I am delighted to share my review today for The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean. I have read some of this authors books and they have been great, this one is very different and fabulous reading.

This is 13/20 of the #20booksofsummer reading challenge.

A dark and brilliant new standalone thriller from a rising star in the crime genre.

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 …

MY REVIEW

I bought this book when it came out last year after reading many great reviews. I have finally now read it and Oh my goodness! What a story this is!

It is set mainly within the isolated farmhouse on The Fens, and as I know the Fens I can see how and why this setting works so well. The Fens are flat, they can be desolate, but they are also ideal for hiding out of the way.

The story focuses on Jane, a woman who lives in the farmhouse. There is a reason she is there and there is a reason she tries her hardest to keep her head down, prepare the meals, clean the house and do all that is required of her.

The synopsis does not give away much, but what it does give is a terrible sense of fear and atmosphere. The author has done such a wonderful job of making Jane a character that the reader can care about, as I was reading this story I wanted her to escape to get away from her life. Knowing the reasons why she remains is heartbreaking though.

When there is a change at the cottage things do appear to get slightly better, if that’s possible, but better for one doesn’t mean better for all. Jane has to change her focus and needs to know how far she will risk things.

This is such a wonderful story but one that is also an incredibly heartbreaking read. It isn’t a story I want to say I enjoyed due to the horrific situation and circumstances, but it is a very addictive one. I needed to know what happened to Jane and get the answers to all the questions I had.

This is a brutal, dark story but one that shows how circumstances can change and how events can shape your life. This is a story that will get under your skin and one that I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx