Caz Ripley has been talked into taking her 1st holiday in what feels like forever by her boyfriend, Pete. They board a luxurious liner to cruise across to New York only for Caz to wake the next morning to find Pete missing along with the rest of the passengers and the crew.
What follows is an edge of the seat tale with some real moments where I felt like I was holding my breath. I loved the twists and really didn't see them coming. Although there were parts that were a little repetitive about Caz's background, I think they were needed in order to build the tension again for the reader.
Once again, a really enjoyable Will Dean novel.

Thanks NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for ARC.

Will Dean is very very good at his job of creating believable humans and ratcheting the suspense up to 11. HIs series character, Tuva Moodyson, is an amazing creation. Standalone thriller The Last Thing to Burn was my favourite book of 2021 (and possibly 2022). So I was really looking forward to this new standalone.

Caz, a cafe owner with a complicated family life and a fledgling relationship, is on her first ever cruise holiday. She's been anxious about whether to go, how the cafe will run without her, how she and Pete will get on on their first break together. What she hadn't thought to worry about is that when she wakes after her first night on board, Pete is gone, along with his luggage. When she goes to look for him she discovers that she seems to be the only person aboard the ocean going liner, full steam ahead across the Atlantic.

So much you'll glean from the blurb. From there the plot gets twistier and Caz has to adapt to increasingly difficult circumstances very quickly. Who is behind this? Why? How will she manage to keep her own keel even?

For me, the central premise was a little silly, and despite some very skilled work by Dean it never quite convinced me and I felt a little detached from some of the action.
However, my goodness, the ending was a sucker punch that almost made up for that lack of engagement in the middle.

Normally, when I start a review, I like to include a little preamble. An analogy, perhaps, intended to put the review into some sort of context in a way that I hope readers find a little bit entertaining.

This time, though, I can't do that. Because I can think of nothing suitable for comparison to The Last Passenger. It is, quite simply, like no book I have ever read before.

On the one hand: wow, it's addictive. I can't actually remember putting it down once after I had started reading but if I did, it can only have been with tremendous reluctance and an almost feverish desire to pick it up again just as soon as I had dealt with whatever distraction had got in the way. I do remember finishing it in the small hours because it would have been just impossible to stop reading and go to bed without knowing how the book finished.

The story begins with Caz Ripley, an unremarkable shop owner from an unremarkable English town, as she boards a luxury cruise liner with her partner for the trip of a lifetime to New York. The idea that she can fall asleep one night, and wake the next morning to find the entire ship empty apart from herself: well, that's one hell of a hook. Where on earth can the book go from there?

Well, Will Dean finds a direction. The shocks just keep on coming. Each one sees the storyline ramp up that bit more in terms of pace and tension as Caz responds to everything that's thrown at her, because … well, she has to. The plot really is superbly structured, and it was easily enough to have me reading into the small hours of the morning. I knew I had work the following day, but it made no difference. I had to keep reading because it was impossible - just impossible - for me to stop reading and go to bed without knowing how the book ended.

But on the other hand … it's really a bit odd. The trouble is that whilst each plot twist is progressively more tense, and more exciting, it's also more bonkers. Which means that, whilst it makes for great entertainment, it's impossible to imagine anything like that happening to anyone you know, or have even heard of, in real life.

This is a problem if, like me, you've read The Last Thing to Burn by the same author. Because as that book progressed and became more tense and more disturbing in a wonderful and yet horrible way, it was easy for me to remember, and to recognise that there really are people in Jane's situation. My heart went out to each and every one of them. But it's impossible for me to believe, or even imagine that anyone in real life might experience Caz's situation in The Last Passenger. Even television isn't that mad. Yet.

And then we get to the ending, and it's here that I have to disagree with B A Paris, who apparently called it "brilliantly heart-stopping". Sorry, but no it isn't. It's ridiculous. Dare I say it felt as though the author himself hadn't been able to decide how the book should end and got that idea from a ten-year-old. It made absolutely no sense and had me shaking my head.

This review, then, may have been hard for me to start. But it's easy to conclude. If you're already a fan of Will Dean, go ahead and read this book and be prepared to be engrossed. But if you're looking for your first book by this author, I suggest you read The Last Thing to Burn instead. It's just as addictive, but otherwise, much better.

