In The Last Thing to Burn, Thanh Dao and her sister Kim-Ly are smuggled into the UK by shipping container from Vietnam. They promised before leaving to pay off their transportation costs over ten years. After that, they would both be free of work obligations.

However, after a couple of years, Thanh Dao was sold to rural subsistence farmer, Lenn. Trapped in his house, miles from help, Lenn exerts total control over Thanh. She is his servant and sex slave. When she tries to run away, he hobbles her. She has lost hope and lives for the horse tranquilizer Lenn provides her. Until she becomes pregnant. She can’t allow her child to live this way. She must make another escape attempt.

Thanh is one of the strongest characters I’ve read in a while. Her heartfelt tale is heart-wrenching too. Unlike the similar plot in Room, this tale also describes how heart-breaking human trafficking can be. Whatever side of the illegal immigration issue you are on, it is hard not to root for Thanh to survive.

If you are looking for a genuine tale of courage, pick up The Last Thing to Burn. You won’t be disappointed. 5 stars!

Thanks to Emily Bestler, Atria Books, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The most disturbing and horrific thriller I have ever read! Yes, EVER! Almost all the scenes gave me chills!

This was a heart-wrenching story. It was actually painful to read this book! After every few pages, I wanted to stop reading. But you cannot just stop!! I had to know how it ends! Once I started reading and was in that world of 'Jane' I felt trapped with her. So powerful is the writing! I felt her fear and anger! Maybe more fear than what she felt because Jane was strong. Her courage was inspiring! And tbh, I was reading so that I could root for her!

The tension increased as the story progressed. And, I was at the edge of my seat during the ending. It was intense! I wanted to flip the pages and know what was going to happen. But no, I didn't! I read and felt all the emotions.

And it was worth it! All the pain was worth it!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the copy.

I was hooked from page one and disappointed when it was over and I couldn’t read anymore of the story! This book was excellent in the suspense and keeping me hanging on. I will certainly read more from this author!

Synopsis:

A kidnapped woman who has been held captive for years finds out she’s pregnant and she decides she must do something to save herself and her baby from this life but it won’t be an easy feat with camera watching her constantly and her captor always there.

She is not sure how she will escape but she has to try. One day a woman shows up at her door and she is terrified that the woman will be killed as he promised her he would do if she ever talked. She is to terrified to say anything but desperately wants to. How can she get help and not put this woman in danger as well.

This is the end. Something has to change. Will she make it out alive? Can she save her baby from this horrible life and the new woman she he has trapped in the cellar?

Review:

This was a gripping thriller right from the start. I was hooked and read it in one sitting. To experience this book will leave you on the edge of your seat eager for what’s to come. The novel that makes you cringe but you can’t stop reading it. I am sure I have found a new favorite author in Will Dean.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good, albeit twisted thriller. If you enjoyed reading B.A. Paris’ Behind Closed Doors you may enjoy The Last Thing to Burn as well.

There are some dental scenes, brutality, psychological abuse, kidnapping, human trafficking and child abuse.

I would like to thank NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was easily 5 totally mind gripping and mind bending stars. I was hooked the whole time and wanted to know how it would end!!!! Thank you so much for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Last Thing To Burn is a heartbreaking and haunting story of survival. “Jane” (Thanh Dao) is a Vietnamese woman who (along with her sister, Kim-Ly) is brought to England with promises of work and a better life, but instead becomes a victim of human trafficking, forced to marry and serve her captor for many years. She endures unimaginable abuse and demonstrates an excruciating will to live in order to protect the ones she loves.

This was a tough read with such an important message that was beautifully written and is a sure to leave an imprint on the hearts of many.

The slow pace and repetitiveness kept this from a 5-star for me, but overall it was an excellent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy!

This was my first book by British author Will Dean, and it won't be my last. This tense, slow-burn psychological thriller is a riveting read that brings the reader deep inside the mindset and horrific living conditions of a woman held captive.

The story centres around Thanh, a young woman called Jane by her captor Lenn, a disturbed man whose whims and demands determine Thanh's entire world. Any transgressions against his specific rules and she loses one of her beloved possessions ... or worse.

Based on themes of human trafficking, physical and mental abuse, this is clearly not an easy read, but it is well-written and compelling and features a character in Thanh that readers will easily get behind. Her desperation, fear and physical pain from her enslavement are vividly portrayed, but what I remember most is her tenacity and her determination to protect the one thing she holds most dear.

While aptly compared to Stephen King's Misery and Emma Donoghue's Room with its similar claustrophobic setting and intense feel, The Last Thing to Burn is a fantastic, character-driven and compulsive read in its own right. This equally harrowing and powerful story about bravery and resilience easily falls into the 'unputdownable' category.

Suspense lovers won't want to miss this book. Look for it April 20, 2021.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for my complimentary copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Review posted April 12/21 on my blog, The Baking Bookworm and social media accounts (IG, Twitter, FB, Litsy, GoodReads ...).

