I am not here to tell you that FIND YOU FIRST is the best book of Linwood Barclay’s long and illustrious career. That assertion already has been made repeatedly by a number of well-known and bestselling authors. What I do want to emphasize is that such statements are true, and you will not be able to read it quickly enough.

The premise of the novel alone makes it worth your while to pick up. We meet Miles Cookson after an intriguing prologue that sinks the reading hook. He is a tech millionaire who is informed that he is dying of a particularly insidious disease that has no hope of being cured. As we come to learn, Miles has been gifted with an ability to develop and market apps that people want and need, but this aptitude has not transferred to forming meaningful relationships. Still, that does not mean that his bloodline will end with his passing.

"The twists and turns in FIND YOU FIRST are nicely balanced with suspense, action, character development and a plot that demands that you read the story from start to finish with no pauses or excuses."

About 20 years ago, Miles was in desperate need of funding for a new computer and thus made a sperm donation to an artificial insemination clinic. While the records of these donors are extremely confidential, he has the funds to break down the wall of silence. He learns from the clinic files that he has nine children scattered across the United States and wants to contact them for two reasons: his disease is hereditary and has a 50% chance of developing in his offspring, and he wants to divide his fortune among them. This is disconcerting to a number of people, including his older brother and a personal assistant who has worked with him for years.

In the meantime, a young woman named Chloe Swanson, who has high hopes and low possibilities of being a filmmaker, is embarking on a quest of her own. Chloe’s mother used a sperm bank over two decades ago and conceived her as a result. Her research and Miles’ lead each of them to the other. However, as he continues the process of locating his potential heirs, Miles makes the horrifying discovery that each of them is disappearing under mysterious circumstances, with all physical traces of their existence being wiped out. A half-brother who Chloe succeeded in tracking down and meeting, and is on Miles’ list, is among them.

The novel ping-pongs between Miles, Chloe, a pair of mysterious assassins with an edgy relationship, and a flamboyant billionaire with a penchant for excess who is determined to eliminate the people whom Miles is trying to find. The question is why. The answer may cost Miles and Chloe their lives.

The twists and turns in FIND YOU FIRST are nicely balanced with suspense, action, character development and a plot that demands that you read the story from start to finish with no pauses or excuses. Barclay, who has demonstrated with a long and impressive bibliography that he is incapable of writing badly, has penned the book of his (or anyone’s) career. The cinematic narrative makes it perfect for video adaptation, but don’t wait for the movie or the series. Neither could be better than what Barclay has given us in the here and now.