First Born by Will Dean is a fantastic, edge of your seat read that had me gripped from beginning to end. Very different to his previous books, the first half is more of a slow burn that steadily picks up pace as the story progresses. With twists, turns, shocks and surprises you do not see coming, this is a psychological thriller that had me racing through the pages, desperate to find out what was going to happen next.

Molly lives a quiet life in London. Content to live a secure and structured lifestyle, she gains comfort from the day to day routine of her daily life. Her identical twin Katie (or KT as Molly calls her) is the exact opposite, preferring to be spontaneous and to live life to the full. The twins were once inseparable, but KT moved to New York a year ago and, although they still talk every day, nothing is the same. But then Molly learns that Katie has died suddenly and soon finds herself in unfamiliar territory, on a plane to New York desperate to find out what happened. As she tracks KT’s last movements, Molly begins to uncover a web of deceit and lies. Is anything as it seems?

I don’t want to say too much more about the plot as to do so would take away from the impact of simply experiencing it for yourself. But I can say with complete honesty that First Born is a tense and unpredictable story that will keep you guessing throughout. And I loved it!

Will Dean’s writing is as mesmerising as always and the tension palpable as Molly begins to uncover the truth of what happened to her twin sister. The relationship between the sisters remains a focal point, even as the temperature rises and the thriller aspect of the novel begins to take shape. I loved the ’identical twin’ side of the story, which is always complex and never straightforward, as it gave a very realistic insight into the unbreakable bond between the sisters.

A tense and gripping psychological thriller, First Born is a fascinating, atmospheric and thought provoking tale that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. Will Dean’s writing gets better and better with each book and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next!

Highly recommended.

What a great read.
A slow burner initially as the scene is set and you get to know the character of Molly, the less adventurous twin, then it all changes and the pace increases as does the tension. I had difficulty putting it down by the end of the book.
A gripping read by a talented writer.

This is my second read of Dean's (the first being the brilliant The Last Thing to Burn) and oh my, this is a belter of a book!

We meet Molly and Katie, twins who although they are identical in looks, are complete polar opposites in the way they live. Molly has severe anxiety of the 'worst thing happening' in life. So she has developed an OCD in safety and her London flat is her Fort Knox. Katie, lives life more freely and has moved to New York to attend college. When Molly receives a call from her stricken parents telling her that Katie has died suddenly, Molly has to get herself over there. Once she is there, her parents tell her that it looks like Katie has been murdered.

To get to the bottom of what has happened, Molly must overcome all of her anxieties to find out what happened to her beloved sister.

The first half of the book really builds up Molly's character, helps you to understand her oddities and we see how the loss of her twin rips her apart. It's almost like a character piece - the story is kind of a slow burn and is enjoyable. Then in the 2nd half of the book, the rug is well and truly pulled from under your feet.

I don't want to put too much about the punchy second half, as I really do feel that this is a book best read with no spoilers, but Dean does not disappoint! Everything you think you've come to understand, it is completely turned on it's head. Every plot twist completely threw me, I didn't see a single thing coming. I did not see the ending coming. In fact, Dean made a fool of me, I didn't see anything of the plot coming!

This is one rollercoaster of a ride, I enjoyed the hell out of it. A brilliant 4 star read for me.

A very twisted story, revolving around twins Molly and Katie. I'm not sure even that I understood everything that was going on correctly. It was not immediately clear to me that when Molly got telephoned by her mother about her sisters death, the parents were already staying in New York. You'd think they wanted to spend time with Katie, but all they did was sitting in a horrible cheap hostel worrying about their financial trouble. Well, if you're in financial trouble, why travel to New York to visit a daughter that apparently hardly had time to spend with her parents, before she was killed? The story about the financial trouble was sort of a sideline and it never became wholly clear, at least not to me, why this happened and why this was important.
But then, Molly sets out to help the police find the killer. She is way, way outside her comfort zone and the author described this very well. Since Katie is dead, we only hear the thoughts of the surviving twin about how they grew up together and how good it was - and how difficult.
I've never been to New York but the city plays a major role in the story and this was also very well done.
There are some interesting characters in the book but sadly not the main characters. Although it's horrible when your twin gets murdered, I couldn't relate to either Molly, her parents or Katie's friends. Just not my kind of people.
There are many twists and turns and after finishing the book I had to go back to see what I missed, because I definitely missed something because the ending was too big of a surprise. I saw something coming but I missed the background for this ending.
Despite this, I gave the book 4 stars because it was a very good read.

I loved Will Dean’s The Last Thing To Burn, so when I first heard about First Born, I was very excited. As well as my Netgalley copy, I also had this on preorder, and was happy to go back and forth between the physical and ebook version.

I loved this story. I want to thank Mr Dean for putting my anxiety into overdrive with Molly’s huge anxieties lol! The more I read of her feeling certain ways about things, the more she made sense to me. I loved following her around this big new city, even though she was filled with so much grief. I was dying to find out who the killer was, and had a few ideas throughout of who it could have been. I will say no more!

First Born is a brilliant book, with so many twists you may end up with whiplash. Read it.

I was so so excited to read this book, it was one of my most highly anticipated releases of the year as I absolutely loved the last thing to burn. It certainly didn’t disappoint and I absolutely flew through this one!

It’s tense, it’s gripping and fast paced and everything I could want in a book. Will Dean has written a fantastic piece of fiction and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone! A page turner that will get your heart racing!

