I’m not sure what I expected from this book and I was guessing at all sorts of possibilities from the opening until the ‘big reveal’! There are twists and turns and you really feel the isolation of the ship - this aspect of the book was very well written. The characters develop well, I didn’t particularly like them but that makes the plot more interesting because it has you asking difficult questions about what you might like to see happen to each of them and if you’d care! The storyline was a little too far fetched for me and because I’ve read some of Will Dean’s previous books, it threw me a little. I preferred his previous offerings although this is clever and the ending was completely unexpected, a proper jaw drop moment. Can’t say much more than that without spoilers!

This psychological thriller is about a woman, Caz, and what should be the trip of a lifetime. Little does she know, it will end up being just that, in a way she never expected.

This book reeled me in from the very first page, and kept me guessing until the very last line. The author has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat, both curious and afraid of what will happen next. I was shocked numerous times throughout the story, and has trouble putting this book down. What a brilliant plotline, very unexpected and well thought out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb:
Caz Ripley, a cafe owner from a small, ordinary town, boards the RMS Atlantica with her boyfriend Pete and a thousand fellow passengers destined for New York.
The next morning, she wakes to discover that everyone else on board has disappeared.
And that's just the beginning. Caz must prepare for a crossing that will be anything but plain sailing

My thoughts: This is my Will Dean book and it dd not disappoint, I won't say too much as I don't want to give anything away. I loved the plot of this book even though a bit far fetched but as someone who has been on a few cruises it would be more than terrifying to be left alone on a crusie ship. The plot is fast paced and definately unique. I would highly recommend this book if your looking for something different & next up I'm going to give last thing to burn by this author as it has really good reviews.
Thanks to Netgalley & Hodder & Staughton for sending me a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re a devotee of crime thrillers and suspense novels, chances are you’ve already read some of Will Dean’s work. He’s the author of the intensely atmospheric Tuva Moodyson series about a deaf journalist in the remote rural Swedish town of Gavrik. So you’ll know he writes characters really well and can develop stories that have warmth and compassion as well as spine tingling murderers.

But it is in his stand alone works that the depths of the harshness and cruelty of which he is capable really come to the fore. The Last Thing to Burn was one of my top books of the year because it combined that harshness so beautifully with understanding and compassion. But in this stand-alone novel, The Last Passenger, Dean has shown that he is capable of understanding great cruelty and of bringing to life the lengths to which people will go in order to survive.

Caroline Ripley (Caz) is on the luxury cruise liner RMS Atlantica bound for New York. Caz owns and runs a popular teashop and this trip is a treat from her boyfriend Pete who is with her on their first real holiday together.

After a fabulous first evening, Caz and Pete retire to their cabin and sleep. When Caz wakes up the next morning she finds that Pete isn’t in the cabin. In fact, as she walks along the corridors, she can’t find any signs of any living person. All the cabins are empty, each has its door wedged open; there’s no-one in the communal areas and even the bridge is deserted. The liner, it seems, is running on autopilot.

Caz is alone on a huge ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Now, if you read a lot of fiction you may see where this is going. I had an inkling and I was partly right. But nothing prepared me for what Caz has to ensure.

As she searches through the ship, she discovers that she is not totally alone. There are three other people on board and we gradually get to meet them. Daniel is a Korean-American who loves to travel. He is fit, good with tools and has a young daughter from whom he is estranged.

Frannie is a 21-year-old Welsh girl. Travelling with her parents on their anniversary cruise, Frannie comes across as weak and dependent. Then there’s Smith, an acerbic older American with an entitled attitude who believes that if you paid for it, you should damned well have it and his Diamond tier status with this cruise line already has him reaching for his lawyers to begin legal action.

These four are going to have to work together to figure out what’s going on and how to handle it.

Will Dean has written a shocking and incredibly immersive, pulsating chiller of a book which is somewhere between horror and a chilling look at the contemporary trend for manipulation and voyeurism for profit that is more than ever prepared to cross the line.

As food stocks rapidly disappear and even drinking water becomes scarce, what will these four be prepared to do to stay alive?

The Last Passenger is an ocean going nightmare. It is vicious and venal; unforgiving and relentless; without pity or mercy, this is a cold and heartless journey that delivers pain and fear in equal measure.

It is structured in short, fast-paced chapters, full of action and suspense. Dean makes it so that you can’t trust anyone in this astonishing scenario. Which brings me back to Will Dean, the amiable writer who lives in a cabin in the woods. Here is a man who goes out of his way to help other writers and whose love for his family and his big softy St. Bernard is not hard to see. Yet here is also a man whose mind has envisioned the most visceral of cruel ideas and has turned them into a compelling, propulsive theatre of agony with the kind of twists that burn like a knife cutting through flesh.

And just when you think it’s safe to land in dry dock, Dean delivers the most unkindest cut of all.

You can go off some people, you know.

Verdict: A breath-taking, harsh and utterly compelling thriller that left me all at sea. If this doesn’t leave you questioning this society’s twisted appetites, I’ll be very surprised. This is a corker of a book which is exceptionally suspenseful. I’d urge you to read it, but be warned, this five star read is not for the faint-hearted.

Sadly I just couldn’t get interested in this tale, got halfway but it didn’t grab me at all. Disappointed.

EXCERPT: I perch on the edge of one of the chairs, built for a captain or a first officer.
Firm leather.
Eerie silence.
My instinct is to reach for the handbrake, which is a preposterous idea. There is no brake, not that I can see, and why would I want to stop in the eastern north Atlantic? What good would that do? I check my phone again but it's not connecting. And then I see the radio on the side of the centre console.
Thank goodness.
I pick up the handset and inspect it, trying to work out how it functions. I press a button but then I pause and look around and yell, 'I'm going to call the Coastguard now. If there's someone on this ship you should come and stop me.'
No noise save for the gentle hum of the screens,
'Hello?' I say into the radio, the button depressed, my voice unsteady, trembling. 'This is Caroline Ripley on the RMS Atlantica'. This is a mayday call. We have no crew. I don't know how to steer a ship. We need urgent assistance from the coastguard. Mayday. Mayday.'

ABOUT 'THE LAST PASSENGER': 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.

MY THOUGHTS: I read all night, unable to put this down. White-knuckled isn't all. This is heart-attack material.

The Last Passenger is scary to the point of being terrifying. The tension mounts, palpably; I still have nail marks in the palms of my hands. You should probably get a doctor's clearance before starting reading this. My heart was either beating triple time, or hiding in my mouth and not beating at all.

The ending had me laughing, a tad hysterically perhaps, but laughing just the same.

Definitely at the top of my list of Top Ten Books for 2023.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheLastPassenger #NetGalley

I: @willrdean @hodderbooks

T: @ willrdean @HodderBooks

#contemporaryfiction #mystery #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Last Passenger by Will Dean for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Some books you review you struggle to find enough words and wonder if you have written enough….this book I am pretty sure I could almost write a book myself about it…..the theme, the characters, the setting, the ship, the ending, the questions it raises…..however I cant say much as any little clue would give the thing away
Suffice to say it is set on a cruise liner which got my interest, I love ships and cruising holidays so I was already sold and the title gives away that someone is ‘The Last Passenger’……after that it was pretty much ‘hold on for the ride’ and what a ride it was
And it wasn’t perfect either, some of the decisions made were questionable, some of the dialogue irritating and a few flashbacks repetitive……more so a surprise then that this is one of the best books I have read for keeping me fully invested in every way and desperately wanting to know the outcome
I think it will be a love or not book, no middle ground on it, for me as you can tell it was true love,with a few hitches
The ending is, well, as good as any ending I ever read and made me say ‘NOOOOOOOO’ out loud
A real epic journey!

📖 ARC Review 📖

The Last Passenger by Will Dean is a shocking, chilling and amazing work of fiction.

Caz is going on a holiday of a lifetime with Pete, the new man in her life. Their cruise is a trip of a lifetime but when Caz wakes on board the first morning she finds the ship deserted... Pete, along with the 1000+ passengers and crew have disappeared. That's all I can say about the plot without giving any spoilers and you should go into this book without knowing anything more.

This is a locked room thriller with an addictive storyline. It's sounds bit cliché but this book held me in its clutches on a white knuckle ride from beginning to end. And OMG that ending!

This book just maybe my best read of 2023. Will Dean is a new author to me and has set the bar high for my future thriller reads.

Caz is excited/nervous to go on her first ever cruise with boyfriend Pete and after her sister Gemma has sewn the seed, she is hoping he may be thinking of popping the question. They enjoy their first night aboard, but when Caz wakes up the next morning, Pete isn't in their cabin. She heads out to look for him to find nobody around. But where have they all gone?

This was not what I was expecting at all and I really don't want to say too much as I think this is one of those that you need to go into knowing as little as possible, but if you are in the mood for a thriller that is a little bit 'out there' than jump aboard!

Caroline Riley (she prefers 'Caz') is middle-aged and has found herself somewhat surprisingly in love with Pete. They're off on a cruise to New York on Atlantica. Caz's sister, Gemma, reckons that Pete is going to propose but Caz hasn't spotted a ring-shaped bulge in his suit pocket and she doesn't know whether she's relieved or disappointed. They've not been a couple for that long and the trip will be an excellent opportunity to get to know him a bit better. Meanwhile, Gemma is looking after Caz's cafe as well as their mother who has dementia. It's going to be good, isn't it?

