is deserted, or so it seems....
You can almost imagine how you would behave. The shock of being alone. Fear of the unknown, what was happening?. Could she get off the ship?.
I read this quickly and easily. The emotions were all there to absorb. Will's writing is exciting and very descriptive. His characters were fantastic and I liked every one of them. I wanted someone to survive this ordeal and get back to their real life
What was this?. Was it lawful?. What would happen in the end?. All my questions were answered and the plot twist at the end was something I didn't see coming!!!
I really recommend you read this book. It was amazing!!
I received this arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #willrdean, #hodderandstoughton.
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This book is exceptional - literally thrilling and leaving you constantly questioning.

Caz is embarking on her first cruise with her partner. Although a little apprehensive, she is excited to have a break from her life as cafe owner and family protector just for a little while. As the ship leaves Southampton, she relaxes in to the luxury as well as the company of her partner, anticipating a beautiful holiday where memories will be made....except the next morning when she wakes, she is completely alone, the ship is abandoned and she is stranded as the vessel continues its journey into the Atlantic ocean. Where have all the passengers gone? How will she survive? Why is she the only one left? As Caz bravely faces her challenges, she may find herself unable to ever trust another soul again. That is, if she can make it out alive.

I haven't read a book by this author before but I look forward to finding more from him. This book was captivating. As a reader, you are constantly caught unawares, attempting to find answers and understanding before the situation is swiftly tipped on its head again, much like the experience of Caz in the book. She is a modern heroine to be reckoned with and you are completely invested in her plight and in admiration of her strength of character.

Its difficult to review the book without giving away any secrets. What I will say is that this book encapsulates the psychological thriller genre in ways that are unpredictable, clever and delightful in their ability to truly shock.

A very well deserved 5 stars.

Caz Ripley and her boyfriend Pete are on a cruise ship called the RMS Atlantica. It’s a trip of a lifetime and everything seems to be perfect, until the next morning when Caz wakes up and finds herself alone. Not just in her cabin but on the whole ship.
Being on her own is just the start of the most remarkable journey of her life, and it’s not long before she wishes she’d stayed on dry land.
This is a brilliantly unique and intense and heart palpitating ride.
I found myself on tender hooks throughout.
He has come up with a superb plot and the finale will knock the readers socks off.
This novel is another example of Will Dean’s extraordinary writing talent. Truly remarkable.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This exciting and shocking thriller follows Caroline Ripley as she boards the Atlantica for a trip with her partner.

After the first night of dining, she wakes to find all luggage has gone and no passengers or crew seem to be on board.

Soon she is joined by a few others who are also trying to work out what is happening, but even when the shocking truth is revealed the passengers are unsure of their future.

Where have all the passengers gone? Will the remaining passengers survive the voyage?

This thriller is really exciting right from the start and just gets more shocking throughout, it kept me enthralled throughout.

I can’t go into too much detail as I don’t want to give any spoilers for the storyline, but I can say it is a really worthwhile and riveting read. I usually find books set on the sea a little dull, but this one kept me on edge all the way through.

I will certainly be reading more from this author in the future.

Overall, an exciting and shocking thriller where the passengers and crew on a ship seem to have all disappeared.

This book started off so well and I loved the fact I had no clue what was going on, but when it came to light what was happening I was really disappointed! This twist happened fairly early in the book so if you too feel disappointed by that then I'd advise not to continue reading!

The story is also very repetitive throughout consistently explaining about Caz's (MC) background and after the third time reading about her gambling father, I lost interest completely! I struggled through this book but I was intrigued to find out how the author was going to wrap things up and again, let down! I would have rated it higher if the ending had have been different, I was so fricking annoyed, it felt like a complete waste of time and I got zero closure!

I will say that the author is very talented as the book is well written and the storyline is very unique. Unfortunately it just didn't 'thrill' me!

4.25⭐️

I loved The Last Thing to Burn, so was desperate to read this asap. The blurb is coy, so I can’t say much for fear of spoilers, but don’t expect your standard psychological thriller, this one is off the wall.

It’s not at all what I was expecting from this author. I quite like it when an author knocks you sideway

My initial impressions of the characters changed as the book progressed.

It’s got a high anxiety vibe, which keeps gearing up another notch. It’s a wild ride, buckle yourself in for this one it never lets up in pace and action. I had a big issue with one aspect.

This will be a marmite book.
I have to say it grew on me slowly, until I was totally absorbed. Very clever, but I hate the ending.
My rating varied for different parts of the book, the start could have been a dnf, the majority of the book I loved, then disappointment at the end.

Wonder if the cruise liners will be wanting the author doing on board talks about this book, I’m guessing a resounding yes, cos that’s what people clamour for.

