Well this was quite the page turner! When Molly's twin sister is murdered in New York she flies over from London to bring her sister home - and do some investigating herself as to what happened to her twin.

This was a really quick read, in the best possible way - I didn't want to put it down. A twisty, character-driven thriller, it's the first Will Dean novel I've read but it won't be the last.

Wow - what an addictive page-turner! I stormed through this, desperate to know whodunnit, and shocked at some pretty big twists. Another great read from Will Dean who is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

First Born by Will Dean
I give this book 4 stars

My twin sister knew me better than anyone,we are identical.We’d never been apart,until now.The Police are searching for the truth about her,and so am l.Because there are some things only a twin can know.The last thing a twin expects…….is to be alone!

This book started off at a slower pace but soon picks up speed with the suspense building and the twists start to arrive.l enjoy the authors writing style and felt like l could easily picture the New York setting and the characters.A gripping thriller from an author l will be keeping an eye out for in the future.
With thanks to Netgalley,Will Dean and Hodder & Stoughton for my chance to read and review this book

As twins, Molly and Katie Raven are an extension of each other. As children they were closer than other siblings., even making up their own language. They are identical in most ways.

Katie’s was always the outgoing twin, the one everybody loved and who took risks aplenty. That’s how she ended up in New York with a sponsorship to study there. Molly had been upset with her at the time but it was what Katie wanted, what she needed.

Molly is shy and anxious. She worries about everything, so when she gets the phone call from her parents and she has to go to New York it is a well thought out plan, avoiding any unnecessary risks.

Arriving in New York the only thing Molly wants to know and must find out is how her twin died and who is responsible and she won’t stop until she does!

This book was completely unputdownable. I literally had to force myself to stop reading it to sleep. I was gripped from the very start and was fully immersed in the storyline. The were several moments where I literally said “what?!” Out loud. It was such a great read that was full of the unexpected with a great ending. Highly recommend this book.

Having really enjoyed Dean’s debut novel, The Last Thing To Burn, I was really quite excited about getting my hands on this book. However, I confess to being really underwhelmed.

This story is told by our intensely unreliable, and fundamentally unlikeable narrator, Molly. With her myriad of “issues”, none of which are interesting or quirky (more dark and twisty), her head is a difficult place to spend time in. I can see how it might appeal to some readers, but for me, I was bored to tears.

It doesn’t help that this is an exceptionally slow burning story – something that I struggle with at the best of times. I don’t think I have the attention span for things that don’t grab me from the outset, but clearly that’s a personal preference issue.

In terms of the story, aside from it being slow, it’s actually … you know, I’m just going to come out and say it – downright ridiculous. There are a couple of twists, but when I got there, I actually groaned. I wasn’t impressed or entertained, I felt hoodwinked. I’m sorry, but I’m from the school of thought that believes a good writer should be able to write a good tale – not rely on absolutely ridiculous gimmicks to create a “wow didn’t see that coming” moment. I won’t say more, for fear of stepping in to the realms of spoilers, but this was not remotely clever.

Don’t get me wrong, I do get what Dean was trying to do, I just really really don’t approve of it. To quote Annie Wilkes, it’s a cheat, and for the first time I finally understood her slightly unhinged rage.

I couldn’t, in good faith, recommend this to anyone – I was that annoyed by it. But, I will continue to rave about his other book, and I will consider reading a third when it’s available.

2/5 ok…

The first half of this is very intriguing, good stuff, well paced, had me asking questions and guessing. All very cleverly done. Then the twist comes. The pacing grinds to a halt, the story drags on to another twist which by then was always coming and just completely silly.

Such promise, fizzled out, Will Dean is very much Marmite for me, I have loved a couple, one of the Tuva books and the Last Thing to Burn. But the 2nd half of this just not the one for me.

"First Born" by Will Dean is about twins and how, although they can look identical, they can have very different personalities. This is the case of Molly and Katie. When risk-averse and very paranoid Molly is forced to visit New York upon her twin's death, what unfolds in an investigation of Katie's murder with many twists, some I still can't believe.

