The Last Passenger by Will Dean

 

Caz Ripley is on the trip of a lifetime with her relatively new boyfriend, Pete. A luxury cabin onboard RMS Atlantica, an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic. Caz has had a difficult life so this type of luxury is alien to her. When Caz wakes after their first night onboard she discovers that Pete isn't in their cabin. Thinking he may have already gone down to breakfast she heads to the dinning room only to realise that the entire ship is empty, she is the only passenger onboard.

This is going to be a difficult review to write as I really don'y want to give away any spoilers for the completely surreal The Last Passenger from Will Dean. This is a completely new author to me but I regularly see a buzz on Twitter concerning Will's books so decided to try one. I certainly wasn't disappointed and if The Last Passenger is anything to go by I'll certainly be reading Will Dean's back catalogue.

Surreal really doesn't do the story justice as Caz Ripley lurches from one extreme incident to another onboard the abandoned ocean liner. The twists and turns just keep on coming and after a while you can almost predict what is about to happen, only to have the rug pulled from under you.

Caz Ripley is formidable. As the story progresses we learn about her unhappy background, an upbringing that has forged her into the woman she is, a woman who is determined to meet every challenge head on. Throughout The Last Passenger you are willing Caz on, to survive the nightmare she has found herself in.

And what an ending! When you finally reach the conclusion and think you can relax Will Dean throws one final twist into the mix.

The Last Passenger by Will Dean will be published on 11th May 2023 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.