Another standalone by Will Dean and another twisty tale. This one is a tale of two halves. The initial story is a tale of grief and the investigation of Katie, or KT as she is known by Molly, her twin.

Then from chapter 23, oh my days the end of that chapter my jaw dropped at the casual drop of that line. After that, the book took a completely different turn and an unexpected turn! I have to say, I did guess the twist but it was still no less shocking to have it confirmed!

Will’s writing is always one that sucks you until the story and you find yourself lost in the words and it doesn’t let go until the very end! This book was clever, and it was so entertaining! I loved following Molly on her mission, and I was so absorbed when things went crazy! The way her brain worked, her mechanism for a day to day life and her go-bag, I was enthralled with it all.

To have a story about twins is always going to be an interesting story as there are so many places a story to go and boy did it go there and then some.

First Born is most definitely an unputdownable tale! It has all the elements you want and need in a psychological thriller, which is something extra. I wasn’t a complete fan of the characters but I think that is what made me love it more. You don’t have to love the characters, not here, you just need to follow the adventure and with that chilling ending, it just makes me glad I am not a twin!!!

Molly and Katie are identical twins, but aside from their appearance the sisters could not be more different. One of the main ways is that Katie is very outgoing while Molly likes to stay in her safe space. When Katie grabs an opportunity togo and live in New York for a while, she jumps at the chance and the sisters are seperated for the first time in their lives. But when Molly recieves a call with some tragic news, her world is tipped on its head and she has to leave her comfort zone and head to New York.

This was a bit of a slow burn of a read, up until about half way then 🤯. I had to do that thing where you stop reading and have to go back and double check you had read what you thought you had just read!

I am not saying anymore because I think the less you know the better, but I definitely recomended it!

This was a brilliant story. I thought I was getting to know the characters and felt fairly confident. The author then turned the story upside down and kept me on my toes the whole way through. The twists and turns were always unexpected and the conclusion was something else. A real teaser!!

After reading and loving the mind-blowing thriller The Last Thing to Burn by the same author, I was so excited to start this. Those are big boots to fill.
This definitely didn't have the same messed-up instensity as TLTTB, but it was a very gripping thriller nonetheless.
My friends will know I live for the messed up thrillers, that disturb me and make me want to stop reading and unable to put it down at the same time. This didn't do that for me, but it was a great read.
The plot is gripping, the character Molly is likeable for the most part and the mystery of her twin KT's death definitely kept me reading throughout.
The ending was strong, but there are many elements to it, and many characters have been introduced and I did find this a hard one to follow at times. It verges on the 'high-concept thriller' for me and I needed more concentration than I had anticipated!

Also posted to my Instagram and Facebook pages Curling up With a Coffee and a Kindle.

First Born is a dark thriller, examining the impact of murder on a family unit and asking the question of how well you can ever know the people that you’re closest to.

Molly Raven is the narrator of the story, which opens with the horrifying news that her twin Katie, who has been living in New York, has been found dead under suspicious circumstances. Even heading to New York to join her parents to find answers is a struggle for Molly, who continually tried to anticipate and guard against the worst case scenarios, including plane crashes, natural disasters and potential safety risks, so it’s not as straightforward as simply boarding a plane to fly to New York. However, she does make it and is immediately plunged into the investigation into what has happened to Katie, but what she discovers may rock her world to its core.

I found this book interesting and thought it was well written. I did feel that some of the characters lacked a bit of depth, but I feel that this is a natural result of a first person narrative, and essentially the point of the story is that you are only getting it from the point of view of one character, so you can’t know the thoughts and motivations of all the other characters. The story was paced well and build well towards the ending, and I felt that it delivered well on its story. I enjoyed this and would definitely read other books by this author.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having read The Last thing To Burn by Will Dean last year, I had high hopes of this story of identical twins with very different personalities. When Molly learns her sister Katie has been murdered in the US, she overcomes her many anxieties and sets out to discover the truth of what happened to her. In a fast-pace plot, she uncovers the double life Katie was leading - and gets herself into all sorts of bother in the process. Will she ultimately find justice for her dead sister?
This was really well written - I was immediately captured by Molly's quirky individualism. She's highly intelligent but equally neurodiverse. I was also drawn to Katie, the more extrovert twin, even though we only meet her through Molly's eyes.
Everything is seen through Molly's perspective. She immerses us in the sights and sounds of New York, as she experiences them, and draws convincing portraits of all the people she meets, from the smoothie vendor to the detectives to Molly's creepy incel neighbour.
As the story gathered pace, I did feel the background story to Katie's murder was unconvincing - I wanted to know much more about what she had been up to. But there were some cracking twists in the plot to compensate and in the end the twins' characters,charisma and sometimes toxic sibling bond helped cement Will Dean as one of my favourite writers.

