Can Ripley is going on a luxury cruise liner to travel across the Atlantic to NewYork. Sounds a great way to travel and feel special until she wakes up and finds her boyfriend and almost all other people aboard have disappeared.

What has happened and why? This Novell suddenly turns into a very creepy and twisted storyline. Cat is being filmed, given tasks, starved, denied water and warmth. How will this end and who is in control?

Can she survive this sailing? Be prepared for real stress and danger.

I loved this book, it had me gripped from the off and I couldn't put it down! Brilliantly written and amazing storyline. I was literally gasping at times as I was reading and honestly did not know what to expect but the ending was just brilliant.

This is billed as a high-concept thriller and it exploits our fascination with ‘holidays gone wrong’ locked room mysteries that seem to have become very popular in recent years. However this novel takes the original ingredients – a privileged protagonist, an exclusive and expensive setting and the unresolved conflict from the past resurfacing – and remixes them in an unusual style that takes some getting used to for us readers.
Firstly, the ‘locked room’ setting is not a stately home, opulent hotel or paradisical holiday complex, but the wide open sea, as visible from luxury cruise liner RMS Atlantica. Protagonist Caroline and her partner Pete have joined the transatlantic cruise to destress and reconnect, but on the first morning, Caroline wakes up to a nightmarish scenario as the whole ship abandoned – no partner, no fellow passengers, no crew or pilot.
Novels told from a single point of view of a lone, abandoned protagonist trying to make sense of their seemingly hopeless situation can run the risk of becoming a little too irritating, but the quality of Dean’s writing avoids this dilemma. It is true there are passages that are overwritten and a little long (the descriptions of the ship, perhaps, and some of Caroline’s recollections of her past) but on the whole, this is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that I was more than ready for, having thoroughly enjoyed Catherine Ryan Howard’s ‘Distress Signals’ and Ruth Ware’s ‘The Woman in Cabin 10’ (two thrillers also based on the cruise ship theme) back in 2016. More of this setting, please! Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC that I enjoyed reading.

Wow. What have I just read 😳

I raced through this one I just couldn’t put it down! I had absolutely no idea what was going on but in a good way! I was kept guessing right until the end (and we won’t talk about THAT ending!)

This is going to be one of the most talked about books of the year. You just have to read it.


Having been on cruises, I could picture this story so clearly. The feeling of absolute terror Caz must have had when she woke up to find out it appeared she was the only person left on this huge cruise ship. Not even anyone steering it as it is on auto pilot. No phone signal. No internet. No way of contacting the outside world.

I can’t write anything about the storyline as you really have to read it yourself. Please don’t read any other reviews until after you have read the book as you need to go in without any spoilers.

You are going to have so many thoughts about what could have happened to everyone and how is it going to end!

This is an absolute must read!

I have literally just finished reading The Last Passenger, by Will Dean. My brain feels like it’s gone through a spin cycle, forwards, then reverse. I feel stunned, battered, bruised and bewildered. When I have put my thoughts in order, I will be back.

I’m back, my brain is feeling a little more soothed now.
Since reading The Last Thing to Burn, I have been eager to read each and every one of Will Dean’s new releases, The Last Passenger is no exception. This will be one of those reviews that tells you virtually nothing of the plot, as it would be so easy to give away a spoiler. Even the smallest detail could ruin the story for you. All I can do, is tell you how I felt, whilst reading.

Caz, a hard working woman, with a complex family history, is taking a well earned break, with her partner Pete. The expected peace and relaxation is very short lived. I thought we would build up slowly towards the incident that leads Caz being left alone on the ocean liner, The Atlantica. But, within the very first few hours, Caz is alone. How and why, we have no idea.

As you would expect from this author, the writing paints a tension filled picture. The contrast of the opulent surroundings, juxtaposed against the hopelessness of the situation, heightens the isolation felt on the ship.

I felt completely bruised and battered at the end of this book. I occasionally stopped reading, I felt the need to come up for air, to emerge from the fear and claustrophobia the book was inducing in me. Most of the time, my head was internally screaming, “What is going on?”. My husband had apparently tried talking to me several times while I was reading the conclusion. I was so engrossed, I didn’t even hear him. He could have left the house, and I wouldn’t have noticed.

