THE LAST THING A TWIN EXPECTS IS TO BE ALONE ... *** From the acclaimed author of THE LAST THING TO BURN comes a new thriller about identity, rivalry and deceit. *** 'Dean handles his plot with skill ... Molly is an intriguing protagonist and Dean has plenty of surprises for the unwary reader' OBSERVER 'The talented Mr Ripley would have enjoyed every moment of its tortuous plot. There is no higher praise' DAILY MAIL 'Highly accomplished, dark and dazzling. First Born twists and deceives, and cements Will Dean's status as a ...
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THE LAST THING A TWIN EXPECTS IS TO BE ALONE ... *** From the acclaimed author of THE LAST THING TO BURN comes a new thriller about identity, rivalry and deceit. *** 'Dean handles his plot with skill ... Molly is an intriguing protagonist and Dean has plenty of surprises for the unwary reader' OBSERVER 'The talented Mr Ripley would have enjoyed every moment of its tortuous plot. There is no higher praise' DAILY MAIL 'Highly accomplished, dark and dazzling. First Born twists and deceives, and cements Will Dean's status as a truly rare talent. Pure brilliance' CHRIS WHITAKER Molly lives a quiet, contained life in London. Naturally risk averse, she gains comfort from security and structure. Every day the same. Her identical twin Katie is her exact opposite: gregarious and spontaneous. They used to be inseparable, until Katie moved to New York a year ago. Molly still speaks to her daily without fail. But when Molly learns that Katie has died suddenly in New York, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. Katie is part of her DNA. As terrifying as it is, she must go there and find out what happened. As she tracks her twin's last movements, cracks begin to emerge. Nothing is what it seems. And a web of deceit is closing around her. Delivering the same intensity of pace and storytelling that made THE LAST THING TO BURN a word-of-mouth sensation, FIRST BORN will surprise, shock and enthral. 'Powerful ... Dean takes on issues of personal identity and familial responsibility' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Tiptoes into Highsmith territory here. Pacy, exhilarating and jaw-dropping, it's a meditation on identity and loneliness as well as a bloody good page-turner. New York buffets the characters about its ruthless streets, just as the reader is propelled from one twist to the next' ERIN KELLY 'A superb page-turner' STEVE CAVANAGH 'Will Dean writes a mean thriller, with a keen ear for what scares us. The streets of New York shine off the page, and the action rarely lets up. Highly recommended' SARAH HILARY 'Will Dean manages to accomplish the rare blend of excellent writing and intriguing, ingenious plotting' LIZ NUGENT 'Taut, suspenseful, chilling and surprising' GILLY MACMILLAN 'Equal parts murder mystery and psychological thriller, Will Dean dazzles with FIRST BORN. A tense, taut plot that blows through unexpected twists and turns, you won't be able to look away until the final, shattering page' JULIE CLARK 'Great pace, great twists, a perfect psychological thriller' B.A. PARIS 'A clever and sophisticated construction...A jolly good read' SHOTS 'Rather special' Sunday Times Crime Club *Star pick* 'The storyline is truly original, with one of those brilliant endings only a great thriller writer can dream up' The Press Association 'Spine-chilling' Irish Independent 'This psychological thriller is a masterpiece' Crime Review
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I didn't envy Will Dean writing First Born this year. His last book The Last Thing to Burn became such a success last year (including making my top list of books in 2021), that expectations are at an all time high. As the last book was very much a standalone, this adds pressure of stepping out of his comfort zone with something completely different but still delivering a great book.
I needn't have worried - Will Dean has absolutely done it again and First Born is another standout hit for this reader! In First Born we meet Molly Raven, who has spent all of her life in her twin sister's shadow. While the daring and charismatic Katie is living her life in New York, Molly has stayed in England, struggling with day to day anxieties and disaster scenarios which plague her thoughts. However, when her sister is found murdered, she makes the trip across the pond to help investigate what has happened.
There seems to be a trend at the moment for socially awkward main characters that we can all relate to (think The Maid or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine). This works really well here as Molly ponders through all of the worst-case scenarios of what could happen to her on a day to day basis. Although this is unusual, some of the quirks she had, particularly in regard to airport etiquette I completely empathised and related to and so I found her to be a really compelling main character. The book starts very much as a standard crime thriller but then there are two sensational twists that I did not see coming which shake up the plot and left me racing through the pages to find out what would happen next.
I won't discuss the plot in any more detail for fear of giving anything away, but I really do recommend you read this book to find out more. My only criticism would be that as the twist is so great, it does throw up some plot-holes and questions about certain characters if you look back on the rest of the book with hindsight. However, I think that fixing this would have given everything away too early!
Overall, Will Dean has produced another brilliant and twisty thriller and I can't wait to read whatever he writes next! Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
