Find You First, by Linwood Barclay {Book Review}

Imagine discovering that you had 9 kids you didn’t know about? This after discovering that you have a terminal illness, one that these kids could possibly inherit. Imagine discovering these kids, and they then start disappearing, one by one…. Well Miles doesn’t have to imagine…this is his life…and you can read all about it in Linwood Barclay’s newest thriller, Find You First.

What is Find You First about?

Tech millionaire Miles Cookson has more money than he can ever spend, and everything he could dream of—except time. He has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and there is a fifty percent chance that it can be passed on to the next generation. For Miles, this means taking a long hard look at his past . . .

Two decades ago, a young, struggling Miles was a sperm donor. Somewhere out there, he has kids—nine of them. And they might be about to inherit both the good and the bad from him—maybe his fortune, or maybe something much worse.

As Miles begins to search for the children he’s never known, aspiring film documentarian Chloe Swanson embarks on a quest to find her biological father, armed with the knowledge that twenty-two years ago, her mother used a New York sperm bank to become pregnant.

When Miles and Chloe eventually connect, their excitement at finding each other is overshadowed by a series of mysterious and terrifying events. One by one, Miles’s other potential heirs are vanishing—every trace of them wiped, like they never existed at all.

Who is the vicious killer—another heir methodically erasing rivals? Or is something even more sinister going on?

My Review

Characters and Story line

This is my 2nd Linwood Barclay read and I have to say, I am a fan. Elevator Pitch was my previous read from this author, and I quite enjoyed it. Find You First has a very surreal storyline and at times, I had to suspend reality, but that’s what reading is about right, suspending reality?

Miles meets Chloe pretty early on and Chloe was definitely my favourite character in this book. She really came across as witty, smart and funny! The chapters with her were probably my favourite. We also meet many other characters, mostly employees of the 2 rich men in this book, Miles and Jeremy. Some family members thrown in for extra connection….and we have a big pot of characters to get through.

My Thoughts

There’s A LOT going on in this book and the book is also told from multiple POV’s. I didn’t find it difficult to keep track of everybody though. Ultimately all the people and stories connect to one bumpy conclusion.

Find You First has a good pace and maintains the tension throughout its 500 pages. I loved that this book has shorter chapters, so that prevents the book from feeling 500 pages LONG! I did feel that, as with Elevator Pitch, the villain becomes terribly unhinged towards the end, which ends up taking away from my reading experience.

My Rating

Find You First has a Goodreads rating of 4.16 stars. I’m giving this book 3.5 stars. The storyline is good and the writing flows well. This book is as far fetched as it is entertaining!

Disclaimer: Find You First was sent to me by Jonathan Ball in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.