I can’t decide if I liked this or not!
Molly and KT are identical twins, but KT moved to New York over a year ago, and this upset Molly, who is seen as the more sensitive, sensible twin.
When Molly gets a call from her parents, who are visiting KT on a trip of a lifetime, everything goes into free fall - her sister is dead!
Molly meets her parents in New York, and has interviews with the police, and even meets up with KT’s boyfriend and friends, trying to work out who killed her.
But things are not as they seem, and Molly seems to be taking more and more risks!
A page turner, with a twist that some will see coming.

A book of two halves - the denouement in the middle completely shifts gears and ups the pace, to the point where the story becomes just a little convoluted. Nonetheless, it is a meticulously detailed story, and one which will keep the reader engrossed right until the end. Identical twins outgoing Katie and anxious Molly are separated when Katie decides to move to New York to escape her humdrum life and somewhat suffocating sister. This causes a rift between the twins, but the real drama begins when Molly receives a call from her parents to tell her that Katie is dead. The action moves to New York as Molly takes on the task of finding Katie’s killer. To say that this is not what it seems would be an understatement, and there is some implausible action towards the end, but the book is immensely readable, very well written, and the characters and settings jump off the page.

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean was one of my favourite reads of 2021, in fact it was in my top three. I was so excited to get this one as an ARC and let me tell you it does not disappoint! The murdered twin trope has not been done like this before and no where near as good. This was literally unputdownable and I managed to read all but 60 pages in one sitting, only because I needed sleep! I loved how well the characters were written and there are plenty of characters to hate here. There are a lot of twists and surprises to be found between these pages and no one does literary thrillers like Will Dean. All. The. Stars.

I really enjoyed this thriller. First Born is the tale of Molly and her twin, Katie. When Molly receives a call from her parents, who are visiting Katie in New York, it is to give her the devastating news that her sister is dead.

Having lived in Manhattan myself, albeit many years ago, I immediately recognised New York from its descriptions as Molly tries to find out who murdered her sister. We learn of the differences, despite the sisters' identical looks, between Introverted Molly and extrovert Katie, which feed well into the twists and turns of the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this unusual thriller.

My first experience of Will Dean was reading The Last Thing to Burn which I thoroughly enjoyed and so I jumped at the chance to read First Born. A totally different story altogether but completely engrossing with some killer twists.

The bond between identical twins is as strong as they come, so imagine the heartache when not only does one move thousands of miles away from England to live in New York, but then is found dead. Murdered!

Molly sets off on a journey to meet up with her parents who are already on holiday visiting their other daughter Katie in New York when the tragedy happened. The author’s descriptions of New York is amazing and even if you haven’t been there you feel as if you have. The first half of the book is a great build up of a story and shows how different identical twins can be despite their physical bodies being the same before the first twist hits and makes you gasp! The pace starts to increase and drives you forward to turn the pages quicker and quicker towards yet another twist that I certainly didn’t see coming.

An absolutely fantastic read that is as good as the blurb suggests and will have you raising eyebrows when the twists happen. Brilliant.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Will Dean has become one of my must-read authors. I absolutely love the way he writes and I have enjoyed all his previous books. The Last Thing To Burn was my favorite book of 2021 so I had very high expectations on this book. It was completely different but almost as enjoyable. Fast paced with intriguing characters and a lot of twists. A gripping novel that will have you hooked from page one, highly recommended.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Will Dean’s books are so easy to whizz through at a rate of a million miles per hour, I tried (and failed) to ration this one a bit in order to savour it more! New York provided a suitably chaotic backdrop for this tale of deception and, as always, Dean’s writing was delicious. Not my favourite of books thus far but super enjoyable nonetheless!

The hunt for the killer of a life-loving, spontaneous identical twin, through the eyes of the paranoid, anxiety ridden surviving identical twin. Or is it?!

Honestly, I'm struggling with this review.. I didn't love it, but I also didn't dislike it. I enjoyed reading it for the most part but I think as the plot unravelled, I started to feel a little bit like 'but why?' and 'hmm, really?' if that makes sense. I definitely preferred the first half of the book to the latter half. It would seem I am in the minority, however, as most of the reviews are absolutely glowing so I would definitely recommend for you to go ahead and read it for yourself!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review 📖

The story of twins Molly and Katie. Both twins are opposites in that one is very gregarious and the other quiet and almost reclusive. One moves to New York and what follows is a chilling meditation and identity and what it can motivate you to do. Highly recommended. Thanks to Hodder & Staunton and Netgalley for my advanced copy.

Wow ….. what the hell this was just mind blowing and I’m at a loss to know what to say apart from the fact that the book was just brilliant. So I am in awe of how clever a writer Will Dean is he just takes my breath away with each book he writes be it a stand-alone or one from the Tuva Moodyson series they are all outstanding reads.
So I’m not even going to try and describe this one it’s so damn twisted and clever I was gripped throughout and never had a clue as where the book was going !
Fabulous characters an amazing plot that will get your head spinning this is what I love about reading and this book gives it all it’s one not to be missed.
Well then Will Dean you did it again and wrote another winner and are right at the top of my list of favourite authors….long may you continue to write so please just keep them coming I will be impatiently waiting!
My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love books about twins, it's one of my favorite tropes. This one doesn't disappoint. Will Dean is fast becoming one of my new to watch authors. This is the first book I've read from him but will be seeking out other books by him to read. This one was incredibly well-written, fast-paced, intriguing and all together entertaining book. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. The story contains one of the best twists I've seen in a while and you won't see this one coming (or at least I didn't). Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review

Wow what a read. I was pulled into this book right from the start. Having never read the author before but hearing many great reviews of his writing I was dubious it wouldn't live up to the hype.

