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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Last Thing To Burn in Books
Dec 29, 2020
Jane - named so by her "husband" Lennie - was trafficked from her native Vietnam with her younger sister, she is kept captive on an isolated farm in what can only be described as squalid and run down conditions. She is watched every minute of every day, she is not allowed to speak to anyone, she is not allowed to go anywhere - her day is regimented from start to finish and for each perceived transgression, the treasured possessions she has are slowly burned in front of her eyes.
This is a harrowing story of a desperate life of servitude and abuse; the scary thing is that it is happening to thousands of men, women and children the world over which makes it even more upsetting. However, it is also a story of hope and the desperate will and strength to survive and fight back when things appear to be hopeless.
The whole book is written from "Jane's" perspective and she is an enthralling narrator. The setting is just perfect and described scarily accurately - my job takes me into isolated farmhouses that are pretty bleak and dilapidated and this made the story even more real for me.
This is not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination but despite that, I found it very hard to put down. I was drawn into the story hook, line and sinker; it grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until the very last page ... it lingers still in the back of my mind and there are very few books that do this.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Bones to Pick in Books
Apr 18, 2021 (Updated Apr 18, 2021)
The characters drew me into this book right away; they are fully developed and fun. Their teasing and Brie’s creative meat and cheese curses added a level of humor that I enjoyed. The book was hard to put down with plenty of events to keep me engaged. Unfortunately, I did feel that the events took the place of the investigation moving forward, which frustrated me. However, the climax resolved things and upped the stakes in a major way. This book is a bit edgy for my normal reads, on the border between PG and PG-13, thanks in part of the teasing Brie gets about her love life. Yes, this book does introduce a love triangle. While I am getting tired of them, I do like both of the guys here, so I hope it doesn’t get dragged out for very long. Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you enjoy humor in your mysteries, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
