Twins are expected to be identical in every way. Mollie and Katie don’t fit that mould. Katie is the extrovert, living life to the full, in New York, having received a sponsorship to study there. Molly is the timid twin, terrified of all the ‘what ifs’, and can’t understand why Katie (or KT as she calls her sister) would want to move away. But when Katie is found dead, she knows she needs to pluck up her courage and fly over to support her parents. Such a really good read, that takes you to some very unexpected places. The plot line is excellent, making you suspect just about everyone but not really having a clue. Then all of a sudden, in one innocent looking sentence the plot is turned on it’s head, and the pace picks up to breakneck speed. The writing is so evocative, New York really comes to life. And a great twist at the end. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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.

Molly is a twin but, unlike her sister Katie, she doesn’t take risks. She likes routine and safety. Molly likes to live a quiet structured contained life in her home in London. But then she receives a call from her parents to say her twin sister has been found murdered in New York City and they want her to come to the ‘Big Apple’ to help them with their grieving. With her life thrown into chaos, she musters her courage and flies to the States where she uncovers a surprising web of lies and deceit. Determined to find the answers she needs, Molly uncovers things about her sister that shock her and it’s not long before she’s on someone’s radar as the web of murder and deceit starts to untangle. Another superb book by Will Dean. He has the brilliant ability to hook the reader early and keep them on the line until its dramatic end. This a very clever story with intricate twists and turns throughout and the ending will knock your socks off. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

Phew, what a read! I was really enjoying this story and thought I had a thorough grasp of what was happening. Then I reached 50% and read 15 little words that stopped me in my tracks. ‘I must have misread …’ I thought. So I checked and double-checked, and I hadn’t misread at all. From that point on things got a bit complicated, and very near the end of the book another few little words shocked me to the core. I don’t pretend to understand everything that happened here but the work and thought that has gone into the excellent writing of this book is just incredible. Highly recommended for those thriller lovers who think they can always follow the plot and understand all the twists. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this fantastic ARC in return for an honest review.

Now here’s a book which will blow your socks off! Molly is a bit of an introvert – the opposite to her identical twin sister, Katie. Inseparable until Katie moved to New York a year ago, they still spoke on a daily basis until, that is, Katie is found dead in her apartment and, much as Molly doesn’t ‘do’ travel, she knows that she has to go there and do what she can to find out what happened to her other half. But no one said it was going to be easy . . . My first thoughts on picking this one up were ‘how on earth is Will Dean going to follow ‘Last Thing to Burn’ – a novel which I have recommended many times over; but follow it he does – and then some! I felt Molly’s pain as she began to do what little she could to help the police in the Big Apple to discover what happened to her sister and I wasn’t entirely sure that she was going to get to the crux of the matter. However, this is a novel full of surprises with even one or two shocks along the way! A spectacular tale, beautifully written as always and one which has left me in awe of the author’s ability to weave such a wonderful story. Five sparkling stars and my very highest recommendation; it will not disappoint!