After her husband's death, Lexi has refused to return to the Pinecrest Estate on the Florida Keys. There are too many hard memories on the tiny strip of land. Memories of meeting her husband as a teenager on the set of an iconic horror movie shot at the dilapidated manor house. Of being cast as an extra; of watching herself get killed on screen. And of scoffing at the rumors of the Pinecrest Estate "curse"-until she witnessed a cast member die that very summer. But when her daughter insists on visiting her grandfather, legendary horror movie director Rick Plummer, Lexi reluctantly agrees. That's when a Category Four hurricane changes course and hits the southern coast.
Unable to get through to her daughter, Lexi drives to the Keys in the wake of the storm. What she finds is a desolate strip of land, an island without cell service, without power, with limited police presence, and with only a few people remaining behind: the horror director, the starlet once cast as the final girl, the young teenager searching for clues of her father, the mother determined to get off the island, and...the person picking them off one-by-one.
Soon, Lexi's life begins to resemble Rick's most famous horror film, and she must risk her life to save her daughter before someone, or something, destroys them all.
'RJ Jacobs' Always the First to Die is an utterly unique thriller that combines horror movies, hurricanes, and deadly secrets from the past. It's also an intense ride about a mother who will do anything to save her daughter. Fast-paced, suspenseful, stormy, and definitely not to be missed' - David Bell, USA Today bestselling author of The Finalists
'In Always the First to Die, fans of horror movie tropes will fly through this fast-paced thriller. A deliciously wicked read.' - Rea Frey, award-winning author of Not Her Daughter and Secrets of Our House
'A storm is coming and its name is Always the First to Die. It's a breathtaking thriller filled with jaw-dropping twists and lump-in-the-throat emotion-a love letter to cinema and family. R. J. Jacobs is a masterful storyteller. A must read.' - Alex Finlay, author of The Night Shift and Every Last Fear
Industry Reviews
A storm is coming and its name is Always the First to Die. It's a breathtaking thriller filled with jaw-dropping twists and lump-in-the-throat emotion--a love letter to cinema and family. R. J. Jacobs is a masterful storyteller. A must read. -- Alex Finlay, author of The Night Shift and Every Last Fear
Eerily creepy...well-written and expertly delivered. -- Mystery and Suspense Magazine
In Always the First to Die, fans of horror movie tropes will fly through this fast-paced thriller. A deliciously wicked read. -- Rea Frey, award-winning author of Not Her Daughter and Secrets of Our House
Nothing sets up the perfect conditions for a locked room mystery like being trapped in the Florida Keys, especially if you're there to rescue your daughter from your horror film producer father-in-law, who's trying to repeat both the success and sacrifices of his most famous production. Also, there's an unstable actress ready to sue the production and convinced that someone's trying to kill her. And that husband who went missing a year back? Maybe you're about to find out why. Fans of horror cinema will enjoy the meta-textual elements of the novel, as the characters frequently discuss not just scary movies, but the nature of fear itself. -- CrimeReads
RJ Jacobs' Always the First to Die is an utterly unique thriller that combines horror movies, hurricanes, and deadly secrets from the past. It's also an intense ride about a mother who will do anything to save her daughter. Fast-paced, suspenseful, stormy, and definitely not to be missed -- David Bell, USA Today bestselling author of The Finalists
Solid mystery...Jacobs makes good use of traditional horror tropes--things that go bump in the night, dark rooms, a creepy mansion, and no phone service--while convincingly showing Florida before and after a category-four hurricane. Horror film buffs will want to check this one out. -- Publishers Weekly
