Will Dean is the author of the ‘ Tuva Moodyson Mystery’ crime series.This is his first stand-alone novel.

In the opening pages we meet ‘Jane’, a young woman living on a farm in the English midlands. She is stumbling down a track, attempting to escape from the house that has been her prison for a number of years. An ankle injury slows her down to her inevitable recapture by Lenn, her husband and captor, and she returns in misery to a life where every aspect of her existence is controlled.

Jane’s real name is Thanh Dao and she is the victim of a people smuggling ring, brought to the UK with her sister but instead ‘sold off’ to Lenn by one of his cronies to take the place of his first wife, Jane.

The claustrophobia of Jane’s day-to-day life is crushing. Lenn is so ‘ordinary’ in his cruelty and sense of entitlement. The sparseness of the prose also matches the stark and desolate landscape outside Jane’s window. The small sliver of hope that we feel when Jane becomes pregnant is soon snuffed out and we despair with her as to the future of her child, silently cheering her on for her tiny wins against this vile and evil man.

This is not a long book but it packs a big punch for the number of pages. Not an easy read by any means but one that will spark important discussions I am sure.

Reviewed by Maryanne Vagg