The barely concealed reference to Jeffrey Epstein is a little jarring, and the tech guy is probably Steve Jobs inspired?
Still the story moved along until the absolutely absurd situation of an RV going down stairs inside a home. Out the window perhaps, sure, but the stairs? Nope. So it lost yet another star.

I've Always been a fan of Linwood Barclay but I can't say this was my favourite one.

After a devastating medical diagnosis Miles sets out to find the potential children that he may have out in the world to warm them of their potential fate. But along the line it appears someone else is also trying to find the same people but for a very different reason. Miles comes to learn that these individuals may be in serious danger and some begin to disappear without a trace.

I found this story became quite stale in the middle. There were kind of two different story lines going on at the same time and by the time they linked together I was bored. I don't feel this book was as captivating as previous books by Barclay.

There were so many characters introduced within a short period of time and I found myself starting to confuse some of them. It didn't flow as nicely as I would have liked. I think towards the end to started to become a little too far fetched as far as crime/thrillers go.

Not the most captivating book but still worth a read.

What a great story! I loved the plot of this book, the characters and the twists and turns. Miles is a great character and I loved Chloe. Linwood Barclays has done it again, written a completely gripping story.

Progeny Hunt
Review of the HarperAudio audiobook (2021) released simultaneously with the William Morrow hardcover (2021)

Find You First was the Audible Daily Deal on September 25, 2021 and after checking reviews and seeing prolific GR reviewer MarilynW's 4-star review, I snapped it up immediately.

The author Linwood Barclay was a popular humour columnist in my hometown's Toronto Star newspaper for the early part of his career until 2008. After the breakthrough success of his 5th novel [b:No Time for Goodbye|1225261|No Time for Goodbye (No Time For Goodbye, #1)|Linwood Barclay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1182031065l/1225261._SY75_.jpg|2906898] (2007) he became a full time novelist. I read several of his books in my pre-Goodreads days and remember him as somewhat like [a:Harlan Coben|24689|Harlan Coben|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1552500006p2/24689.jpg], i.e. the books typically had an ordinary person protagonist who is thrust into the middle of a mysterious situation that they have to resolve. They were formulaic in that way, so although I enjoyed them, I wasn't compelled to read every single book.

Find You First still follows along those lines, although the lead protagonist isn't quite so ordinary. Tech billionaire Miles Cookson is leading a successful life until he discovers he has Huntington's Disease, an incurable neurological affliction that eventually causes death by paralysis. Huntington's is inheritable through a gene received through the parents and Cookson discovers that due to an early life donation to a fertility clinic he may be the biological father to 9 now grown-up children.

Cookson decides to will his estate to his biological progeny and sets out to find them in order to alert them to their possibly inherited genetic threat. Unfortunately someone else is also on the hunt and we are thrust into a cat and mouse game of Cookson & his allies versus a pair of cold-blooded contract killers. There are plenty of suspicious characters and actions along the way as Cookson's other family & in-laws and co-workers become suspects. You think you know what the motive is behind the killings but there is a major twist that comes along to change that.

Find You First was well constructed, even though the whole situation was quite unrealistic. The narration by George Newbern in all voices was excellent throughout.

Wow! This book is phenomenal! It's different elements weave together so intricately, it left me feeling like I'd been on the edge of my seat for hours.
It is a fast paced, well written tale that keeps you guessing right to the very end.
The characters are intriguing, complex and relatable, and the reader is invested in the outcomes for them all.
I cannot recommend this book more enthusiastically. You won't regret reading it.

It’s been a while since I’ve read Linwood Barclay, but he’s an author I’ve always enjoyed. This one was no exception. I actually found this one a little more interesting because it has some interesting subject matter not usually found in a suspense type of book. The main character was a sperm donor at one point in his life and finds out he has Huntington’s disease and wants to try to track down any children he might have fathered. Although those records are supposed to be sealed, don’t the offspring have a right to know because it can also effect any children they may have? Interesting to ponder. That’s just the beginning because then it gets more interesting as lives are at stake. This book is fast-paced and keeps you engaged.

The audiobook version of this was a fun one to listen to.

Entertaining

Linwood never fails to keep me on the edge of my seat and afraid while reading one of his books, twists and turns and 2 wealthy guys connected by a past they don’t know about… when one gets diagnosed with a deadly illness he wants to warn his kids, however they’re only his kids because he donated some sperm, the other one will stop at nothing to make sure his sperm donation family is wiped clean away…