Karen is returning to her hometown because a girl has been kidnapped. Authorities believe there are similarities linking this case to those of The Bagman, a serial killer. But the problem is that he’s been in prison for over ten years. Is this a copycat? Did they get the wrong man years ago? Karen knew him better than anyone, so she hopes she can provide insight to assist. But copycat or not, will she be the next victim?

Based on the blurb, I thought Karen and The Bagman were great lovers and it was a massive betrayal for her to turn him in. But the thing is, throughout the entire story, they seem to be pals, at the most. They weren’t dating, never slept together, and there was nothing romantic between them. The reader only gets a few flashbacks to their interactions and the vibe between them is slight friendship at best. Yet Karen and everyone else refers to them as 'best friends' and 'so close.'

And when she ‘turns him in’ it’s 10 years after they met and they barely interact for that decade after school ended. The story glosses over this entire decade in a rushed way, too. She has nothing to support her suspicions about him, except that he was late visiting her one night and he was in the areas of some of the crimes. And he draws a symbol. That’s supposedly so unique that the prosecution based their entire case on that. And he was convicted! What?! Seriously, too much of the plot revolves around that symbol.

I don’t know, the book just wasn’t what I expected, it almost read like a first draft before changes are made that fix inconsistencies and improve the flow of the story, etc. More flashbacks to their past interactions would have helped. And more in-depth..everything of that missing decade. I kept wondering when they would reveal what Karen did for those ten years, and again, it was just vaguely referenced. She lived here and there and I guess worked now and then? There’s slightly more background to the decade he’s been in prison, but not too much. And for a while at the start, I had the impression that he was imprisoned at school age, not a decade later.

I feel like the main plot of the story is good and will draw people in but it doesn’t meet the expectations readers will have. Which is surprising because I love this author and have read all her books. I would never guess it was written by her. Hopefully, the next one will be more in line with her usual style and flair.

2.5
It was an okay read. I found it to be quite fast paced with the occasional moments of 'can we just get to the point'. I guessed a couple of the twists but I wasn't expecting the actual outcome which is a positive! I didn't really connect with any of the characters so I sort of didn't care what happened to them.
Sadly. this just wasn't for me but I'm sure lots of people will enjoy it!

Such an interesting premise. You are involved with someone who turns out to be a serial killer and you are the key to getting him put behind bars. I can't imagine grappling with your own questions, not to mention the questions of the people of your community as to how could you not know and why did it take you so long to figure it out. It's easy in hindsight to say what you should have done, and everyone has an opinion! Now years later you start to question your own memories when another girl goes missing and seems to fit the MO of the man behind bars. How is it possible? Did you get it wrong? What do you owe the girl who is missing to help figure it all out, and what about the cost to yourself? There's a lot to unwrap here, and I very much enjoyed it.

Wow your first love turns out to be a serial killer and you helped put him behind bars then things start getting really strange.
Great drama with a cast of interesting characters.
Just love how this author writes.
A must read for anyone who loves an edge of your seat thriller.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

While the pacing was a bit slow in parts of The First Girl by Claire McGowan and there was too much exposition, the compelling plot and the interesting narration directly addressed to a character named Aaron, the Bagman, make this book a worthy read. I also liked the extracts from Karen's memoir. That added a good touch to the story.

Overall, I would rate the book 3.75 out of 5 stars (rounded to 4) for its engaging plot, credible characters, and atmospheric locale.

#TheFirstGirl #NetGalley @AmazonPub

my second read from this author and very much enjoyed. Karen is a writer; she lives in America. she ran from her old life in England as her best friend was murdered buy her friend who they called the bagman. someone has taken a young girl and so similar to the bagman but he in prison. Karen comes back to England to help the police it's a very twisty and addictive read,

I really enjoy this authors books and was happy to read this one.

Karen is an amazing character she well developed and I loved how the story unfolded.

The twisty plot filled with drama kept on edge and I enjoyed every word..

recommended read..

I really enjoyed reading this book. I’ve read a few others by the author and they never disappoint. I really liked the format of the book and the mysteries that really came together at the end. I’m usually good at guessing what’s going to happen, but this one had me stumped.

