Read in one sitting! Wow, i could not put this book down. Heartbreaking story of two sisters looking for a better life, trafficked into the UK and kept captive by debt bondage and the fear of repercussions for their family. Dao's story and the casual cruelty as well as some horrific events caused by her "husband" are kept just on the right side of unnecessary violence. Her first person view point lets us see everything through her eyes while letting us make our own conclusions about Lenn's callous and inhuman behaviour. When he does show some humanity for her, it actually makes it worse. I was rooting for her until the end. Fantastic book, will seek out Will Dean's other books

Not since Tara Westover’s “Educated” have I read a story as utterly and devastatingly soul-shattering as this one. At times, it was almost too painful to read on, the sheer helplessness taking your breath away.

Thanh Dao and her sister Kim Ly were trafficked from Vietnam to the UK, where their ordeal began seven years ago. Thanh Dao was sold to a farmer in the Fens who abuses her physically and mentally. His possessions, his brutal routines determine every inch of Thanh Dao’s life. Any attempt to escape is punished severely, her every move is recorded on camera - there’s no way out. The 17 things that are personal to her get burnt one by one as a punishment for minor “misdemeanors” until only her sister’s letters are left.

When a spirit is crushed so comprehensively, is there a point when a person simply resigns and gives themselves up to their oppressor or is there, somewhere deep inside, a spark, an irrepressible hunger for survival, be it for oneself or someone we love?

A raw, bleak, pitch-black book - edge-of-seat, cower-in-corner and white rage.
Read it! Read it! Read it! It will shake you to the core.

What a story! Very sad and dark and depressing though about a young girl from Asia who has been trafficked and who is now at the mercy of her captor. Told through the first person voice, this is compelling stuff but I found it very dark and sad. Sadly true to life I would imagine as it all feels very authentically written and care has been taken to really get into this girl and her captor's head.

The stark farmland around where she is held and the anonymous place somewhere in England really adds to the overall helplessness of the girls situation.

I prefer the Tuva novels I have to be honest. This was hardhitting and raw but a bit too much for me .

The onLy reason this book didn’t get full marks was because of its similarities to Stephen Kings Misery
Short, sharp, and very poignant this one will live with me for a long time

A story that may be true for so many people yet unknown, however it was a strange read. Couldn't decide if I enjoyed it or not but it did keep me reading it.

'Jane" is a young Vietnamese woman who finds herself living on a fenland farm with Lenn. She has been smuggled in to England with her sister Kym-Ly. All she has are letters from her sister, her copy of 'Of mice and men' and photographs. Every time she displeases Lenn, one of her prized possessions is burnt in the rayburn. Jane is a modern day slave. Used to cook, clean and provide sex. When she finds herself pregnant, she must do everything to protect her daughter. The story is horrific, but the language is beautiful. Descriptive in a way that you can visualise the setting, and feel the emotions. Couldn't put it down.

I found this a very disturbing book, but completely compelling. It is a book I couldn't put down, in spite of not really wanting to read it, if that makes sense. Very well-written and definitely an author I will look out for.

* spoiler alert ** 4.5 stars

Spoilers

My goodness... this is quite the book.
It's fairly short,and I think,like me,people will read it in one sitting.
It's also incredibly dark,and so very sad.
As a Vietnamese woman,promised a better life,is shipped to England and sold.
The descriptions of the cottage she lives in with her so called husband were incredibly vivid,I could almost feel the cold,and smell the rot.
One of the most horrifying things to me,was how Lenn seemed to consider all of it so normal... The filming,the locking up of everything,the nightime rituals...
Then the further into the book we got,the more it dawn's,that Lenn is a whole different kettle of fish to just a simple farmer exerting control.

Tense doesn't even begin to describe it.
I had no nails left as the escape was being attempted.

Bravo Mr Dean.
Your best book yet I think.

This was a very disturbing yet realistic book which takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride. It's not your usual Will Dean, his first book was amazing, one of my favourites for atmospheric build ups, as was his second. This is something else entirely.. It tells the story of Dao and her sister who come from Vietnam for a better life in the UK but sadly Dao (who becomes Jane) is sold to a farmer who lives in an isolated wilderness (goodness know where) and continues to abuse and punish her. while he monitors her every movement. I can honestly say that it wasn't entertaining and not a book you would want to read at bedtime. It's also not one I would choose having read a brief synopsis but the author looked me in.

I’m a huge fan of Dean’s Toova Swedish series so I was excited to read his standalone. This follows an a Vietnamese woman who is named Jane by an abusive man who has held Jane captive. She and her sister Kim-Ly arrived years ago with the promise of a job but were human trafficked and sold to abusive men. This is a harrowing tale following a woman’s survival trying to ensure safety for herself and her unborn child.