I couldn't have been more wrong. From the first page to the last page I was enthralled. The twists that happened came completely out of the blue and I had no inkling that they were going to happen.

First Born was written so skillfully and masterfully that I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at what I was reading, at the story unfolding.

The pace was excellent and it was such a great read to breeze through. I am going to have to read more by Will Dean now.

Absolutely fantastic book

Iv read all Will Deans books, I particularly enjoy his Tuva Moody series but this as a stand alone did not disappoint. It’s gripping and fast paced, I couldn’t put it down and the twist at the end I did not see coming at all, I highly recommend this. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this early copy.

Another great book from Will Dean. A fabulous plot and storyline which really keeps you on your toes and gripped from start to finish.

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read in advance. Really enjoyed it and a good thriller. Would highly recommend

Will Dean's excellent The Last Thing to Burn was my top read of 2021. He returns this year with the hotly-anticipated First Born.

Here’s the gist:

📚Molly Raven lives a quiet, structured life in London, finding comfort in security and routine. Her identical twin Katie, living in New York, is the exact opposite: outgoing, spontaneous, and adventurous.

But when Molly hears that Katie has died, possibly murdered, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. As terrifying as it is, she knows she must travel across the ocean and find out what happened. But as she tracks her twin’s final movements, cracks begin to emerge, and she slowly realizes her sister was not who she thought she was and there’s a dangerous web of deceit surrounding the two of them.📚

The first half of First Born is a slow burn as we follow Molly – distraught at her twin’s death – to the Big Apple, sharing as a reader her fear and trepidation. She trusts no-one and believes everyone is a suspect. And you will too until around the halfway point of the book. (No Spoilers, just pay attention when you get there.)

The author seems to be having great fun with this tale of identical twins each with their own unique identity and personality. It has everything you’d expect from a crime/thriller set in New York – Central Park, a PI, a leery Professor, a Jock boyfriend, the NYPD, and parents on the brink of bankruptcy.

It is sharply written, moves at breakneck speed in its second half – and you WILL hold your breath at what you THINK will happen next. You’ll also feel empathy for Molly (possibly on the Spectrum) struggling without Katie and trying to adapt to NYC, while thinking she has to do the NYPD’s job for them.

I binge-read this in a few days – it’s another excellent novel from Will Dean and you should definitely be present for its due date on 14th April.

If you like Twisty-Turny Twin Thrillers then this comes highly recommended.

Thanks to #netgalley #hodderbooks for my review copy.

I absolutely loved this book with its fast paced story filled with drama and tension. Racing through the story in a couple of days I immersed myself into the sad story of the death of an outgoing identical twin from the perspective of her extremely insecure sister. Based in New York where KT was found dead in bed, Molly is totally out of her comfort zone, even with the support of her parents. However, she needs answers. Discovering her friends and associates all who played different roles in her life created a vision of who she really was and how her death may have happened. With twists galore, this unique story delivers on every level and is a must for all fans of psychological thrillers.

Rating: 4.5/5

I was not a great fan of Will Dean's previous novel, "The Last Thing to Burn". It sold well and received very many complimentary reviews, but I wasn't convinced and found it decidedly underwhelming. However, this novel is an entirely different kettle of fish. Everything about "First Born" is markedly different to "The Last Thing to Burn" - I almost find it hard to believe that they come from the pen of the same author. Will Dean has produced a quirky and twisted little gem of a novel that totally surprised me - but in a purely positive way.

The central character is Molly, whose twin sister, Katie, is found dead in New York. Molly has to fly over to the USA to join up with her parents, who are already holidaying over there. The prospect of this trip is not a straightforward one for Molly. She is affected by extreme anxiety issues and would have to be described, at the very least, as having OCD - and could potentially be considered to be on the autistic spectrum.

In the early sections of the story I was struck by the strange coincidence that this novel should have a main protagonist who not only shares a very similar to condition to lead character in Nita Prose's recent novel "The Maid", but also that they are both called Molly. And, for the first half of the book there was a similar kind of feel to the character and her story too. "First Born" was making for engaging reading and Molly, with her quirky nature, was irresistibly endearing. I was totally unprepared for the developments that were to come in the second half!

I will not go into any further detail here, as I have no wish to spoil your own enjoyment. Suffice to say that most readers will probably find themselves blindsided on more than one occasion by a narrative that is both twisting and twisted. Yes, you will need to be prepared to suspend your disbelief, but if you are prepared to allow the author his artistic licence, then the rewards will be worth it.

After reading "The Last Thing to Burn" I wasn't sure that I would bother reading Will Dean again ... I am so glad that I did and there is now no doubt whatsoever that I will be back for his next offering.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Very cleverly written, this was a really good thriller.. I have to admit to getting a bit confused as the book went on though and confused as to the motivations of the characters.
I had to reread a couple of bits - but that's probably just me! I preferred the first part of the book, Molly's character was compelling.

Katie and Molly Raven are identical twins. Katie lives in New York after receiving a sponsorship for her masters at Columbia University. Molly is an admin assistant and lives in Camden, London. Katie is extrovert and confident where Molly is anxious about everything. When Katie is found dead in her apartment by her visiting parents Molly has to face all her fears and get on a plane to New York to support them. Molly insists on undertaking her own investigation into her twin's death and is worried that if it is not solved before she and her parents leave the case will never be solved. What Molly discovers shines a totally different light on her sister's life and she decides that some rights have to be wronged before she leaves.

Fantastic read as usual from Will Dean - don't want to say too much about the storyline as spoilers will ruin it for others.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Will Dean for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.