This is a relatively short, well-written and powerful book. I don’t think I could have handled it if it was much longer as this is one dark, shocking and bleak story. And claustrophic. Yet Last Thing to Burn is also a hopeful book and shows the strength of the human spirit. Especially when a child is involved. It has been described as a thriller in the tradition of Misery and Room. I totally agree.

This book sucked me in- kept me up way past my bedtime. I just wanted to know how it ends!
Like many families from struggling countries, Thanh Dao and her sister, Kim-Ly, secure passage to England with the promise to pay off their travel fees. When they arrive, they are brought to a farm. From there, the sisters are separated.
Thanh Doa suffers torture at the hands of Lenn - forced to live on his farm for years. Each escape attempt causes her to lose a possession.
She finds herself pregnant- while discovering her inner strength.
Gripping. Terrifying. The last 100 pages, I could barely breath from the suspense.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for gifting me an ARC of this amazing American debut novel by Will Dean - 5 stars for a book I won't soon forget.

"Jane" came to the United States with her sister from Vietnam in hopes of a job and a new life. Instead, she was sold to Lenn, a farmer in the UK, who has kept her imprisoned as his slave for 7 years. One by one, she loses her few possessions when she breaks one of Lenn's arbitrary rules. Then she finds out she's pregnant and she vows that her child will have a different life. When she learns that Lenn has another woman captive, she knows she needs to act to save them all.

I couldn't put this book down and read it with my heart in my throat and my stomach hurting. Reminiscent of Room, you will be blown away by the strength of "Jane" and the way she holds onto her self. I loved the inner monologue "Jane" kept to distance herself from the horrors of her existence - so powerful, especially when she became a mom. This brings the dark, disturbing horrors of human trafficking into the light in a beautifully-written way. This is a must-read book - I can't wait to read more from this author!

The Last Thing to Burn has a very narrow focus in terms of time frame and plot, and it has very few characters. Both of these factors make for a bleak setting and oppressive feeling of hopelessness.

Thanh Dao and her younger sister, Kim-Ly, are young Vietnamese women lured to England by the promise of good jobs and end up trafficked to a farmer in a remote area in England. The story is told from Thanh Dao’s point of view. The intimate and repetitive details of her dreary existence are fully explored. The smallness of her life creates a sense of claustrophobia. The constant threat from her captor, Lenn, provides relentless tension. In The Last Thing to Burn, author Will Dean gives Thanh Dao a beautifully written voice and inner strength. The several twists kept me captivated by adding to the heartbreak. Without question, this book is dark and difficult to read at times, but it is a powerful and important exploration of human trafficking.

I found The Last Thing To Burn a very dark and moving book but it just wasn't to my taste. Looking at other reviews I can see it will be a hit with most readers but I just struggled with it unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I unfortunately didn't like this book very much. It got a lot of 5 and 4 star reviews, so I am definitely in the minority here. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. I hated Lenn, and I was glad the baby lived, and those were about my only strong feelings about this book. I don't think I'll be reading more by this author. 3 stars.

Talk about a punch to the gut.

"Jane" is a victim of human trafficking. She has been trapped by Lenn for seven years. Seven very long years. Years where she sees her precious belonging dwindle. Years of loneliness. Years of pain. Years of horror. Years she will never get back.

When she discovers she is pregnant, she vows to escape, to protect her child, to give her child a chance at having a future. Her plans of escape become more complicated, when Lenn brings another woman to the farm. How does she care for her child? How can she help another woman when she cannot help herself? Will she ever escape?

Human trafficking is a heart wrenching horror, as is rape, abuse, confinement, and mistreatment. Will this book remind you of Room? Yes. Will it have you thinking of the Ariel Castro Kidnappings in the United States? It did me. Will parts remind you of Misery? Yes. But although this book might remind you of other things, it is unique and stands on its own merit.

This well written book was a very fast read. It was also claustrophobic and had a sense of dread. My heart went out to "Jane" and her plight. This is not the book to be read when you are having a bad day. But it is a book that should be read. It was captivating, heartbreaking and tense. I had a constant worry of what was going to happen next. This one will have your stomach in knots as the tension mounts. Dean had created a character in Jane, that readers want to root for. Dean does not pull punches while showing what "Jane's " daily life is like. When you think you have it bad, remember there are those who have it worse.

This is a powerful book that is thought provoking and I believe would be a great book for book clubs as there is a lot to discuss in this book.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jane (not her real name) lives on an isolated farm in the United Kingdom with a man who claims to be her husband—but she doesn't remember marrying him. Jane and her sister were taken from their home in Vietnam and promised jobs in America and the opportunity to send money home to their family. In reality, Jane was drugged and sold to a man who now keeps her captive on an isolated farm where she’s expected to clean, cook and perform marital “duties”. Each time she questions her situation or does something he deems punishable, she loses a little more of herself. Her few possessions from home are taken and burned, one by one for each infraction. Resigned to her fate, Jane spends her days with little hope, but when she discovers she's pregnant and then gives birth to a daughter, she is determined to escape. Finally, when her "husband" brings another woman to the farm and holds her captive, Jane endeavors to find a way out, for all of them.

