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 …
**************************************
Praise for Will Dean’s storytelling:
‘Loaded with atmosphere, brilliant on setting’ Mark Billingham
‘The best thriller I’ve read in ages’ Marian Keyes
‘Atmospheric, creepy and tense’ C.J. Tudor
‘Memorably atmospheric’ Guardian
‘Impressive’ The Times
‘Crackles along at a roaring pace’ Observer
‘I lived every second with the characters. A masterpiece’ JANE CASEY
‘Misery meets Room … a triumph’ MARIAN KEYES
‘Ratchets up the tension to the point where I had to check my pulse’ LIZ NUGENT
(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
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 …
**************************************
Praise for Will Dean’s storytelling:
‘Loaded with atmosphere, brilliant on setting’ Mark Billingham
‘The best thriller I’ve read in ages’ Marian Keyes
‘Atmospheric, creepy and tense’ C.J. Tudor
‘Memorably atmospheric’ Guardian
‘Impressive’ The Times
‘Crackles along at a roaring pace’ Observer
‘I lived every second with the characters. A masterpiece’ JANE CASEY
‘Misery meets Room … a triumph’ MARIAN KEYES
‘Ratchets up the tension to the point where I had to check my pulse’ LIZ NUGENT
(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
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Reviews
This is a brilliant, chilling depiction of life on the very edges of society. I read it in one sitting, and lived every second of the book with the characters. Compelling, horrifying and gripping, and written with such empathy and control, it's probably the best thing I will read this year
Misery meets Room ... a triumph
Ratchets up the tension to the point where I had to check my pulse
Heart-stoppingly suspenseful, a masterclass in tension
A heart-racing exploration about human survival. An addictive and insightful thriller
Brilliant
Sensational. Claustrophobic, compulsive, and almost unbearably tense it's a heart-in-mouth read that's packed with suspense. Readers will be saying 'just one more page' all the way from the gripping beginning to the heart-stopping end
Seriously nail-biting stuff! I raced through it, my heart was in my mouth
Tremendously powerful and fantastically written, heart-stopping from page one. Expect to see it on all the award lists
I'm in awe. What a magnificent achievement. Gripping, heart-breaking, transcendent. It's bound to be a huge hit - and an award winner
This book . . . Devastating, taut, horrifying but also such strength . . . it's going to stay with me for a long time
Incredible!
Beautiful writing, wonderful characterisation and gripping plot
Completely absorbing and important and brilliantly written
Superb
A heart-pounding read that is impossible to put down. Sinister, creepy and superbly written
Tense, emotional and highly recommended
Blown away - this is going to be HUGE
Such a brilliantly executed, tense, taut thriller
Very highly recommended
Chilling and compelling
I truly was gripped by this book . . . I think it's up there with the best crime/thriller novels I've read
Sublime. An atmospheric, deliciously tense thriller. I thought my heart stopped a few times. I loved it
I couldn't put it down. A visceral nightmare of a book with one of the most evil villains I've come across in a long time. Powerful writing
A superbly taut novel . . . utterly brilliant
It was a thoroughly gripping, brilliantly uncomfortable read with terrible ticking-clock moments that had my whole body tense and straining for a glimpse of him on that driveway. The bleak landscape, the colourful back story and the excellent characterisation all made for a very satisfying read. LOVED IT
One of the most tense books you'll ever read
A thrillingly tense new pageturner from master of suspense Will Dean
An unbearably tense read, with incredible writing
I could not stop reading this! Brilliantly done
The atmosphere is vivid, the characters are brilliantly drawn . . . Claustrophobic, harrowing but also inspiring, this book is not for the faint-hearted. It's hard to read, and hard to put down
Vividly-written . . . a powerful thriller
A truly frightening, unsettling read that is worth reading in one sitting . . . Superbly paced
This harrowing and too-timely tale will haunt you
Short, sharp shocker
We couldn't put this tense novel down
A tense, brilliant read
Packs a mighty emotional punch . . . gut-wrenching
The atmosphere is vivid, the characters are brilliantly drawn
75 of the best books for 2021: A bleak but brilliantly handled tale of oppression, torture and enslavement that will have you turning the pages late into the night
Will doesn't just build suspense; he cloaks his story in it
Will Dean's first standalone thriller is a claustrophobic nail-biting read that is heart-breaking and suspenseful in equal measure . . . Not for the faint-hearted, Will Dean has written a stunning and thought-provoking narrative that will resonate with even the harden genre advocate
Outstanding. The best thriller in years
Compelling, this shines a light on to a plight that is rooted in real-life tragedy
A brilliant and thought-provoking start to the year
Impossible to put down . . . an early contender for one of the best books of the year
One of the best thrillers I have read in years
A true nail-biter
Terrifying and often emotive, it is also a powerful story of strength and determination that is as inspiring as it is chilling. Definitely one for your 2021 reading list
This is every bit as accomplished as Dean's previous books, but its unrelenting narrative of spousal cruelty is not for the fainthearted
As a piece of sustained domestic terror this is magnificent, and it deserves to sit alongside The Collector and Misery as a classic
I cannot remember the last time I read a book this immediate, intense, gripping, taut terrifying, moving and brilliant . . . the tension was so agonising . . . it deserves to be number one, it deserves to be a huge movie, it deserves to win awards. My book of the year and it's only February
Shocking, visceral and totally unforgettable
An astonishing standalone from Dean
Extremely tense . . . a story of survival in its most basic form, but more than that it's about the immense power of the human spirit
A taut nail-biter of a thriller
A timely and unforgettable locked-door mystery
Compelling, dark and seriously nail-biting, this is thriller writing at its best
Achingly tense
Unrelentingly tense and chilling, this is a gripping read
A gripping psychological thriller about an obsessive, damaged relationship