On arrival on the Atlantica cruise liner, Caz is looking forward to a week' holiday relaxing with partner Pete. It starts off perfectly, a lovely dinner and drinks at the bar, where Caz reveals her family secret, and then sleep in the comfy suite. But in the morning, Caz is alone, no Pete, no note and on further inspection of cruise liner she realises she's completely alone, there is no-one on board at all, no crew, no captain. And so begins Caz's nightmare. What started out as a trip to remember is turning into a trip to forget.
I'm not really sure how I felt about this book, I didn't dislike it but I didn't love it, the characters didn't really endear themselves to me, I found it a bit repetitive, there's only so many times you can read about her dad being a gambler but it's brought up in nearly every chapter.
However, I enjoyed the concept of the book just maybe not how it was played out. And if you like a lot of action in your books then this is one for you

This book is gonna be an absolute smash hit. I can tell! I was worried when I opened it and saw it was just under 500 pages but honestly it doesn't feel like it at ALL when you read it. This thriller is absolutely gripping, I loved how the characters in the boat interacted with each other - some of the twists I saw coming and some (especially the ending lol it had me screaming) were sucker punches!! Can see this being made into a feature film - think this is Dean's best to date.

The writer presents an almost impossible situation, unlike but along some similar lines to the Mary Celeste ship story. A cruise ship full of passengers loses the paying customers and the crew, except for 4 people, hours after setting off from the UK to NYC. How did this happen? Clearly, I shouldn’t say here, but by sheer chance, I did guess what was happening as the four passengers try to live on the cruise ship, but cannot gain access to food, water or communication to the outside world.
Once you know what’s really going on around them, you’ll hope for a good ending, but in between the lifestyles of these four become more and more in great danger. I enjoyed their very different characters and how the writer played them off against each other.
I wasn’t entirely happy with the outcome, but it was probably expected. This is an interesting read and most importantly, it made me want to turn over pages to find out the next stage of their lives on board.
I’m pleased I received a free copy of this book; this hasn’t changed my review. I see that Will Dean has a variety of books on offer. I wonder which I should choose next, because I’m intrigued about this very different style of writing and this very different storyline.

I think i might never step foot on a ship after reading this!
Caz has been taken on a trip to New York by ship by her boyfriend Pete.
She has had a really rough time in life so far, so it is sheer luxury to her. When she wakes up the after the first night at sea, everyone has disappeared. On checking through the ship she finds three other people and together they seek out food and water and try to work out what has happened to everyone else. Strange things happen on the ship that limit their choices and they then find out that they are in some warped reality show. The winner will win $5million, They will all have to undertake challenges that will push them to their limits.
This was very readable and I seriously do not want to go on a liner now.

What a great book, full of drama, tension and fear. Caz Ripley and her boyfriend Pete are setting sail on a luxury liner heading for New York. The trip of a lifetime and despite some trepidation from Caz she decided to go along with Pete’s idea of a dream holiday. Relaxing in their comfortable cabin after dinner on their first night they drift off to sleep. Upon waking the next morning Caz is surprised to find Pete has left the room leaving her to rest. She assumes he has gone in search of breakfast and wanders off down the corridor. There is no-one to be seen. Anywhere. No passengers, no crew. She is totally alone on board this enormous liner. She can see no shoreline, nothing but sea all around as far as the eye can see. I won’t give any spoilers and therefore don’t think I can say any more about the actual story but it is a massive roller coaster ride that has twists you don’t see coming. Just when you think it’s going to become predictable it goes off at another tangent. Such a clever story that has you feeling despair and terror in equal measure. Each time you think it can’t possibly get any worse, it presents further unimaginable shocks. I can’t recommend this highly enough and just when it’s all played out there comes THAT ending. Brilliant.

Definately a book to read over the summer on your deckchair in the sun but NOT if you happen to be on a cruise !
A holiday read where you can suspend belief and just go with the flow. Some disturbing dark reflections on what it is to be a human being, but generally I did enjoy it.

This book is fantastic in a very positive way and I would have offered more stars if it had been possible.

Imagine if you can boarding a ship with 1,000 other passengers to cross the Atlantic to New York in total luxury. Now try to imagine waking up after a good night's sleep to find you appear to be the only one on the ship. A ship that is running on auto-pilot.

Caz Ripley does just that and goes on to discover that she is not the only human. The 3 others that she discovers have had the same experience when they woke up and now they have to work together on a malfunctioning ship to try to discover what has happened and how to be rescued.

If you are going on a cruise and have a vivid imagination, this is the book to read.

When you read the book and discover what is really going on, you may, like I did, see so many parallels with the world that we actually live in.

Oooh this is a strange one. Its absolutely not the book i expected but not in a bad way. Very unique. Kind of hated it because of how annoyed i am on behalf of Caz but maybe thats a sign that its an excellent book.

This book is so unbelievable that I’m not prepared to even attempt to review it. The various blurbs written on the book made it sound like the most exciting book ever written. It's not.

I have loved all of Will Dean's previous books. Unfortunately, this is the exception. I found the start very slow, then my interest was peaked and I raced through for answers. I wasn't satisfied when I finally got them.

Thanks NetGalley and Hodder for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fantastic read. It took a little while to get into but as soon as the twist was revealed, I was hooked. This book features everything from drowning, heights, twisted games although I would warn of triggers for suicide and gambling.

I'm not entirely convinced by the final two pages as it wasn't how I was expecting the book to finish but this is Will Dean so you can never quite guess.

Dark, twisty, dark, cruel and terrifying. Don't read if you're soon heading on your first cruise!

A shockingly believable story, showing the best and certainly nearly the worst, side of human character. A story of survival, betrayal, loss and desperation - certainly not a read for a reader hopi g for a " cosy mystery ". Difficult to review without giving a spoiler, this is a memorable book and not always in a good way - with a twist at the end to make you gasp.