If you are looking for an unsettling, twisty, un-nerving read, fraught and tense, that will drag you in, and make you feel like you’ve gone 12 rounds in a boxing ring, this is absolutely the book for you. If you are of a nervous disposition, I would think twice.

I haven’t ever felt drawn towards cruising, after reading the book, I don’t see that changing. I have also learnt a very valuable lesson, I will read every line of small print from this moment onwards. There is an obvious motto within the pages, but to share it, would be a spoiler, so I can’t; but there is food for thought. It’s a terrifying and dark 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me.

That ending. I need more pages to turn, and there aren’t any.

Wow! The Last Passenger is a twisty and unsettling edge of the seat thriller that I raced through in two sittings. I won't go into the plot to avoid any spoilers but you do need to suspend disbelief and just go with it. I absolutely loved it and was left speechless by the ending!
Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

There's a certain amount of pleasure to be derived from a well-constructed thriller, even if it follows a familiar pattern, one that draws you in and leads you by the nose through the steps of escalation from initial criminal act (usually murder) through the investigation, complications and twists to resolution. What I find even more thrilling is a book that presents you with a highly unusual circumstance from the outset that seems almost impossible, meaning that you have no way of guessing where it is going to go from one page to the next. That's great of course, as long of course as the author provides a suitable, credible and necessarily inventive resolution. I'm afraid that Will Dean just doesn't follow though on what he sets up at the start of The Last Passenger.

The novel certainly delivers in the WTF stakes right from the start, as Caroline Ripley, after only one night aboard the transatlantic liner RMS Atlantica, wakes up to find that everyone else on the ship has disappeared, including her boyfriend Pete. The beds have been made, all the luggage is gone, and even the control room has been abandoned by the crew. After running through and dismissing any possible logical explanation why she appears to be the only person left on a ship that is powering away at 29 knots on autopilot for a seven day journey to New York (could there have been an emergency evacuation that she somehow missed?), her main concern is what does she do next?

And you expect that this will remain the question that is going to have to be repeated down the line, as each option is unlikely (unless we expect the book to be a very short one) to succeed. Which does give you pause for a moment as you wonder how long the author can drag out a situation of one person on a runaway ship with no crew, no passengers and no working communication systems, but you can expect and be sure that there will be other twists ahead. And the best thing about that is that you have no idea where they are going to come from.

There is some hint that it is going to be a psychological drama, with a few clues masterfully dropped in relating to Caroline's troubled family background and her fears of betrayal and abandonment. Pete is the first man she has been able to trust for many years, and that might prove significant. Trust becomes an even more important factor when - without giving away any spoilers - despite initial appearances and since it's a big ship to cover, Caz finds that she is not the only person on a ship. While you are waiting on some major revelation to come and explain what has happened, the other concern that starts to creep in is that this is essentially a variation on a Huis clos situation. The remaining passengers might as well be on a lifeboat with the usual mix of social classes and behavioural types that get into disputes and conflict with very different ideas about what is needed to survive.

On a luxury liner it's a more luxurious kind of trapped situation and you would think things can't be all that bad and that help is sure to arrive soon, but as things increasing go wrong and a mysterious box is found that temptingly warns that it is not to be opened, you'd think Caz might be better off taking her chances on a lifeboat after all. Unfortunately, even that proves not to be a viable option. So far, Dean doesn't put a foot wrong, using some traditional themes, a disaster movie situation mixed with some psychological drama relating to issues of trust, on a ship that is beyond their ability to control - "It's like we're going around in circles, drifting. I want us to move towards somewhere" - with an added element of an inexplicable mysterious twist.

Again, without giving anything away, the mysterious twist that has to be delivered in order to explain this extraordinary situation turns out to be not the most original idea, but it comes early enough at about a third of the way in for you to suspect that there are more revelations to come. That makes The Last Passenger a tricky book to review and justify the reasoning behind any criticism. Nonetheless, the premise and twists are unoriginal, having been done in other books and high rated Netflix shows, and Dean doesn't follow through on Caz's repetitive reflections on her psychological and family troubles. Fatally, and disappointingly as far as I'm concerned, despite the promising opening and supposed commentary on modern day issues, the novel descends into unconvincing age-old hokum.