My thanks to the author, Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book, which is due to be published in the UK on 11th May 2023. I will post my review to Goodreads and Instagram now, and on Amazon on publication day.

I have thought long and hard about how to approach this review and it is slightly different from the norm. It is clear from the publisher's description that they do not want you to know too much before reading the book. I never put spoilers in anyway but going to avoid putting any background details in.
I have heard so much about this author and already have a couple of books on my TBR mountain so I was very pleased to be given the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book. I did not really know what to expect but went with it due to the author.
I found it a book that could not be put down and (with my slow reading) managed to get through this very quickly. For me it was an emotional rollercoaster and the author was definitely pulling on our emotions in this very engaging psychological thriller. Personally I think it helped that it had a UK angle to it so it helped me relate to certain aspects of the story. I felt the characters were a little fixed in their ways and possibly stereotyped a little by the author. This book could easily have been a 5 star or a 3 star book as some things did appear far-tetched and unrealistic but I feel that 4 stars is respectful of the general writing and flow of the story. For me, the ending of the book seemed too rushed and spoiled the general effect.
I got many feelings relating to the recent Covid lockdown from this book even though it is not mentioned. I just felt that some of the story had been written during this period but other parts written when we had all got back to 'normal' and I think this may have affected the storytelling.
It is a great read, just don't take it too seriously or question it too much, and go with the flow.
Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, NetGalley and Will Dean for providing me with an advance electronic copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
The book will be published on the 11th May and will initially be available in e-book, paperback and audiobook formats.
#TheLastPassenger #NetGalley

Caz joins the RMS Atlantica with her boyfriend and a thousand othe rpassengers.
The next morning she is the only one on the ship. Then begins the journey of a lifetime!

OMG - what a book! I was expecting something thrilling and different as it's a Will Dean book after all, but this exceeded expectations. The story (written in the first person which is always more exciting) starts with people going on a cruise, but upon waking up on the second day of the cruise, Caroline finds that her partner and in fact everyone seems to have disappeared. Then the real story begins... suffice to say it had me hooked with twists, turns, surprises, thrills and horror. Well told, exciting adventure of a book. And the ending? I won't spoil it but OMG!

I initially was intrigued by the concept. But very early on the basic premise was broken. Then after a prolonged and long winded introduction it went downhill very rapidly and I gave up around 38%
This is probably the worst book I have read since The Guest List, and that says it all.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

Goodness! this is an author who really knows how to ramp up the tension and keep the reader on the edge of their seat. With shades of Squid Game, Black Mirror and the Truman show Mr Dean still manages to make this book his own. I expected the final ending and was left with a number of questions - why Caz and Smith being the main ones - but still really enjoyed it.
Thank you to netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advance copy of this book.

I don’t think I’ve read anything like this book. I was initially drawn to the concept not really knowing what to expect. I was intrigued by how a whole book could be played out with one character in a contained environment. Without spoilers, how the author does it is clever and fascinating.

I really enjoyed the short snappy chapters which made it so easy to read on. I liked how Dean structured them so twists came thick and fast but also focused events and savoured the tension. I liked the air of suspicion introduced to every character, even Caz herself, right until the very end. I couldn’t recommend more highly for lovers of thrillers, and fast-paced action that keeps you guessing

Omg wow! This book kept me hooked from the first page to the last. Fantastic story, excellent characters. Highly recommended!

Imagine waking up on a cruise ship to find all the passengers have vanished…

I’ve not read anything by this author before so I was over the moon to be accepted to read this on net galley. Thank you net galley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the book was off to a good start with a diagram of the boat and labels of specific locations and found it an unusual touch.

However, unfortunately I just wasn’t wild on this book. The begging is great then the rest of the story isn’t. I felt like the author had a great idea for a book then didn’t follow through properly with the main body of the story. I have been left with so many unanswered questions which the book could have answered at the end😅

Also don’t even get me started on the ending. I could see it happening a mile away and it’s angered me beyond belief 😂 I was planning on scoring the book lower but even though I didn’t enjoy the story, the book is written extremely well. I found myself feeling the stress the main character was going through.

