First Born by Will Dean is a 2022 Atria/Emily Bestler publication.

Molly and Katie are twins, but they have very different personalities. Molly is a shy and anxious Londoner, while Katie is a bold and adventurous New Yorker. But when Molly learns that Katie has been killed, possibly by foul play, she must face her fears and fly to New York to find out the truth.

This is a strange book. It starts as a conventional murder mystery, with Molly trying to
figure out her sister's life and death, but then it takes a shocking turn that changes everything. The twist is so unexpected and subtle that I almost missed it. After that, the story becomes more bizarre and unbelievable as it goes on.

When I finished the book, I felt unsettled by the weird atmosphere of the story, but I also questioned what I had just read. I had mixed feelings about this one. It was original and different, which I liked, but it was also too far-fetched and messy, and lacked firm execution and coherence.

So, in the end, I decided to give it a middle of the road rating - three stars. ( )

I thought the book was interesting and get me engaged the entire time. However, it felt like the author did not do the work for the twists. ( )

Molly Raven is stunned to learn that her identical twin sister Katie has died - and is a possible victim of homicide. Leaving her structured life in London, Molly travels to New York where her sister was attending school to meet with her grieving parents and assist in final arrangements. Molly is a reserved person who craves security and routine so being thrust into a new city is terrifying - but necessary to track Katie’s final days and hopefully uncover what happened to her.

This book intrigued me at the beginning though it followed a current returning trend of thrillers with twins. Then - BAM - ridiculous plot twist, followed by a final epically ridiculous plot twist. Be prepared to suspend your disbelief further than ever. I get that the author really wanted to surprise readers but umm, this was too much. I still gave it 3 stars, but only because it kept me reading.
Thanks to Atria for sending me a complimentary ARC. ( )

First Born explores the toll the death of an identical twin can take. When Molly Raven learns her identical twin sister KT is dead, it seems as though several rugs have been pulled out from under her all at once. She and KT know each other better than anyone, talking everyday even now that KT was in New York while she remained in England. Now this risk-averse, fear-filled woman must navigate taking a plane to another country to be there for her sister. She wonders why she didn’t feel that connection being cut when KT died and is certain there are answers to be found in NYC.

Upon arrival, it takes all she has to help her parents manage with the business of death but she also finds time to meet with KT’s friends and lovers. She is certain somewhere out in the city the answer is waiting to be found. But then, things aren’t always as they seem. Is Molly on a mission to solve her sister’s murder or avenge those who harmed her sister in life?

First Born takes the unreliable narrator genre and tips it on its head. There is more than one complete surprise in this story that captures the ability of one twin to think inside the head of her sister in order to address her murder and avenge the wrong done to her. The sense of place is good, but it’s the character of Molly that makes this book so riveting. Since the success of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, it seems everyone is trying to write the next book with a twist you don’t see coming. Will Dean succeeds. I am sure you are already guessing what that twist will be…but you are wrong.

I received an e-galley of First Born from the publisher through Edelweiss

First Born at Simon & Schuster
Will Dean on Twitter and bio
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2022/11/15/first-bornby-will-dean/ ( )

The same yet different. This describes identical twins Molly and Katie (KT) Raven. Molly is introverted and afraid of life threats to the point of paranoia. Her life is made up of rituals. Katie, older by 3 minutes, is an extrovert, who at age 18 left her Nottingham home to study at Columbia University in New York under scholarship—the terms of which seem obscure. Katie seems to be living life to the fullest. Molly has not gotten over the trauma that these two close twins should be separated, despite the fact they talk every day.

On a trip to visit Katie in New York, their parents find her laid out on her bed, dead, murdered. Overcome with grief they urge Molly to venture out of the safety of England and fly to New York. After taking all the appropriate precautions to overpower any terrorists who might be on board the plane, Molly flies over the Atlantic (instead of taking a slower, but safer ship) and makes it to the big city.

Information about what happened to Katie is scant, and Martinez, the detective assigned to the case provides no illumination. Molly takes it upon herself to step out of character and investigate, contacting Katie’s acquaintances in the hopes of shedding light on the perpetrator. There are plenty of viable suspects among this group. Molly also finds that Katie was living a life that Molly knew nothing about…despite their daily conversations.

This might seem like a brief description but anything more will give away the plot.
One reviewer said “The first half of the novel is a slow burn tale of a young woman trying to figure out who murdered her sister, Katie…Then a wrecking ball shatters all the ideas we have and a pacy psychological thriller sends us on the way to the denouement.” This is pretty much the way I felt reading the book on vacation. Molly is an interesting character, partially overcoming her OCD to venture out into Manhattan at all hours of the day and night. And Manhattan, the city that never sleeps, with its multiple unique neighborhoods is certainly a character in the book. Adding to the local color is Jimmy, a food cart vendor, who takes a shine to Molly.

Although I’m not a fan of psychological thrillers, if you view Molly more as a private detective and less as a distraught, compulsive sister, the book becomes somewhat more procedural. However, it is still full of surprises. I thought I saw parts of the ending as I read the book, but I was nowhere near the truth. ( )