The premise had me really intrigued! I have to say it didn’t disappoint!! Great read, written really well, I loved it! Would definitely recommend!

I always look forward to a new Will Dean stand alone thriller -and this was spot on .
Caz owns a busy coffee shop and her and partner Pete have decided to treat themselves to a luxury cruise .
So far so good . They unpack settle in and have a lovely first night . But -this is Will Dean - you know something is afoot . Sure enough when Caz awakes the next morning -all the passengers and crew have disappeared .
She is the only one on board .
Brilliant Edge of The Seat stuff !!

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Will Dean, not to put too fine a point on it, is an evil genius. The Last Passenger starts off innocently enough but you will end up a nervous wreck by the time you reach the final page. A truly nail biting epic tale that is gripping and unpredictable. Fantastical and terrifying in equal measure. Probably shouldn’t be read by anyone on a cruise ship….

I’m afraid this novel really didn’t do it for me. I found the whole premise unbelievable and I just couldn’t warm to Caz who wakes up one morning alone on a cruise liner to find all the other passengers, including her boyfriend Pete, have completely disappeared.
Whilst trying to work out what has happened she meets three other stranded passengers, Frannie, Daniel and Smith and together they set out to discover what has happened and where everyone has gone. They face numerous challenges along the way and are forced to rely on each other despite knowing very little about their backgrounds.
Caz flashes back to her earlier life, a massive betrayal by her addict father and her current situation running a cafe with the help of her sister whilst looking after her elderly mother who is afflicted by dementia.
It was an interesting premise, perhaps reminiscent of the Mary Celeste and a clever idea for a book but for some reason it left me cold. I found it totally unbelievable and maybe that was the problem.
The ending was completely ridiculous, obviously written for impact but it just served to annoy me!
I have read other books by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them but this one definitely was not for me. However I freely admit that others maybe of a totally different opinion and I advise you to try it for yourself.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book, its twist and turns and its ending. It definitely let me with a lingering anxiety, and has made me think twice over booking a cruise holiday haha!

The Last Passenger by Will Dean is TENSE with a capital T

I got so invested in this story and I had to finish it in one go! I really enjoyed reading this a lot and recommend it to anyone who loves interesting new books

What did I just read?!!!! I’m not sure if will dean is a genius or a sadist!

Absolutely gripping…part way through I was thinking that while as tense and gripping as I would expect from this author, at least the topic was slightly more palatable than previous ones…by the end I was not so sure!

It is so hard to say much without including spoilers, but this book will have your heart racing, and your mind spinning! Huge twists, dark plots and great characters.

I devoured this book and think I may now need therapy to recover!

This blew me away as a really interesting read, yes it’s not the most realistic at times but it’s definitely worth a read! Loved the twists and turns and the shock ending I didn’t see coming. Fully recommend

Okay. So this will probably be a very short review. There is a reason that the blurb is really short. In essence, it's actually only three lines long. It's a very challenging book to talk about without giving away what would be crucial plot spoilers. Yes, this is a book about Caz Ripley. It's told from her point of view. We learn all about Caz and her life, past and present. That I can tell you. And yes, Caz does wake up after her first night on board the Atlantica, an all singling all dancing ocean liner to find that all the singing and dancing is well and truly over as everyone, including her partner, Pete, have disappeared. No Captain, no crew, no passnegers and, perhaps more crucially, no way to communicate with the outside world. All Caz can see for miles in any direction is water. And that really is only the start of her problems ... and the last I can really tell you about the plot of the book. Trust me. This is a book you do really need to read blind.