The first evening goes well - they have a heart-to-heart about something in Caz's background which means that she won't go near the casino. When Caz wakes up in the morning, she reaches out to Pete's side of the bed - but he's not there. When she explores further, all the cabin doors are wedged open and not a soul is to be found. Eventually, she finds three other people on board - Daniel, Smith and Francine. Smith's a bit of an anarchist - when he's discovered he's raiding the on-board jewellery shop for as many high-end watches as he can fit on his arms and carefully destroying the paperwork so they can't be traced back to him.

Daniel's in his thirties and he's essentially on board as a lifestyle coach. He has a calming influence on Caz. Francine is in her early twenties and came on board with her parents. She's sensible but obviously worried and very frightened. I'm not going to tell you what's happened - you need to find that out for yourself - but initially, I really couldn't see a way out of the situation. The four were trapped on the ship with no food and little liquid other than alcohol. I had to remind myself that this was Will Dean and I was in safe hands - this was bound to be a good story.

What is particularly well done is the development of the group dynamics. They're out in the middle of the ocean and it's lawless. There's no authority to determine how they're treated or how they treat each other and it can only get worse once the possibility of a large sum of money comes into the equation. The situation does descend into horror at one point and I had a strong temptation to turn away. It's well done but not something you'll forget quickly.

The solution is satisfying but don't relax yet - there is a jaw-dropping ending.

I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

I knew Will Dean was top-class because I'm a fan of Tuva Moodyson.

Whatever I say about this book just won't do it justice. Set aboard a luxury cruise liner in the Atlantic, Caz wakes up to find her partner gone and not only that, but so has every other passenger. That alone was enough to give me the creeps.
The writing is so atmospheric and imaginative. It's one of those books that are hard to review without giving away the plot and whilst the idea and events do seem far fetched , it is a true reflection of modern life and a public thirst for entertainment. Definitely one i.will be shouting about.
Thanks for the opportunity to read an early copy of this fantastic book.

This will be published on www.instagram,com/kayleyisreading week commencing 8th May:

R E V I E W:

Things I loved about this one:

✅ FAST paced, page turning storyline
✅ unique premise
✅ engaging writing style
✅ what appears to be likeable characters

Now, until 99% I loved this one. LOVED IT! It is such a unique premise and setting to any other thriller I've read, I was immediately drawn in. The writing style kept me engaged and I FLEW THROUGH IT!

Then I got to the ending. Now I will be honest that ending is going to be decisive, you'll love it or you will hate it. Sadly, I didn't love it, I am bloody frustrated by it. Will there be a sequel to explore it, is that the point?

I thought Caz was a great character, and I enjoyed her backstory monologues. It's a shame that nobody else's history featured and I'd have liked more from the others. I didn't trust Pete from the start and I think I'm right from that ending 🤷🏼‍♀️

I loved Will's Last Thing to Burn, so I am not going to let this put me off any of his other books and I'd still recommend this to thriller lovers but watch out for the ending 😂

R A T I N G:

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (I've debated this rating back and forth but settled here as I did love the majority of it)

Shame, I was looking forward to this book but, it was so predictable and Caz wasn’t alone at all. Not the book I was expecting. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Oh my god! This book had me gasping for breath, my heart racing and at times feeling so uncomfortable with the situation I was reading! It was brilliant! A complete nightmare unfolding, that feeling of impending doom, and the small voice saying ‘this could actually happen’ even though it was far fetched and crazy! The characters were wonderfully written, the storyline didn’t let up one bit and I don’t think I’ll ever go on a cruise now!

The Last Passenger is my first book by Will Dean so I went into this storyline with no expectations and yet what I found myself immersed in was completely unexpected and thrilling, it is certainly one that plays with your mind and gets the adrenaline pumping.

When Caz wakes up on the first morning aboard the Atlantica to find all of the passengers have disappeared my mind was all of a sudden racing through various scenarios along with Caz as to what on earth could have happened, a hostage attempt, Alien invasion or something as innocent as she has slept through the disembark but I couldn’t have been further from the truth and what lay ahead was quite simply a living nightmare.

It was completely unpredictable and where we are constantly in the dark tensions run high not just for our characters but for the reader too. Each time I thought surely not ….. it surely did! I did find that the constant referring back to Caz’s background got a little tedious in the second half of the book and I got a little frustrated and just wanted to focus on what was going on onboard in the current time.

What I loved the most about this book is that it is unlike anything I have read before and this new concept made this book so addictive and my attention didn’t waiver at any point I was desperate to see how on earth this living hell was going to end, and what an ending it was! I am wondering if it has been left open for a sequel or if the author is just playing with us.