Molly and Katie are identical twins, (or monozygotic as Molly refers to them). They have very different personalities - Katie, the outgoing twin, who moved to New York to pursue her studies, and Molly, three minutes younger whose life is ruled by her anxieties. When their parents, on a visit to Katie, phone Molly with the awful news that Katie has been murdered, she has to overcome her terror of flying and get herself to New York. We see her tirelessly research potential killers, from Katie's boyfriend, best friend, stalker neighbour, college lecturer. What I really didn't see coming were the many twists and turns! I'm not sure what I thought of the ending, and some of this was particularly far fetched, but a masterpiece of twists and unexpected outcomes! #netgalley #firstborn

I thought I'd got this book then halfway through there was a turn I never saw coming and I'd just got settled and off it went again. Excellent story, cleverly told.

4.25-4.5⭐️

I loved the last thing to burn so I was excited to read this book.
Identical twins who personality wise are polar opposite’s.
Molly is over cautious to the point of paranoia, and anxious too. She risk assesses everything! She lives in London.
The laid back easy going twin Katie, also known as KT lives in New York. Only KT dies suddenly and Molly has to travel to New York to be with her parents. Molly decides to investigate for herself interviewing friends and known acquaintances.

Molly’s anxiety and paranoia are palpable, there’s a sadness as it demonstrates how it has restricted her life, and at other times had me chuckling.

It’s a slower paced book than my norm as it’s strongly character driven. I was so invested in Molly and her quest to find answers that it didn’t matter. It’s a complex and a slightly convoluted plot which takes some concentration to follow.

My favourite quote because it’s so ironic is ‘not everyone is as level headed as I am’

If you like slower character driven burns, and engage with quirky characters you will love this, as it mostly drives the first half. It also comes packed with a complex plot which comes to the fore in the second half. So it’s a book of 2 halves, but in a good way 😊

Molly and Kate (KT) are identical twins, now in their early twenties. Molly is very introverted and risk averse, weighing up the dangers associated with every small action and going out of her way to avoid even the slightest risk, meaning she leads a very predictable and solitary life.

In contrast, her sister Katie (older by 3 minutes) seems to have inherited all the sociable, happy-go-lucky, carefree genes and is outgoing, spontaneous and loved by all.

Despite their differences, the sisters have always been very close, constantly messaging each other when they are apart, until Katie is given a scholarship to study in New York. Unable to countenance flying, Molly is bereft, although they maintain regular contact..

However, when Katie is found dead while their parents are visiting her in New York, Molly has to somehow overcome her anxieties to join them and find out who could have wanted to murder her sister and get revenge.

The Last Thing To Burn raised the bar very high, but First Born is another very well written, dark, twisty, original and compelling thriller. Completely different to the author's previous novel but instantly recognisable with his distinctive dark and visceral style.

A great murder-mystery and psychological thriller, which keeps us guessing throughout. Highly recommended. 5⭐

Sisters. Soulmates. Strangers.
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.

This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

As a fan of Dean’s previous book, I was so looking forward to reading this one. The premise looked so good! I’m going to be honest - the first half of the book felt flat, and I was totally uninterested with Molly as she tries to carry out her own investigation into her twin sister’s death. For me, she was unsympathetic and despite having her own issues, I just couldn’t connect with her.

There is a big reveal about half way through that makes you go, what the heck?!? And that’s when all sense of realness goes out the window and you have to ignore the voice in your head that says “this could never happen”. It all fells too far fetched. BUT it does get more interesting and the pace does pick up. But I still didn’t connect with Molly.

All in all, a bit of a let down from Dean’s last book.

This story is about twins and how they differ. Katie, the outgoing twin, is found dead in New York so Molly who worries about everything, calculates the risk in flying out to join her parents in New York to find out what happened to her sister and although flying is more high risk than sailing has to fly because she has to be there quickly. She gets there to find her heartbroken parents who are totally confused about why this has happened to Katie. They were there for a trip of a lifetime with Katie and were really enjoying themselves with her. Molly starts to help police find the culprit .
Katie was her polar opposite. She loved to go out with friends,drank, didn't worry about anything. She loved life in New York. So what did happen to her?....
This is the second Will Dean book I've read and this is just as good if not a little better than the last one. Will Dean has a very clever way of weaving a story and make you become immersed from the start. You never know which direction the story will go, there's no predictive formula. It Veera off when you least expect it. Well done!!. Another fantastic book!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #hodderbooks, #willdean.

First Born by Will Dean
Published by:Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Date 14/4/22

No Spoilers

I’ve read 2 of Will Dean’s previous novels and was very impressed by both, by how different they were from each other and also from other novels I’ve read.
I enjoyed the writing, characters and very interesting and thought provoking plots. .

