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.