I enjoyed reading this book. The pace of the book was good for an impatient reader like myself, the characters were good. The descriptions of New York were interesting, and although I did guess some of the plot, the rest of it kept me in suspense. Good entertaining read, I am happy to recommend it to other readers.

This was a fast paced thriller with unusual characters who were twins. Risk averse Molly is twinned to KT who ups and goes to New York and is the complete opposite in terms of personality. KT is murdered and Molly is determined to find the killer. The storyline is full of twists and turns and I found it a compelling read. Highly recommend this author.

After reading the first book by this author The Last Thing To Burn which literally blew me away I could not wait to get my hands on Fist Born. What a rollercoaster of a read. Slow to start but I just had to keep on reading I HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH. Full of twists and turns and the story of one determined lady to find out how her twin had died. Another fantastic five star read. Loved loved it!!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Will Dean’s debut The Last Thing to Burn was a tense thriller with some nasty twists. So when his follow up First Born starts with a murder, readers can be sure that the story is a little more complicated than that. And after a slow build first half, the twists and the nastiness start coming thick and fast and readers just need to hang on as the layers start to peel away.
Molly Raven lives on her own in London. She is the timid half of a pair of twins - her sister Katie, or KT as Molly calls her, having jetted off to New York over a year earlier is the risk taking party animal of the pair. Molly gets a call from her parents who had been in New York visiting Katie telling her that her sister has been murdered and that she needs to come out to support them. Despite her fear of pretty much everything, including flying, Molly packs a bag and jets off to New York where she starts investigating Katie’s death on her own not because she thinks that the police are incompetent but because… well, because that’s what amateur investigators in books do, I guess. In doing so she runs across another, fairly shady private investigator who is looking into the Katie’s death for the strange organisation that was funding her studies. Then the narrative starts to twist and the less said the better.
The unreliable narrator has become a staple of modern thrillers but it always leaves readers with the same question. Who is the protagonist telling this story to? This conundrum, which was solved so cleverly in Gone Girl, has not always been so successful. And this is one of those times. Many of the twists do make some sense of some plot points that otherwise are baffling, but they only work because the narrator has failed to mention something earlier that they clearly already knew. So the question again needs to be asked – who were they holding this information back from and why are they telling the reader the story in this way except to maximise the thrills.
Which all goes to make First Born an effective and page turning thriller for those who like to be surprised and shocked. But it is one that demands to be read quickly, otherwise readers might spend too long thinking about some of the plot holes and narrative sleights of hand that cannot be so easily explained.

What a fantastic twisty and unpredictable read that was! I wasn't sure how Will Dean could write anything better after Last Thing To Burn, but he's managed to write another amazing thriller.

Molly Raven's twin sister Katie has been murdered in New York and she joins her parents over there to try to get some answers, but all is not as it seems

Well, the first half of this book certainly didn’t prepare me for the second half - much less the ending! Like identical twins who have completely different personalities, the book appeared to be one thing then turned into another. I loved it and read it really quickly because I was desperate to follow the twists and turns. Great lead characters, although maybe a bit more depth needed to the parents and some of the other supporting characters. Recommended read if you like a book where you’re completely unable to predict the ending!

Having read and loved Will’s last book, The First to Burn, I was very keen to read this one. Although very different from that I was not disappointed.

First Born is a complex psychological thriller with three-dimensional, well-developed characters. It will have you on the edge of your seat and second guessing to the end.

This is a great book and Will Dean is a very skilful writer. I look forward to his next book.

Molly is an identical twin. She lives a very small and contained life, being highly risk averse and paranoid.
Molly's twin, Katie, is the opposite. Living life to the full, Katie has moved to New York to study, much to Molly's dismay.
Molly's worst fears come true when her parents call to tell her that Katie has been found dead in her apartment and that all the signs are pointing to homicide.
Molly undertakes some meticulous planning and, with all risks balanced, flies to New York to be with her parents. Molly then becomes involved in the investigation of her sister's murder.
So far, so straightforward? Not really! Will Dean does it again, with a story that twists and turns, causing me to gasp out loud on several occasions. Immersive and fascinating. I highly recommend you read this book! Fantastic!!