It's also a book I can see dividing readers. It's one of those books. If you like high concept thrillers, and perhaps can suspend disbelief a touch ins certain parts, then you will eat this book up. It is pacy, full of tension and threat, and you can feel the escalating anxiety and fear building with every hour that passes (in Ocean liner world that is - it really is an attention grabbing quick read). Character observations are spot on, as you would expect with a Will Dean story, and the way in which he is able to turn the ship, all opulence and grandeur on opening night, into an atmospheric, claustrophobic (in spite of it's size) kind of hell, is pitched perfectly. It's like a floating prison, only with a casino, piano and jeweller, none of which will be of the remotest use to Caz in her waking nightmare.

In the early stages of the book I did have a kind of feeling about the course of the book which, like the course of the ship at varying times along the voyage, was way off course. When the reveal comes it is something that starts to make a whole lot of sense and, whilst perhaps exaggerated to a very high extent, is so incredibly in tune with modern society that it takes on an air of worrying plausibility. Unfortunately I can't actually say why, but if anyone has read the book and wants to talk about it, please drop me a line.

Clever, intense and more than occasionally creepy, Will Dean fans will eat this up. A complete departure from the Tuva series, but with some of that underlying, pulsating tension that the author excels at. Not sure if it has made me more or less likely to go on a cruise. Certainly the idea of there being nobody else on board is appealing (provided I can keep at least a Captain and maybe a few select crew ...) as cruises always strike me as being far too peopley. Not sure I'd want to take isolation quite this far mind, but then never say never, right?

Thank you netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced copy of The last Passenger. I thought the premise of the book was quite surreal, however I enjoyed it and despite this, it was a page turner for me. If you can take it with a pinch of salt it's enjoyable.

The ending seems to have divided other reviewers, and I can understand why. Initially I was irate, and now a while later it makes me giggle. So despite finishing this book a few weeks ago, I'm still thinking about it. Isn't that what authors want?

One question I have for will Dean, why does he write a female protagonist's and not male?. Don't get me wrong, he does it excellently. In fact if I didn't know that the author was male, I would have presumed it was a female who was writing. I would recommend this book, but with the caveat that it might not be to everyone taste. Don't have expectations of the story, just go with it.

Will Dean has always been a must read author for me and I love his Tuva series. His stand-alone novels have also been a big hit with me but this one didn’t really do it for me! Difficult to say why without going into the plot too much and ruining it for others who may love it, but it was more a case of plot not working for me rather than the writing. Caz didn’t engage me so I really didn’t care what happened to her so that was probably the root of my issue! The plot was unique but didn’t work for me and I absolutely hated the ending! Definitely a marmite moment though as I can see others loved it. Not for me but written beautifully as always!

This was such a difficult book to write a review for! Partly because it's hard to do it without giving anything away, and I hate spoilers. But also because it's hard to know how to classify this story, as it showcases elements from variety of genres.

It begins with an intriguing turn of events when Caroline (Caz) Ripley wakes up on board a luxury cruise ship - a much-anticipated and well earned one week holiday with her boyfriend, Pete - to find herself alone on the apparently deserted ocean liner.

Despite searching frantically for Pete, Caz cannot find him. Even his luggage has disappeared. The only trace of his existence remaining in their cabin is Pete's watch. But where is he? And where have all the other people disappeared to?

To her horror, Caz discovers that her experience is not an isolated incident - that there are in fact past instances of such mysterious disappearances of passengers and/or crew from ships sailing the high seas which have yet to be solved. What unfolds thereafter, as the plot begins to reveal itself, displays some seriously creative storytelling skills on the part of the author.

I was briefly worried that this story would turn out to be a horror novel, since I don't like that genre. But while parts of Caz's experience do border on the horrific, this story belongs more to the thriller or suspense category in my opinion. There is also some scathing social commentary about the world we have created for ourselves that drives home a few salient points. But above all, this is a hugely entertaining novel.

The Last Passenger delivers plenty of thrills, and includes some pretty graphic segments. And the suspense is unrelenting. Despite being a thriller addict, I was repeatedly taken by surprise in the course of reading it. So if you're looking for a action-packed story that incorporates twist after twist, this might well be a good fit for you!

I don't wish to give spoilers, as I think everyone should have the opportunity to discover the story for themselves. Suffice it to say, 'The Last Passenger' is compelling and thrilling. Will Dean has added another string to his bow and I expect this latest book to be another hit!