The authors writing style makes for fast reading so you will find yourself whisked away in this storyline. I was certainly gripped by this storyline and I am off to find my next Will Dean book now.

Yet again another nail biter from Will Dean. Highly recommend if you enjoyed the authors previous work, and if you’re new to them, a great start!
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Word of warning…. Stay off of cruise ships haha
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Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc

I was initially so excited to read this, as I love Will Dean’s books. And the premise sounded intriguing. So why the 1 star? Because I feel let down I guess. I initially put 2 stars, but by the end of the review I downgraded it.

I think I was expecting Caz to be alone, trying to survive and solve what happened. That wasn’t the case, and it very quickly segues into something else. I worked out early on what was probably happening, though not the sheer scale of it. It dragged on too long, too much repetition of Caz’s backstory, and as for the last chapter… seriously? If this had been by a new-to-me author, I’d have given up probably. Certainly been far blunter and maybe 1 star review.

As including marked spoilers turns the whole review into a hidden one, I’ve put them way way down…




















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Really, keep scrolling!



























Don’t say you’re not aware now that spoilers are below…





























If you’ve made it this far, you clearly do want to read the spoilers, but last chance to give up…







































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So Caz very early on realises she’s not alone. She finds Daniel. And then I think Frannie, then Smith. Bang goes that plot hook.

Then you realise the ship is rigged against them when they can’t get into the food stores. So it’s not a mystery, it’s deliberate and intentional, with someone pulling the strings.

I worked out early on it was some kind of Big Brother thing or that psychological experiment show - was it Shattered, where contestants had to stay awake as long as possible to win money? And that would have been weird and not what I signed up for with the book, but OK. But then one of the passengers’ challenges seemingly turns deadly. It was just too implausible for me that there was a reality game show on the dark web, where people were apparently so at risk there was a real chance of death. Even though I don’t watch things like I’m A Celebrity!… or whatever, I know there are always clear safety guidelines and people on standby.

And what was that whole box/consequences thing? Built up as a big plot point, then a damn squib.

Then it drags on and on and on. Lots of internal philosophising, by which point I was almost speed reading not because I was gripped, but because I just wanted to finish.

And what on Earth was the ballroom/hell scene thing? Are we seriously expected to believe a reality TV show - even one on the dark web that’s a gnat’s whisker away from being psychological torture - would have a room apparently filled with the bloated stinking corpses of all the crew and passengers?!

I don’t believe Smith would have jumped with Caz. He was too self centred through the whole thing. But OK, all of a sudden we’re wrapping the book up, Caz is in a hotel and we’re expected to believe her partner left her behind accidentally. Whizz along and Caz is on a plane home, goes to the bathroom, comes out and… well you can probably guess.

This could have maybe been an interesting consideration of human nature under stress and how we behave - but it felt like it was more into the shock for shock’s sake, than that. And that for me, it crossed a line I think.

On second thoughts I think I need to downgrade it to 1 star.

Caz is starting a romantic trip on the luxury cruise liner RMS Atlantica, heading for New York, with her partner Pete. Their first night is everything she could ask for and more but, when she wakes the next morning Pete is missing, in fact everyone who was on board last night is missing, Caz is completely alone in the middle of the Atlantic and the journey ahead turns into her worst nightmare...

The Last Passenger is the latest thriller by this author and as the blurb doesn't give much away I wasn't really sure what to expect but, as I've enjoyed his other books, I was certain this one wouldn't disappoint. The story started off quite slowly but as soon as the plot was revealed the terrifying ordeal began and I was intrigued to find out what would happen next. It was an interesting premise which at times was a bit unbelievable, but this added to the intrigue in a weird sort of way, there were a couple of red herrings thrown in to the mix and it ended on a cliffhanger, so could that mean a sequel, or is it left to the readers imagination as to what happens next? If you like an action packed read then this is one for you.

I'd like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

What a gripping read but enough to put you off cruises for life.
Can wakes up to a living nightmare, all alone on a cruise ship that held a thousand people when she went to bed.
As she tries to work out what has happened things just go from bad to worse..
This book makes you think and sends shivers down your spine at the same time.

An absolute belter of a thriller! Excellent plot, waking up to realise you are the only passenger on an abandoned ocean liner at the start of what you thought was the holiday of a lifetime. Caz is cruising to America with her partner Pete, looking forward to relaxing and unwinding. What she ends up with makes for a tense, carefully plotted thriller which had me turning the pages and staying up far too late to read just a bit more. I loved it, couldn't predict the twists and really enjoyed the debrief and explanations of how it all came to pass. Quite the commentary on current themes in modern life. Highly recommend!