Secret Book | The Last Thing To Burn | 1st Standalone Novel | Hodder | Simon & Schuster | Will Dean

I’ve been working on a book for 4 years. And now I can talk about it.

Back in 2016 I had an idea for a novel: a secret standalone project. I didn’t know if it would ever be published.

My Tuva Moodyson series (published by Oneworld, set in Sweden) keeps me very busy. I worked on this standalone in airports and car parks, on trains and late at night when my family were asleep.

Last autumn my agent sent the book to a few editors. I was lucky - the books were pre-emoted by Hodder in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US. I still vividly remember being in the query trenches years ago, trying to get discovered in slushpiles, all the (many) rejections, so I don’t take any of this for granted. I’m very grateful.

The Last Thing to Burn will be published in 2021.

It’s a thriller but it’s also a story of hope and family and love and resilience. It explores power imbalances, inequalities, control and identity.

The story is set on an isolated fenland farm in the UK. It’s been described as Room meets Misery.

If you have a question about the book or the deal or your own submissions/queries just leave a comment and I’ll respond.

Best wishes

Will





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