This is also different. Original, ingenious and rich in detail. . Twists and turns along the way with some I did not see coming at all. I read it over the Easter weekend and could not put it down.

Highly recommended

Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Twins born three minutes apart. As children inseparable, two parts of one whole with a secret language only they understand. As adults a chasm of differences separate them. The oldest confident, outgoing, popular and ready to take on the world. The younger, bedevilled with anxieties, phobias, and dependency issues to the point of obsession with controlling every aspect of her life. . For her, the decision of her elder sister to travel to America on a charity foundation scholarship not only destroys the closeness with her sister she relies upon but sets off a catastrophic series of events that will ultimately result in mayhem and murder. A complex mystifying story of intrigue and revenge where the reader is compelled to turn each page in an effort to figure out what is going on and who exactly is the perpetrator Thoroughly enjoyed trying to decipher the trajectory of events and identity the transgressor although totally blindsided by the incredible conclusion. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

I adored this book. Will Dean is so original. It’s full of twists and turns. Some you see coming. Most you won’t. Absolutely love his writing. Can’t wait for the next book.

I have read a number of novels by Will Dean, all have been carefully plotted with great characterisation. The title refers to the first identical twin born, Katie, who is an extrovert looking for adventure while her sister Molly is a neurotic introvert. Molly finds life extremely difficult when her sister moves to New York. The parents go to visit Katie and whilst there she is murdered. Molly flies to New York and tries to find out why Katie was murdered. The plot is excellent which has twists that make you reassess everything that you’ve read up to that point. I highly recommend this excellent novel.

A very slow burner.
This started out very promising and interesting but was very slow and unbelievable in places, then half way it went downhill it got confusing and didn`t know what was happening or why so not for me and could not like any of the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

EXCERPT: Next to my phone is a photo of them both. My parents: Paul and Elizabeth Raven. Good people. Caring and straightforward and down-to-earth. Honest, mostly. Mum is, at least. Next to that is a photo of me, Molly Raven, and my monozygotic twin, Katie, or as I call her, KT. I don't use the term 'identical twin' because it's a blatant lie. A travesty. Our base DNA is identical, sure, but that's about all that is.

We were once one person.

We are not any more.

ABOUT 'FIRST BORN': Sisters. Soulmates. Strangers.

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.

MY THOUGHTS: Another single sitting read that I just couldn't put down! Will Dean sure knows how to tick all my boxes, push all my buttons.

I became totally caught up in Molly's world. It's a strange world. Molly says that she got all of the introvert genes and Katie all the extrovert genes when their egg divided. Not only is she an introvert, she's anxious. Incredibly anxious. In fact, if you suffer from anxiety, this is probably not the book for you. I don't suffer from anxiety, but I started becoming anxious just reading the things she is anxious about! Inside Molly's head is not a comfortable place to be. She's fragile, anxious, delusional, and paranoid.

First Born, Katie was born first three minutes before Molly, starts slowly. We are immersed in Molly's world as she struggles to come to terms with her sister's death and tries to help her sweet but ineffectual parents cope with their loss. And once Katie's death is confirmed as murder she sets herself the task of finding the killer. Is it the landlady's creepy basement dwelling son? Is it Katie's unfaithful student boyfriend? Is it the predatorial married professor? Is it Katie's possessive and obsessive friend Violet? Or the man who flies Katie all over the world in his private jet? There's no shortage of suspects. Molly thought she knew everything about Katie, but she's quickly discovering that she's wrong.

The first twist is slipped in almost unobtrusively. I had to go back and read it again, twice, to make sure that my eyes hadn't deceived me. After that, it's full steam ahead, hold onto your hat, pick your jaw up from the floor and be prepared to be twisted around like a pretzel.

First Born is an a read full of surprises, totally unpredictable, totally engrossing. Exhilarating.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#FirstBorn #NetGalley

I: @willrdean @hodderbooks

T: @ willrdean @HodderBooks

#contemporaryfiction #crime #murdermystery #psychologicalthriller

THE AUTHOR: Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of First Born by Will Dean for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Molly is a twin but, unlike her sister Katie, she doesn’t take risks. She likes routine and safety. Molly likes to live a quiet structured contained life in her home in London.
But then she receives a call from her parents to say her twin sister has been found murdered in New York City and they want her to come to the ‘Big Apple’ to help them with their grieving.
With her life thrown into chaos, she musters her courage and flies to the States where she uncovers a surprising web of lies and deceit. Determined to find the answers she needs, Molly uncovers things about her sister that shock her and it’s not long before she’s on someone’s radar as the web of murder and deceit starts to untangle.
Another superb book by Will Dean. He has the brilliant ability to hook the reader early and keep them on the line until its dramatic end. This a very clever story with intricate twists and turns throughout and the ending will knock your socks off. I loved this book and highly recommend it.