The last Linwood Barclay book I read was Elevator Pitch so I was expecting another thrilling ride from Find You First and it didn’t disappoint. The story centres on Miles Cookson, a man who has made more money than he could ever spend but has just been handed the devastating diagnosis of an incurable disease. As if this isn’t bad enough when strapped for cash in his 20s Miles sold his sperm to a fertility clinic and now he is forced to face up to the fact that potentially he could be responsible for passing the incurable Huntington’s disease through his DNA to an unknown number of people. As fast as he and his assistant Dorian attempt to track down his progeny, darker forces seem intent on finding them first. There’s a great cast of characters to love or loathe and it’s a fast paced read that’s difficult to put down. Another great thriller from Linwood Barclay. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

What an excellent read from linwood Barclay, and one of my favourite authors, ! Lots of great twists and turns, kept me going all the way through ! As well as great characters, would highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed!!

Tech billionaire Miles has more money than he can ever spend, and everything he could dream of – except time. Now facing a terminal illness, Miles knows he must seize every minute to put his life in order. And that means taking a long hard look at his past. Somewhere out there, Miles has children. And they might be about to inherit both the good and bad from him – possibly his fortune, or possibly something more sinister. So Miles decides to track down his missing children. But a vicious killer is one step ahead of him. One by one, people are vanishing. Not just disappearing, every trace of them is wiped.

'Find You First' has a great premise; it is quite simple but very effective and proved to make for intense reading. Very quickly I found myself connected to Miles and the challenge he must now face. Miles is likeable too so it was easy to immerse myself in his world, get to know him and experience his chase with him. I think it would be fair to say the first half of this read is a slow burn, but in no way it is boring. Barclay takes his time to lay the foundations of the plot, he really draws the reader in and then when you care about those involved, he really ramps up the drama and tension. The latter half is all go and incredibly exciting.

So I was a big fan of this plot but I also thoroughly enjoyed the diverse characters in this book, it was enjoyable getting to know them and follow them as they try to uncover what is really going on. The more you care about the characters, the more intense the plot becomes. I have to give a special mention to Miles and Chloe. They are two very different characters and they are equally realistic and likeable. I loved getting to know them, and reading about the two of them getting to know each other. They are very strong characters and only increased my enjoyment of this read.

'Find You First' is another well executed, intense thriller from Barclay. This has secrecy, danger and the deadliest chase of all.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an advance copy.

Firstly a thank you to Hq for my copy to review on netgalley. Ive only read Linwoods previous book so hes still a new author to me but i can tell why he is a bestseller.

This a fast paced action packed thriller .

All is not as it seems and questions will be asked. The theme of identity runs through this .

A mix of science and crime is a unlikely combination.

Published 4th February

This is my second Linwood Barclay thriller and the author once again delivers a consistently brilliant read. Tech billionaire and bachelor Miles has just been given a terminal diagnosis. to put his affairs in order he decides to track down the possible children he fathered when he donated to a fertility clinic. Miles eventually discovered he has nine children - and sets out to track them down. He doesn't just want to meet them and tell them of their inheritance - he also wants to explain he has a hereditary disease. But someone has already killed two of those on the list and a hit squad duo are on course to climate the rest of them. From Miles' brother and his awful wife to his assistant and driver - no one is who they seem. But who has ordered the children to be killed - and why? I flew through Find You First, there is a clever use of the heinous world of Jeffrey Epstein and I especially loved the relationship between Miles and Chloe. Absolutely recommend.

The story starts with Tech Billionaire Miles Cookson. Having been diagnosed with a terminal illness, the search for his progeny from his sperm donation from 20 years previously becomes a race not only against time but also against another person.
Although I thought the story started slowly, I'm glad I kept on reading because the suspense and intriguing storyline got better throughout the book. Making me think many times that I knew what was going to happen, only for it all to change.
The many complex and interesting characters Linwood Barclay introduced the more I got in to the story, and I could see by the end why all these special characters had a place in the book.
I did think that the ending was a bit far-fetched, but if this book were ever to be made into a movie, the runaway RV would make a great scene.
The writer definitely keeps you in suspense almost until the end, which I love when it comes to any thriller or crime book.
I would definitely recommend this book, and am looking forward to reading some other work by this author in the future.

As you would expect from such a great author this book is another great story with an interesting, modern slant of being able to trace your DNA. I started this book (stupidly) quite late last night and really only put it down when my eyes kept closing and I imagined some chapters that hadn’t actually been written! Needless to say I grabbed the book at the first available opportunity and have just finished it. Frankly I’m exhausted but am comforted by the knowledge that I’ve just finished reading another blockbuster! Sorry to be greedy, but I can’t wait to read the next one.

Years ago, Miles went to a sperm bank to donate, he needed money to get a computer. Thanks to that computer he is a successful tech company manager. But money can't buy your health. When he receives his Huntington's diagnosis, he decides to go and find any potential children he may have. Both to see if they also have the disease, and to pass his legacy onto them. When the children on the list start to go missing without a trace, will he be able to save any of them?

The story is told from multiple POV, and while this allows us to see different stories, for me it was a little jarring. This could be a personal preference, as I prefer single narrators. The story to me seemed a little far fetched, but not so much to deter you from the story. There are many potential suspects along the way, and twists that may for some be unexpected (unfortunately I saw them coming!)

Thank you to netgalley and hqstories for an ARC of Find You First


***reviewed on goodreads also****

A great plot line that will keep you spellbound as it unfolds before you. It will keep you guessing and going down blind alleys until it delivers a fantastic twist that throws you completely with its brilliance.