This was a good story, I was intrigued as to what was gonna happen and I'm glad I picked it up! Want to read more from this author

This book was so totally gripping, I really enjoyed it!
The book was super fast paced, and there wasn't a single moment that dragged. I was desperate to get the end and find out the mystery.

I'm still annoyed that I didn't see that ending coming! Of course it was obvious, but I clearly was just enjoying the reading experience so much that it just passed me by.

I had read a Will Dean book before, and wasn't too impressed - but I am pleased that I decided to give the author another chance because this was great!
If you want a page-turner thriller - definitely recommend this book!

Fabulous book !
I was up till the early hours reading this.
What a brilliant twist at the end.
Love it.
10/10

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Thing to Burn by this author and I was really looking forward to reading this latest offering.
To be honest I very nearly abandoned it in the first half as I found it slow going and dare I say it, a little boring. Anyway, I am glad I didn't as it picked up and became a gripping, fast paced thriller with a brilliant twist that I didn't see coming.
It will appeal to readers who like psychological thrillers with a surprise.

First Born takes a story about twins to a new level. It’s an absolute belter; fast paced, engaging, filled with twists that leave the reader almost literally breathless. Will Dean seems to have a natural gift as a storyteller because the plotting is faultless. The premise is one that’s been done before, but not as well as this. Twins, Molly and Katie are alike and different. One outgoing, one reserved and almost frightened of life. But the unexpected death of her sibling in New York takes her on a journey…one beyond your wildest imagination.

This is a book I raced through and there are jaw dropping revelations as the story unfolds. Absolutely loved it and looking forward to more from this author.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

I enjoyed this almost as much as ‘Last thing to burn’ (which was one of my top reads last year)

I read this on a flight to New York and I have to say that the setting is so authentic. There were so many little details and features that bring the story to life and give it depth and colour.

Loved it the whole way through but was mildly unsatisfied with how it ended.

4.75 stars.

I've never read any Will Dean before but he's been highly recommended to me by many people, so I thought that First Born would be a good place to start my discovery.

Twins Molly and Katie are very different - when outgoing and adventurous Katie is found dead in New York, Molly leaves her safe London existence to retrace the steps of her sister's last days.

This is very gripping and fast paced. We find out about half way through who killed Katie, but the surprises don't stop there. Intriguing family dynamics, life with OCD, sibling rivalry, New York City - this was a very satisfying read.

Molly Raven and her identical twin are complete opposites. Molly is an introvert who takes her safety very seriously and knows the risks of everything. KT however is far more outgoing and has recently moved to New York to study, but this does not stop them from being in almost daily contact and they are very close. Then Molly’s life is turned upside down when she finds out that KT had died, and she is forced to face her fears and fly out to New York to be with her parents at this awful time.
It is soon ascertained that KT has been murdered and it is on the front pages of the papers for days which causes a few shocked reactions when people see Molly.
Before they have to return home Molly hopes that she can help the police with their investigation before it is inevitably side-lined by newer cases. And she decides to do some investigating herself and begins to track the ‘ins and outs’ of her sister’s life in New York, and soon discovers Katie was hiding some secrets. There are several people in Molly’s life who could be suspects and even her parents seem to be acting very strangely considering their daughter has been murdered.
So far, so ‘slow burn’ murder mystery, but then out of nowhere the reader is blindsided by a twist that I for one did not see coming at all, and it changes everything! I do not want to say anything else because I do not want to give anything away. This is only the second book I have read by Will Dean but it was as exciting and intriguing as ‘The Last Thing to Burn’ and I look forward to reading his next offering.

If you are happy to suspend disbelief then this dark twisted story is probably one you will like. It’s hard to critique this without giving any plot away but suffice to say it’s a huge reveal in the middle-ish that turns the story on its head.
Not for me but I know it will be popular

Another great stand alone thriller from Will Dean

Molly, the quiet, anxious and introverted twin of outgoing and confident Katie receives the devastating news that her twin sister has died whilst their parents are in New York visiting her. Molly has to overcome her fear of flying to be with her parents asap.

On arrival, having found out that Katie was murdered, Molly starts looking into Katie’s life to try to uncover what happened.

This book literally transports you to New York, fabulous descriptions, great characterisation and after a gentle start it becomes a gripping, fabulously twisty thriller which will keep you turning those pages - enjoy, I certainly did!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I was enthralled by The Last Thing to Burn so was delighted to be given the opportunity to read First Born.
This story was a tale of two halves. In the first half we follow Molly - an identical twin - so different in every way to Katie (KT). Molly lives a very insular life. She is frightened of everything and the reader learns how she sees risk in everything and lives her life accordingly - in the shadow of Katie. Katie does the unthinkable and moves to America - she is fearless, popular, daring, outgoing. Molly receives a phone call from her parents informing her that Katie is dead - died in suspicious circumstances. Molly must swallow her fears and fly to be with her parents.
The second half of the book is so totally different. Molly has to face her fears and researches all Katie's relationships searching for a murderer - and so a whirlwind mystery begins. Molly changes completely. The change of pace is startling.
Clever, original, compulsive reading.
Another 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Will Dean/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Dark and twisted is how I’d describe this book. I enjoyed reading it as it was well written, with characters who had depth and an interesting plot that had twists and turns throughout. You are following the story but it becomes complicated and then unexpected things happen.

What happens when you are a twin and one of you dies.? The outgoing confident one leaves the anxious one to live alone, without the reassurance of the other one. Follow the twists and turns and be surprised and astounded by the mastery of the story right to the last page.
I definitely enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more books by this author

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!!!