Will Dean is an excellent writer and this one had me gripped with plot points I didn't see coming and a main character who you are compelled by - can't wait for his next book

Complex psychological thriller about twins living on either side of the pond. Identical in looks but not in nature when one does the other comes to unearth the truth. . Full of twists and turns.

Molly and Katy are identical twins. Molly is an introvert who likes order and does not like to take risks and her sister KT who wants to fly the nest and find adventure. KT moves to New York deserting her twin sister. Whilst her parents are in New York to visit KT she is murdered and Molly has to push herself outside of her comfort zone to travel to New York to support her parents in dealing with the aftermath but also to try to find out more about KT's life and who may have murdered her and why. However, all is not quite as straightforward as it seems and the book provides a number of twists and turns that keep you guessing and then one huge "I didn''t see that at all" towards the end. A truly superb book, very cleverly written.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and I was gripped from the first page. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I did not see the ending coming.

This is a clever and extremely twisty psychological thriller about a subject most of us find interesting, identical twins!
Molly and KT are identical twins and have been extremely close since childhood. However KT decides to move to New York leaving Molly alone in London. Molly really misses her sister and is the narrator of the story. She is slightly unusual and fearful of everything including travel. She obviously suffers from some sort of personality problem- she has no friends and no social life and looks for danger in all normal activities.
When she gets a call from her parents who are visiting KT in New York she is shocked to discover her sister is dead. She must fight all her fears and take a flight out to meet up with them and vows to find out what has happened.
As Molly tells the story the reader becomes aware that she is probably an unreliable narrator but when there is a shock revelation half way through it comes as a big surprise- well it certainly did to me.
The second half of the book is much faster paced with more exciting twists, leaving the reader desperate to find out what is going to happen.
This is a very clever book which has been extremely well plotted and Molly is an interesting character who seems likeable but rather strange in her behaviour. Think of Engelby by Sebastian Faulks or the Talented Mr Ripley- this book is just as intriguing.
I won’t say too much about what happens as it will spoil the book but suffice it to say that this is an excellent psychological thriller which I found hard to put down. It’s definitely five stars from me and I will certainly look out for any more books by this talented author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder for my arc.

Whoa what a ride! First Born is very different to The Last Thing to Burn but just as compellingly-written and hard to put down. Another fantastic psychological thriller!

What I think this author excels at is pacing and tension-building, which really ramp up as the book progresses. Short snappy chapters are often delivered with a killer line or twist at the end, which makes it impossible to stop reading. I guessed one major plot development quite early on but there was still plenty to keep me on my toes throughout.

The Last Thing to Burn was always going to be a hard one to live up to seeing as though it was one of my top reads of 2021. And while First Born didn’t quite make my toes curl in the same way, I did really enjoy it and it’s cemented Will Dean as a total auto-buy author for me.

With thanks to Hodder for gifting me a digital copy to review.

Thankyou for a copy of First Born to read and review. This absolutely pains me to say, as I am a HUGE fan of Will's but I really struggled with the book. The plot was great - but I did guess the twist - but the writing wasn't quite as sharp as it is usually is. I adore his Tuva Moodyson series and thought that The Last Thing To Burn was one of the best books I have read in the past decade, so am really upset that this didn't quite hit the mark for me. Looking at the reviews I am definitely in the minority, and it won't. of course, stop me buying and reading his books.

Wow, this book was good! It starts off fairly slowly, but I was immediately drawn into the story about Molly, living in London and her twin, Katie, who has moved to New York. When Katie (KT) is suddenly found dead, nothing for Molly will ever be the same, as she heads to New York to be with their parents and find out what really happened to her twin.

I loved the descriptions of Molly's neurosies and how they affect everything about her life. But just when you reach the halfway point, something happened that actually made me do a double take and go back and re-read what I'd just read to make sure I wasn't mistaken! It sent me reeling!