Two billionaires trying to find the children conceived from their sperm donations twenty years ago. One wants to help them, the other to erase them. But that is not all. From the wonderful thriller writer Linwood Barclay comes another twisty thriller, although this one has more twists that even he usually offers. Brilliant page turning stuff, drags you along to the thrilling conclusion. Recommended!

Superb! I’ve read everything Linwood Barclay has written and this one is as good as ever. Unputdownable, fast paced, edge of your seat stuff, brilliant stuff.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for the arc of Find you First by Linwood Barclay.

4 stars- This follows Miles Cookson whom gets a devestating diagnosis of Huntingdon's disease then a whole series of events unfold.. this was so hooking and thrilling your on for a rollercoaster ride of a lifetime.. there are plenty of twists and turns throughout this, This is a very interesting thriller with lots of twists and turns and much more, i loved how it ends!

Definitely Recommend
4 Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Really good read with memorable characters and brilliant plot twists that took me by surprise.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

If one has plenty of money, one can obtain personal information and trace individuals with every good intention for their future. Unfortunately someone else, a Jeffrey Epstein type of character, is also tracing the same group with elimination in mind. This provides us with a detailed tutorial in making people vanish!

An enjoyable romp.

I LOVED this book. It took me a while to get into but the story was brilliant and I was left guessing for most of the story.

Miles is a rich business owner who has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness and realises that the sperm donation he made years ago may have produced offspring that will be impacted by this illness. He sets out to find them, only to find someone else is getting there first.

A bit far fetched - probably - but it absolutely did not spoil the story and I was left guessing right up until the end. The characters in the book are likable which I think makes a book so much more enjoyable. All in all a great read.

As always, Linwood Barclay pulls off yet another great standalone fast paced thriller.

The main character Miles is extremely rich and has everything in life apart from a family. He finds out he has a life shortening disease. A couple of decades ago he donated his sperm to a fertility clinic and it turns out he fathered 9 children, so he sets out to find them to warn them that the disease may have been passed onto them. He wants to urge them to get tested and also to let them know who he is and he is willing to help them financially by leaving them part of his fortune.

It soon becomes clear that somebody else is searching for these 9 too and so begins a race to find out who and why!

The characters were all very believable and I really warmed to Chloe (the first Miles meets). Their bond was very heart warming and developed nicely throughout the book.

This would make a great film so I hope Hollywood picks it up!

Many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an arc.

Wow, what a fantastic book that was to read! Initially I wondered where this book was going as it really seemed to jump all over the place making little sense. Thankfully, I persisted and to say I was hooked would be an understatement!

The book reminded me somewhat of the Dean Koontz ‘Jane Hawk’ series, so if you liked them, you will also love this one!

Another fast paced thriller from Linwood Barclay, he writes these books so brilliantly
This one follows a tech giant who is a multi billionaire but has no children but did donate sperm years ago and now needs to try and find those children. Firstly to see if they carry his genetic disease Huntington’s which is a progressive disease not curable but if they had a share of his money they could pay for the very care
So miles pays someone to bribe the secretary to get hold of the names of the kids that are his and their addresses and run full background checks on them
Miles then decides he wants to go to meet the girl closest to him Chloe so he meets her in the diner she works at and whilst sitting drinking coffee he tells her who he is and why he is looking for her. She is so excited as she recently sent her dna of to a website that finds your siblings as she had two mums she knows they used a sperm diner. She tells Miles about this guy Todd she met recently in fact she says we can go meet him and so they go to his trailer which is unusually tidy and smells strongly of bleach, Chloe is shocked everything is gone clothes,toothbrush,cutlery everything. Which doesn’t add up but they find his phone on the bed but are distracted by a car driving into a ditch and when they go back the phone is gone? But Chloe is making a video about this process and says look at the bed before the phone is there but there is a hand poking out from under the bed. Is it Todd’s? No this hand has part of finger missing
From then on strange things start to happen people of the list go missing what is happening?

I am a huge fan of Linwood Barclay. He writes well with original themes. This one however just did not do it for me. The idea of DNA testing and matching up relatives, was an original concept for this thriller and certainly got me hooked at the beginning. However, my interest waned as we the reader did not get to know the characters in this one. Shades of Epstein were very topical and wove in well.

Could this be Linwood Barclay’s best book?

Miles Cookson has received devastating news from his doctor. He has inherited the disease called Huntingdon’s Disease and wants to get his life in order before the disease becomes too difficult for him to cope.

Miles has made millions out of apps that most people use in their lives every day. However, there was a time when he was struggling and sold his sperm to a fertility clinic. He wants to find the children he’s created and share his wealth with them. Unfortunately, the doctor who runs the clinic has a secret; the children Miles thinks he’s fathered have instead, been fathered by a megalomaniac. This man is hell-bent of not only killing all his offspring but making sure that there is no trace left behind to link him to them.

Linwood Barclay has excelled himself in this novel. The protagonist, Miles Cookson, is one of the most admirable characters I’ve ever come across. I loved him and felt so much empathy with how he copes with the diagnosis and his moral dilemmas of finding his “sons and daughters”, only to discover that someone else is even more determined to see them obliterated.

Another character that shines is Chloe Swanson – his “daughter”. She’s feisty, street-savvy and compliments Miles as she goes on the search with him to find her half-siblings.

There is an interesting villain. I’d love someone to contact me after they’ve read the book because I’m sure the person is based on an infamous scoundrel who hit the headlines and kept us enthralled with their nefarious lifestyle.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.