Just when I think Will can't make another book as good as his last he comes out with this incredible twisted dark thriller book which is about Caz and her Boyfriend Pete who board a Luxury Cruise Ship Called RMS Atlantica Destined for New Year, Caz wakes up the next morning pete is missing and so is everyone else on the cruise ship only Caz is on the cruise shop what follows is a twisted dark book which will keep you gripped till your seat till the very end of the book with so many twist and turns you feel like your doing a spin in the washing machine without giving any spoilers away I adored and I have highly recommend it to lots of my friends

I will never look at a cruise ship again after reading this book

If you loved Will Previously books you going to love this book

Many Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for arc of this book in exchange for this review

Wow!! I was hooked from the get go, passengers set sail on the Atlantica cruise ship. Next morning Caz awakes to find her boyfriend gone, but then she discovers everyone has gone, with the exception of herself, Daniel, Frannie and Smith. They are plunged into the darkest of games, who will survive? What happened to everyone? Will life ever be the same? So many twists and turns.
Hope there's a sequel!!!
Thanks to netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I would definitely recommend.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this book but I have so many questions! Why Caz? Why the others? Why The Atlantica?!

I'm a big fan of Will Dean's books and The Last Passenger is no exception.
Caz and her boyfriend are embarking on a luxury cruise on RMS Atlantica. Waking up on the first morning on board, Caz discovers that her boyfriend has gone - along with virtually all of the other passengers.
Thrown into a hellish reality, Caz and the three other remaining passengers are fighting for their lives.
This was an exciting and disturbing book. Unique, it will stay with me for a long time.

From the outset my heart was pounding as I was thrust into the action immediately.
I quickly got to grips with where the book was going and how it was going to end. It reminded me of a film I watched years ago with Michael Douglas ( I won’t say the name) but it was still cleverly executed and Will Dean writes wonderfully; whisking you through the novel without lingering too much over the unnecessary stuff. I like that about his style.
This was an interesting next novel and slightly different from what he’s done in the past but a good book. 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a truly brilliant read. I was hooked from the very beginning when Caz found herself alone on a cruise ship. The feeling of claustrophobia and menace is really well developed with lots of twists and turns all the way through. Another fantastic book from Will Dean. I loved it…and a perfect ending!!

This is a nail biting, nerve wracking, unique thriller by a fantastic author.

Caroline (Caz) wakes on her first morning aboard a luxury liner to a life changing shock. I really don’t want to say anything about the detail, except that I have never wanted to board a luxury liner and this book didn’t alter my opinion! I did begin by thinking “how can there be a whole book on this.” And, I felt that there was an element of padding as the book progressed. However, it’s a gripping read covering thrills, danger, relationships and grief and so, despite my niggles; mainly about Caz’s backstory being repeated throughout, overall a really good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to preview this nail biting book.

Caz Ripley and her boyfriend Pete are looking forward to their trip of a lifetime onboard the RMS Atlantica. Waking up on the first morning, Caz is disappointed to find that Pete has already got up to explore without her. Leaving her cabin to look for him, it doesn’t take her long to realise that something is wrong: all of the other cabin doors are wedged open and there is no sign of any other inhabitants. The ship is deserted and there is no way of contacting the outside world. Just where has everyone gone and why has she not gone with them?

If you’re looking for a claustrophobic book, full of tension, then The Last Passenger is the book for you. From the very beginning, and as the book progressed, I constantly tried to work out what was going on: just how was Will Dean going to explain the disappearance of a whole ship of people? I found myself making mental lists of possible scenarios, none of which ended up being the real plot!

As the story progresses, and Caz realises that she is not alone, the plot begins to get twisted in ways you would not imagine. Again, Will Dean keeps you on your toes, making you constantly question whether what you are reading is actually happening or whether there is something even bigger at play. Let’s just say that there will be a few people questioning whether going on a cruise is the relaxing holiday they thought it would be!

Just when you think you have it all worked out, we are yet again hit with another twist. That ending!

I raced through The Last Passenger and think that this promises to be a huge hit!

I love Will Dean books so was excited to read this one.

I found it quite slow at the beginning and didn’t really get into it until about half way when it became more of a page turner.
A good idea and very well written
Enjoyable but slow in parts