The second half of the book picks up the pace, but I have to confess I did find parts of the latter half confusing and I felt it wasn't quite as gripping as the first half. But I loved the characters, the New York setting (so realistically portrayed) and, although I did guess the twist here, it didn't take anything away from the book for me.

Definitely recommend. I'll be reading Will's next book.

Thanks to the author Will Dean, publishers Hodder & Stoughton and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A great read, well-written, with good characters, and lots of intrigue and suspense. Recommended

This is the story of identical twins Molly and Katie who are as different in personality as it is possible to be; Katie is vivacious and carefree, seizing opportunities where she can, whilst Molly is overly anxious, looking for the dangers in everything so she can find solutions; this can range from sleeping on breathable pillows for babies, up to having fire extinguishers in every room of the house just in case of any mishaps.
Molly is happy in her regimented life, until she gets the world shattering news that Katie has died in her New York apartment. Molly has to face her fears and go to New York to try and find out what has happened to the other park of her.
For me, this wasnt as gripping as other Will Dean books, and I didnt race through it like I had with previous books that I have read. 'The Last Thing To Burn' is a very hard act to follow though. Nonetheless, it was tense and had chilling moments throughout and the twists in the storyline certainly threw me off course.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it.

After devouring "The Last Thing to Burn", I was so excited to receive a copy of his new novel, First Born, from the publishers.

The book is told from the viewpoint of Molly, who is the identical twin sister of Kate. Kate moved to New York to study and Molly, left in London, has felt the void ever since. One day, she receives a phone call from her parents, who are visiting Kate, with the traumatic news that Kate has died. Molly, understandably, is an absolute mess. Her twin was always the confident one. Molly, on the other hand, is obsessed with personal safety, to an absolute extreme. She is quiet, timid and extremely anxious.

Putting all her worries aside, she jumps on the plane to New York to be with her parents. It is quickly clear, that all is not what it seems. The police deliver the news that Kate has been murdered. Following the shocking news, Molly delves into Kate's life to try and find answers, which will hopefully lead her on the path to finding Kate's murderer.

The book is a real slow burner to begin with. The author really sets the scene and through the narration of Molly, the author really brings the characters to life.

The second half of the book delivers all of the twists and turns. The book never seems to settle. Just when the reader feels comfortable where the book is going, the author delivers yet another twist, throwing the reader onto another path.

The author has a real talent for thriller writing.

The ending. Wow. Of all of the scenarios that I built up in my head, I really did not imagine this. It was truly a shocking ending.

Thank you to the publishers for the gifted proof copy.

A very cleverly plotted story about the murder of a twin, the mystery surrounding it and it’s impact on the surviving sister and the parents. The idea of twins who are identical in looks but with different personalities has great potential for plot twists and reader deception and this does not disappoint. Whilst always feeling that all was not what it seemed as the story unfolded, there were still surprises along the way. A novel where you are always expecting the unexpected and getting it in spades. Very clever and well written.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy to review.

This book opens with a woman describing the bedroom, how her paranoia influences every aspect of her life. Fascinating introduction.

She is one of two superficially identical twins, one of whom is murdered in New York. Despite her fear of the risks involved in flying, she goes to be with her parents at this dreadful time. Throughout she explains how different she is from her twin, how her dead twin was more confident, calm and how she was the one who gained all of the best nutrients and so on, whist in the womb.

The first part of the plot shows how he deals with her loss and her attempts to find out who killed her sister. She finds out who her friends were and what kind of life she lived. At this point the book is a whodunnit featuring an amateur sleuth. Nothing original here.

However, the second part is more complex, with lots unexpected aspects to both the girls' lives coming to light. Often a little overly contrived and sometimes confusing, this is a fast-paced story written in short chapters in the first person. It is an intense book about identity, revenge and what it means to be a part of someone else. Recommended.

Thanks to Hodder & Staughton & Netgalley for ARC.