Will Dean knows how to pack a punch and First Born is no exception.
Brilliantly paced with such strong and complex characters, its definitely going to be in my top ten reads of this year.

Molly has a twin sister KT who is older than her by three whole minutes . Those three minutes make the world of difference to Molly but not so much for her sister.
Like most identical twins Molly and KT share a unique bond and growing up they often switch roles to confuse their parents and like many twins they have their own secret language.
Molly is the more quiet and cautious of the two and has to analyze the risks before embarking on anything new.
KT on the other hand just loves loving life and makes the most of every opportunity.

When KT announced that she has a sponsorship and is leaving for New York Molly is devastated to say the least but KT is determined to leave London and her behind.

Whilst their parents were visiting KT in New York Molly receives the most devastating phone call of her life.
They tell her that KT is dead, not only that but she has been murdered.
Knowing tha she has to put her fears aside Molly travels to America to be with her parents. Once there she is determined to find out exactly what happened to her sister and will stop at nothing to discover who killed her.

First Born will have you clinging to the edge of your seat and it has so many surprises that you definitely won't see coming.

You know those by-the-numbers thriller novels which you read and know exactly where it is going and what's going to happen from page 1? Well, this is certainly not one of them!!

Molly and Katie are identical twins however they could not be more dissimilar. Whilst Molly can be found researching the probability of plane crashes and taking water purifier tablets wherever she goes, Katie is living in America under some unknown scholarship program and living her best life.

That is until Molly receives word that her sister has been found dead and foul play is suspected. Molly travels to America to support her parents but also to track down her sister's killer and find out what was happening in her life prior to her death.

When you read as many books of this kind as I do, it is not often you are left gasping at certain twists and turns as this story progresses. At some points I had to turn back a page or two to make sure I was reading it right!

I really dislike books which have unrealistic twists in which characters act in an implausible manner however this was not the case here.

This is definitely one of those books which you would want to read again right after finishing however, like all of you reading this, I have a TBR list as long as my arm. What I want to do is leave this just long enough that I forget the intracies of what happened so I can experience it all over again. This book was so good though that I am not sure how long this will be!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the mystery surrounding the mysterious benefactor who 'sponsors' Katie to study and all that entails, as well as the more familiar subplots of the relationship with her tutor. This book smelt fishy because of all the Red Herrings that I fell for....and wow, when those plot twists get revealed, be careful as they'll smack you in the face! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Last year I read Dean’s The Last Thing To Burn which was one of my favourite reads- I’ve got a new favourite and it’s First Born!

Molly & KT are identical twins but their personalities are polar opposite. KT is outgoing and adventurous while Molly is terrified of her own shadow and a complete introvert. When Molly is contacted by her parents to say KT has been found murdered in New York, Molly has to challenge herself to overcome her fears and to get on a plane as she is determined to find out who her sister’s killer is.

Completely engrossing, I was unable to put it down. Dean delivers an original and truly disturbing story in his latest book.

I had high expectations for First Born after The Last Thing To Burn and Dean delivered! First Born is well written with perfectly developed characters, a completely immersive story that’s impossible to put down. Dean is one of the current experts in delivering savage twists that you just do not see coming. The pace shifts gear in the middle of the book and hurtles like a runaway train until the end.

I love how Dean drags his readers right into the heart of the story and we become as determined as Molly to figure out who among KT’s friends and associates is the culprit. This is a book which will give you goosebumps and you will not see what’s coming until it’s too late.

First Born is going to be a hit when it’s published on April 14th! 5 ⭐️ all the way!! Thank you to @netgalley and publishers for the arc.

Add First Born to your TBR – it will not disappoint! The perfect read for thriller junkies!