First Born - Will Dean Kartoniert (TB)

Spannend!

As much as it pains me to say it, I have to confess that this book just didn’t work for me. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. Coming on the heels of the phenomenal The Last Thing to Burn, this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022. It ended up being one I’d rather forget.Molly and Katie (known as KT and older by three minutes) are identical twins, but they couldn’t be more different. Molly’s life is governed by extreme paranoia, routine and order. She’s an introvert and a loner, close to no one except her immediate family. KT on the other hand is the life and soul of every party; academically successful and liked by everyone who enters her orbit.For the past year, Molly has had to get used to living alone in London, while KT takes up a study sponsorship in New York. The twins speak to each other every day, but Molly still feels a sense of abandonment and worry. Her fears are realized when she gets a call from her parents to say that KT has been found dead in her apartment, and Molly has to set aside all her natural instincts and fly across the Atlantic to be at their side.This was an intriguing start to the story, and I was quickly hooked. But it wasn’t long before the wheels came off. As the murder investigation gets underway and Molly turns into super sleuth come avenger, it becomes increasingly hard to square her character with her actions.I also struggled hugely with the plot, which evolves into into a crazy jumble of ideas that never coalesce into any kind of concrete whole.The first big twist comes about a third of the way through, and it was here that I already guessed what the final twist would be. I could have lived with that, however, if not for the rest of the plot making absolutely no sense. The motivation is never explained, and even if you suspend disbelief, you’re still left scratching your head and coming up with nothing but splinters.The whole thing was just plain weird and not at all what I expect from Will Dean. That said, I’m already calling it a blip and looking forward to his next offering.