This story is about twins and how they differ. Katie, the outgoing twin, is found dead in New York so Molly who worries about everything, calculates the risk in flying out to join her parents in New York to find out what happened to her sister and although flying is more high risk than sailing has to fly because she has to be there quickly. She gets there to find her heartbroken parents who are totally confused about why this has happened to Katie. They were there for a trip of a lifetime with Katie and were really enjoying themselves with her. Molly starts to help police find the culprit . Katie was her polar opposite. She loved to go out with friends,drank, didn't worry about anything. She loved life in New York. So what did happen to her?.... This is the second Will Dean book I've read and this is just as good if not a little better than the last one. Will Dean has a very clever way of weaving a story and make you become immersed from the start. You never know which direction the story will go, there's no predictive formula. It Veera off when you least expect it. Well done!!. Another fantastic book!!! Many thanks to Netgalley for the free arc book for an honest review. #Netgalley, #hodderbooks, #willdean

Molly Raven lives a quiet life in London minimising risks in ways most of us wouldn’t consider. She’s always vigilant, on guard for dangers which she constantly calculates. Her monozygotic twin Katie (KT) lives in New York and is as different to Molly as day is to night, as light to shade. She is there pursuing her studies and enjoying a New York lifestyle. Molly gets a phone call from their parents, who are visiting New York, to inform her that KT is dead and Molly knows she has to bravely venture out of her comfort zone to join them where revelations and secrets emerge about KT’s lifestyle. Molly narrates, how reliably only time will tell. Will Dean knocks it out of the park yet again in this superbly crafted mystery thriller. New York as a setting has a frenetic feel yet also provides a claustrophobic backdrop to the multiple twists and is a perfect match; in fact the plot is probably twisted rather than twisty! The author uses locations extremely effectively such as diners, parks, stores to achieve maximum impact. The characterisation is outstanding especially of risk minimising Molly and the deep seated psychological aspects of the ‘twin thing’ is excellent and I enjoy the transformations that take place. The plot twists are excellent, talk about wool pulling over the eyes, it’s so clever, and I think as the finale approaches my eyes (once wool is removed!) are out on stalks! My mouth hangs open that’s for sure as it’s so full of tension, suspense and what transpires is so unexpected. Well played Mr Dean! So, if you like a thriller that starts out as a slow burn, the picks up pace, misdirects and shocks you at times to your very core then this is for you! Be warned though it’s very hard to put down once started!

Yes! He's done it again! A completely different book to the others written by this excellent author and it's a cracking read. Molly is a twin, living in London who suffers from severe anxiety and who lives her life in terror of an accident or other dreadful end. On receiving a call from her parents, who are visiting her twin sister in New York, Molly learns that her sister has been murdered, so, she must join her parents in New York. What follows is very difficult to describe as I would wish you to discover every detail for yourself; but, it's a riveting read that takes you into the world of Molly and all of her insecurities, as well as the other characters in her sister, Katie's life and the setting of New York is excellent. It's got murder, mystery, relationships and with twists and turns throughout. I loved it and highly recommend it for pure escapism and thrills.

Erm…….say whatttttttttttttt?!Where do I even begin writing this review!You would have thought identical twins would know each other inside out, wouldn’t you? You would also have thought that they would be able to trust and rely on each other more than anyone else in the world. Sadly, that wasn’t the case for Molly and Katie. Whilst one twin was an extrovert who lived life to the full, grabbing adventures by the who-ha’s, the other twin was an introvert, fiercely afraid of her own shadow and worrying about what could happen….about anything.I wasn’t expecting the storyline to unfold the way that it did, not at all. When it got to the half way point of the book, loose ends were becoming tighter and I couldn’t understand why. Had I missed something? I hadn’t missed a thing because what came next completely caught me off guard. I think the thought of ‘what the actual ..' went through my head like a conveyor belt for 10 minutes straight.Now I know you’re probably wondering what on earth am I going on about, but I can’t give too much away!I didn’t want to put ‘First Born’ down, although I had to once or twice feed my child…and the dogs. Let’s just say that it wasn’t my choice to stop reading the book! I was hooked on ‘First Born’ like a little kid in a sweet shop! I have no idea how Will Dean managed to keep the timeline so iron clad throughout the entire thing without giving anything away. I was so impressed!Stories such as this, is exactly why Will Dean is one of my most favourite authors of all time. The suspense levels were flawless, the attention to detail was absolutely spot on, and the gritty nature was enough to rival a sandy beach! If Will Dean isn’t on your radar, he really needs to be. I cannot wait to find out what he’s got up his sleeve next!Brilliantly written with such a clever and gripping storyline – a belter of a book and then some.

Will Deans book The Last Thing to Burn was my top read of 2021 and even to this day I still think about this brilliant book. So when I got approved to read First Born I was beyond excited. First Born is a completely twisty and gripping psychological thriller which is based mainly in New York. From the first chapter this book had me completely gripped. There was plenty of gasp out loud moment and one in particular rendered me speechless for a bit. Often with these type of psychological thrillers I guess what is going to happen before it does but I honestly have to say I had no clue until the actual moment in the book when certain things were revealed. While I don’t think First Born was as good a read for me as The Last thing to Burn it was still a superb read. I highly recommend this book for fans of psychological thrillers.