Overall this wasn’t a bad read per se. Dean explores an important issue and writes with sensitivity, it’s just that this wasn’t quite the thriller I was expecting. There’s no twists or turns and the story is rather straightforward with a somewhat predictable conclusion. I just want to emphasis this in case you go in with the wrong expectations like I did expecting a pacy, twisty read with turns, which this is not.

The Last Thing To Burn is a stark, frequently brutal tale of human trafficking, human resilience, and good versus evil. WOW Will Dean has a descriptive style of writing that took my breath away, I’m not just talking about the abuse scenes (which some readers may find disturbing) I’m talking about the descriptive way he describes his setting I’m sure I could smell the damp, decaying farm house and feel the cold seeping into my bones. It’s the descriptions of Jane’s thoughts and feelings that chilled me to the bone, I I felt her pain, anger, and despair at the situation she found herself in. Jane is a slave, there’s no other word for the life she’s living, trapped in a foreign land with no family or friends, her so called ‘husband’ I use that term loosely! is holding her captive, he’s  unspeakably cruel and controls every aspect of jane’s life.  

This is one of those books I felt I had to take a break from as it’s so disturbing, and yet no sooner had I put it down I then found myself eager to return to Jane’s dismal story, hoping that there would be a positive outcome to her story, and was there? I couldn’t possibly say it’s for you the reader to find out! This book oozes with malice, Jane’s husband made my skin crawl, and even when he appeared to have a softer side my heart filled with dread at what lay ahead. 

This book is a relatively short read at 280 pages, but don’t think for one minute you are being shortchanged, it’s a book that will consume you, that will take you on a dark and emotive journey into the world of human trafficking and the hideous and heartbreaking torment of one victim. The Last Thing To Burn is a character-driven novel, so if you are looking for a fast-paced, all action read, then this book perhaps isn’t for you, it’s the tension that the author has woven through the narrative that makes this such a gripping and intense read. In case you haven’t guessed, I loved this book,  despite the very disturbing subject! It’s beautifully written, intense, dark and very disturbing, but it made for the most fabulous, gripping read.

#TheLastThingToBurn #NetGalley
A good read.
I loved this novel from starting to ending. Although it was slow in the middle. Its characters were meticulously planned and the execution of scenes were great.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straighten for giving me an advance copy.

Her name isn’t Jane, but that’s what her husband calls her. She lives in a farm cottage, goodness knows where, and slowly but surely, her identity – the things she loves, the place she’s from – is being eroded by a man who does not care for her. She doesn’t know what is beyond the farm, and barely no one knows she exists. She’s punished for supposed slights, and all she dreams of is making her escape. It’s a lot to undertake, but she’s given a reason to fight on. A truly frightening, unsettling read that is worth reading in one sitting. I whizzed through it because I wanted to see how it ended. Superbly paced.

An incredibly tense book, uncomfortable reading at times but such a convincing portrait of a monster and an unbreakable spirit. It's short, but that's perfect - more tension than this and you might not survive the experience of reading it.

This is one of those tricky ones, where you can't give too much away without effecting how others approach it. I picked it up, having enjoyed the author's previous books - this one is quite different, but I raced through it. It's pretty bleak, but once it hooks you in you I wanted to get to the end asap (in a good way). Will be recommending.

I live Will's books. They are always dark but compulsive reading.

This is very different in that it deals with illegal trafficking of women and the despicable treatment they receive at the hands of the men that 'buy them.

A definite pageturner but hard to read at times. Having said that it shows women with strong wills battling against the odds.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advance copy

Nicely written and intriguing so it had lots of potential. But ultimately goes nowhere so frustrating non event at conclusion

This is a difficult book to come to a view about. It deals with an important issue which is certainly not entirely fictional. A young woman from Vietnam came to this country with her sister and others illegally and hoping for a better life. Her family paid up in all the usual ways but as ever promises were not kept. Thanh Dao is sold to a farmer who tortured and abuses her. He monitors her every movement on cameras and punishes any disobedience. Then things change in her life in a number of ways. The story is very descriptive and some of it can feel repetitive. It is not an easy read given the subject matter. Readers might reasonably wonder why the captive did not find a way of harming her abusive captor even though escape proved to be impossible.

This has to be one of the saddest books I've ever read but in these times of people trafficking and refugees used for cheap labour it is very relevant. My heart bled for Jane(not her name) and the torment she goes through in the hands of an unbelievable cruel and heartless man. I can't say I enjoyed it but once in it I couldn't put it down. I had to see the story through to the end.

Lenn wants to keep his wife, Jane, trapped in their little farmhouse. Jane is not actually her name and she is trapped, scared and in pain. She can’t leave him for the fear of what will happen to her sister Kim-Ly. Jane is in her own personal Hell. Lenn watches Jane and punishing her for every little step out of line she takes but soon Jane plans her escape but will she be strong enough to go through with it?
Wow, this is an intense read. Reminiscent of Room and Dear Child, it’s gripping and painful. I urge you to read it!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.