May 2021

Our longtime readers know that I have been a fan of Linwood Barclay’s books for years. FIND YOU FIRST has ratcheted up his writing and plotting to a whole new level.

Miles Cookson is a tech millionaire who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, one that can be genetically passed along, and there’s a 50 percent chance that his children will get the disease. He has not had any kids of his own that he knows of, but when he was young he was a sperm donor --- leading to the possibility that as many as nine children are out there who may have the gene. His goal is to find them so he can warn them and also leave them his fortune. But as quickly as he tries to track them down, they are disappearing or being found dead. What is happening?

Miles and one of his possible children, Chloe Swanson, connect, and from there they are bonded together in a race to figure out what is going on. He needs a wingman, and he has that in Chloe. Linwood always writes interesting characters, but even this part of his writing feels better drawn here.

And oh, there’s a billionaire with some peculiar tastes and habits, and how he is tied to the story makes it even more interesting.

I always enjoy Linwood’s books, but this one definitely is the tightest and twistiest for me. Those familiar with his work know that he always has been a twist master. He outdoes himself here, and when it’s done you will say, “Whew, I did not see that coming.” But then you will picture parts of this story on the big screen!