I love the fact I was a pre approved for this!!! Massive fan of Claire's writing. I have mixed feelings about some of her work there is no doubt she is workhouse when it goes to writing but I have felt with some of her novels this has shown as they have felt rushed. The last two books I read of hers I loved they were well written and as always with Claire very unique in terms of plot I also could see a maturity in her writing style. I had high hopes going into this book due to that and I really liked the sound of the book from the synopsis.

I'd say this book falls a little short of the last two books but is better than some of her early works. I had a Lisa Jewell feel to the writing and the plot was very much unique.

Told in the first person we hear from Karen, she is talking directly to someone almost like a letter in places this did work but there was parts that it become quite disjointed and it felt like the "person" she was speaking to was forgetting about and mentioned as if it had been added at haste. However having Karen as the narrator did add a certain tension to the reading she gave off very unreliable vibes which added to the mystery and built the tension up. We also get snippets at the start of each chapter from Karen's about to be published book this gives good background and I would have liked more of these snippets.

The characters are a little wooden and some what predictable, Karen I found quite annoying she has constant whiney tone to her, however despite not liking any of the characters Claire's skill as a writer kept me reading usually when am not a fan of chatters I find it hard to engage to the plot.

The plot itself is very unique but is very very far fetched to the point aspects are actually ridiculous( the police allowing her to be involved etc, the false imprisonment) however they don't distract too much from what is a well paced plot with a load of twists. I like how Claire always manages make to socially commentary without it being obvious in the case she is clearly making a point as armchair detectives and true crime podcasts.

While not her best this a good book that's easy reading and it's eerie enough to make you shiver while reading. All in all 3.5 stars for this somewhat not quite the full thriller

Overall I enjoyed this story, but it dragged at times, plus it was a tad repetetive in the beginning. I read a lot of thrillers, so even though I was suspicious of multiple characters and had my theories, I was correct on my first guess. Even though I thought some of it was predictable, I very much liked this book and the explained ending.

The First Girl by Claire McGowan, published by Thomas & Mercer is a twitsy thriller that had me in suspense from first till the last chaper. A pageturner that stays with reader for days after finishing the book.

I am a big fan of Claire McGowan and The First Girl was another hit for me! I found this novel to be incredibly engaging, and almost impossible to put down, so it only took me about 24 hours to burn through it. Karen was an interesting character. I'm not exactly sure she was likable, especially since we don't know what she's hiding, but she's complex and I was rooting for her. The chapters often start with an excerpt from Karen's book, which I thought was a nice touch. It was fun to see the difference between what she wrote and her actual thoughts. I had no idea where the plot was going or how it would end, so I was definitely surprised by the twists. I highly recommend this fast-paced, compelling novel!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

When a young woman is abducted under particular circumstances, Karen Walker is shocked. She has spent her whole life defending herself for a relationship she had with a man who abducts women in that fashion. Now captured and safely behind bars, Karen has made a living off of her book about the notorious Bagman.

Clearly it must be a copycat? Karen isn't sure who to believe or what to think! Join Karen this tense search for the truth.
#thomasandmercer #clairemcgowan #thefirstgirl

She believed her serial killer ex was innocent, but now history is repeating itself. What does she really remember? Writer Karen Walker knows more than most about murderers. Her first love went on to become The Bagman, a notorious serial killer now locked away for life in a maximum security prison! Wow some crazy twists and turns in this thriller!! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, and a great who done it! The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was an average thriller. There was nothing wrong with it at all, but I was not surprised by anything either.

Intense, emotional, and complex - this one will keep you up into the night as red herrings drop and you will be guessing what actually happened until the very end. Perfect for any mystery fan

The title of this book is a riff on the “final girl “ serial killer trope, focusing instead on the first girl the killer obsessed over. It’s an interesting perspective and made me wonder how many women might get fooled by a budding serial killer

Claire McGowan is a great writer. She creates such a strong atmosphere and her characters leap off the pages. This book is very cleverly done, with so many red herrings and potential scenarios that the ending is a genuine shock. Every aspect of the story comes across as completely credible, even when you know in reality how unlikely it would be. I also loved the inclusion of true crime fanatics and the modern world of podcasts and Tik Tok - really shone a light and raised questions as to why true crime is of such interest.

I enjoyed the thriller element that I was hoping for from the description. It uses everything that I wanted and enjoyed the overall story going on. The plot was really well done and the idea of a serial killer ex worked. The characters felt like they were supposed to in this world. Claire McGowan writes a suspenseful atmosphere and glad I was able to read this.