With an intriguing plot, identical twins and idiosyncratic behavior, First Born is a top-notch psychological murder mystery with blindsiding twists that hit you in the face like a coin-filled sock. Will Dean has produced an absorbing thriller guaranteed to keep you hanging on every word and action, where nearly everyone is a viable suspect with motive to commit murder.
First Born follows the peculiar, risk-averse and routine-driven Molly Raven as she travels to New York upon learning of her identical sister Katie’s death. When the police deem it a homicide, Molly starts her own investigation by diving into the world her adventurous and extroverted sister inhabited. Molly quickly finds herself outside her comfort zone and feeling lost without her other half, yet continues to push forward to help the police find the culprit and put them behind bars. But as answers start to present themselves, it becomes apparent that Katie wasn’t the person Molly believed her to be. And like her monozygotic twin, Molly may have a few secrets of her own.
Will Dean has once again delivered a dark, twisted and slow-burning thriller that will bust your brain trying to figure things out. It’s filled with intricate character development. From the twins to their parents, the suspects, and even the guy selling smoothies out of a roadside cart, each person that graces the pages of First Born adds depth and value to the story via their well-crafted backgrounds and motivations. Throw in some seriously big reveals along the way and the result is a glorious character-driven thriller that keeps readers guessing while also cheering for the demise of certain individuals due to their unscrupulous actions.
I’ve quickly become a fan of Will Dean’s writing. Last year with The Last Thing To Burn and this year with First Born, he’s provided two compelling yet different thrillers that show his versatility within the genre. His character development is superb, his writing style is effortlessly engaging and his signature ability to string readers along until dropping game-changing twists is world-class. I can’t wait to see what explodes out of his diabolical mind next.
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Purchase First Born
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Barrington Books
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The Book Dragon
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