VERDICT: Dean, Red Snow, brings to life the horrific reality of human trafficking and what it means to live that nightmare. Gripping and powerful. Readers who enjoy books that explore the sheer human will and determination to escape unimaginable situations will enjoy. Recommended.

Oh my goodness was this an intense and heart breaking story!!

I found this to be very dark and a powerful look into the horrors of this sick individual.

I found it to be a tad repetitive but overall it was a good story that is very shocking.

I would say you have to be in the right mood for this type of story. But, I would def check out this author again!!

3 stars!

Thank you so much to Atria for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 4/20/21

A thriller that will worm its way into both your brain and your heart. For Thanh Dao and her little sister Kim-ly, the opportunity to emigrate to the U.K. from Vietnam makes their world so big. Now it is years later and Thanh Dao's world is so small. She is a prisoner of a monster named Lenn. Never allowed to leave the farmhouse, she is Lenn's slave and he insists her name is Jane. If 'Jane' makes Lenn angry, if she breaks one of his many rules; he burns her treasured possessions. One. By. One. When she has just one things left -- letters sent to her by her sister--a neighbor comes by one too many times and is tossed down into the half cellar. Thanh Dao is torn. She has a new baby to protect, but also wants to help the other prisoner. Is there a way for all three of them to escape? Will Thanh Dao ever see her sister again? Will Lenn and his ring of sex traffickers be brought to justice? How many women have been damaged by their reprehensible schemes? This was so well done. I was in that house with Thanh Dao and could feel her spongy ankle, her heart that is torn between baby and neighbor. Her spirit that refuses to let Lenn win.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

5 Shocking Stars

Her name is not Jane, but that’s what her “husband” Lenn calls her. She’s been held captive by him for seven years. This book defies categorizing in my mind. It is tense, it is gripping, it is shocking. I rooted for Jane the whole time to outthink Lenn and escape from this nightmare.

Her every move is monitored, and Lenn has set impossibly high standards to follow. There were many times during this book where I almost couldn’t bear to read it, nor could I set it down. I had to know how things would turn out. There are several surprising turns and this one is certainly dark. There are several triggers in this one, so this is not one for every reader.

Very well-written and shines a light on this tragic circumstance for many women around the world. This one is shorter but packs a powerful punch. This is one that will stay with me for quite some time.

That was just...riveting! Described as a claustrophobic thriller, an apt description, with very few characters and set almost entirely in a very small and primitive farmhouse, it was grim and relentless. The title is also apt and you soon find out what it means.

Thanh Dao is a young Vietnamese woman lured with her sister to England by the promise of good jobs. Of course we all know what really happens to them. Thanh Dao ends up as an unpaid servant/bed partner at a remote English pig farm. For 7 years she has been trapped there with Lenn, an uninspiring brutish farmer who watches her every move on fast forward at the end of every day from the 7 cameras located in the tiny house. Every task has to performed just so! Lenn calls her Jane, after his mother. The ghost of Lenn’s mother is a very heavy presence in this house. By the time we meet Jane she is almost ready to give up and welcome death. Escape attempts are very perilous, an attempt about 5-6 years ago led to Lenn damaging her left ankle so badly it is deformed and she is in constant pain.

Then the unthinkable happens. Despite Lenn’s pathetic precautions Jane becomes pregnant. Her initial horror soon fades and she vows to do whatever it takes to protect her child. But oh my, with a dud foot and a sick small child, and being constantly being watched and monitored - what can she do? It gets more complicated when Jane starts to hear noises from the “forbidden” basement. She recognises the voice as belonging to Cynthia from the nearby village who was looking for somewhere to agist a horse. What has Lenn done? Can the two women and the tiny baby survive another escape attempt? And when? And how? But wait - there’s more, the author has another twist in store for us.

I thought the book was really well written. Jane’s voice was so well done and seemed very authentic. Lenn, while uninspiring and brutish, was not as cruel as he could have been. I think he may have had a pretty rough childhood at the mercy of his mother. There is never any mention of a father but he seems to idolise his mother to an extreme and unhealthy degree. What wore Jane down more than anything was the boredom, the lack of hope, the fact that her world had shrunk to that one small farmhouse. She wasn’t tied up or anything but her narrative made it clear that her situation was intolerable, I mean I can totally sympathise. So while there was nothing very gratuitous in the story it was nonetheless very dark and bleak. Does it have a happy ending? You will need to read it to find out. I do recommend this. My thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books and Will Dean for providing a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

This book is the best psychological suspense I’ve read this year. It kept me hooked from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. It’s well written, the characters are not only believable but engaging. The plot, setting, dialogue, all work together to create this truly masterpiece of fiction. It deserves more than five stars.