First - I love Mr Dean's writing, and The Last Thing to Burn was probably my favourite book of last year.
Second - I love the high concept of this novel - twins Molly and Katie, growing apart as they get older, living incredibly different lives apparently in keeping with their incredibly different personalities. Sudden death of one twin leaves the survivor and her parents bereft, looking for answers. Things are murkier than they appear on the surface.
Third - New York is an irresistible setting for this kind of novel, feeling familiar to all from books and films, even if we haven't been there.

It's a slow burning start, with the first and biggest twist not till around half way through, that will have you sitting up in bed going 'What the - ?' and unable to stop reading on just one more chapter.
After that, things get more convoluted, and frankly for me, it got just a little silly as the denouement approached. Still, admirable to keep it all going, and such a change in pace from his other work.

I’m hoping I can review this book without giving away any spoilers.

This has been a tricky book for me to review and I actually finished it yesterday and have given myself sometime to get my thoughts together.

The first half of this book I was really gripped. Then something happens around the halfway mark and I struggled. I think it just felt a a step too far fetched. I’m glad I stuck with it as I did like the ending.

As mentioned before I don’t want to drop any spoilers which makes it difficult to expand on my feelings.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. #FirstBorn

First Born by Will Dean is a book about identical twins, Mollie and Katie. Katie moves to America to study, leaving Molly in England, they have never been separated for that length of time or distance before. Then Katie is found dead and her parents, who were visiting at the time want Molly to join them, while the police try to find her killer.
A strange, convoluted storyline with many twists and turns and strange characters that appear and disappear.
Recommended.

This is the second Will Dean book I've read after The Last Thing to Burn. That was an OK read for me and this one has gone the same way. It was a quick enough read and I liked the premise but for me the whole thing was just a bit meh. I knew what was coming pretty much straight from the start. The beginning and the ending were good but the middle just felt a bit mixed up. Probably wouldn't recommend unfortunately

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
I thought this book started very well, setting the character of Molly as someone who is so concerned with dangers all around that she constantly researches risk levels and takes recommended actions to mitigate any danger. Once she arrived in America it seemed that the family relationships are rather dysfunctional; they are not open with each other and don't seem to be demanding any information or answers from the police. The descriptions of events and characters are covered with such minute detail that by the time I was 25% through the novel almost nothing had actually happened. I wasn't finding it fast-paced or thrilling, I gave up at this point.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘First Born’ by Will Dean in exchange for an honest review.

This is Will Dean’s latest standalone thriller. In the last couple of years I have read all four of Dean’s Tuva Moodyson novels as well as his last standalone and been impressed by all of them. So, I was very excited about ‘First Born’.

Molly lives a quiet, contained life in London. She is risk averse and gains comfort from security and structure. Her identical twin Katie is her exact opposite: outgoing and spontaneous. They used to be inseparable, until Katie moved to New York a year ago. Yet Molly still speaks to her daily without fail.

In the opening chapter Molly learns that Katie has died suddenly in New York. Katie joins her parents there as they were visiting Katie. Needing to know what happened she tracks her twin's last movements. It quickly becomes apparent that nothing is what it seems. ….

I came to ‘First Born’ with little prior knowledge of its plot as I trust Dean’s abilities to craft an engaging thriller and find that such novels are best read cold.

Once started I found ‘First Born’ impossible to put down. It was a brilliantly twisty, rollercoaster of a novel. Will Dean has now become a ‘must read’ author for me.

Highly recommended.

Well, that was an interesting and head-bashing read and I don't even know where to start! You are either going to love it or not like it so much! If I'm honest, for most of the book, I was in the "not like it so much" camp but as the story unfolded, it grew on me more and more and by the end, I was totally invested.

I'm not going to go into any of the plot but will say that you need to be prepared to put aside reality at times, accept that the main character of Molly is not a particularly likeable character (for me anyway) and she does ramble on a bit, which became annoying at times, but if you can do that, you will enjoy this rollercoaster of a read.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.