Always the First to Die

by R.J. Jacobs

For fans of Riley Sager with a classic slasher twist comes a chilling thriller following a former horror movie actress who returns to the set of her most famous film…and is soon entangled in a series of terrifying events that resemble the plot of that one cursed movie.

For Lexi, the Pinecrest Estate has become a place of horror. The dilapidated manor house in the Florida Keys, once the site of her teenage movie debut, is now haunted by memories. Memories of working on a legendary horror director's most famous film and of the terrible death that propelled them all to infamy. And ever since Lexi fled the Keys, she has vowed to never return.

Until, years later, her daughter escapes to the Pinecrest in search of answers. Right when a Category 4 hurricane hits the southern coast.

Now, Lexi is back on the ravaged island with only a few remaining behind, and soon enough, her life begins to resemble the plot of her most famous film. And this time, she's not sure who will make it out alive.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Suspense

Audio CD

First published September 13, 2022

About the author

Author and Psychologist, living in Nashville.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you imagine to be trapped in a horror movie takes place in a mansion haunted by ghosts for playing the same role in real life in the middle of the Category four hurricane hits Florida Keys ?

Poor Lexi was the actress of famous and notorious slasher movie “Breathless” ( don’t confuse it with Richard Gere’s movie) at the age 18 where she met her future husband Cam, second AD, college boy, famous director Rick Plummer’s geeky, charming son.

That movie took place in Pinecrest Estate: where celebrities like Capote, Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and gangsters once had hanged out before getting headed to Havana, owned by a cult and sold to Rick Plummer at a cheapest price for the accumulating rumors around islanders called this place “cursed”

During the movie production, many unexplained things happened like broken riggings, the frayed cord that sparked and nearly started a fire, the malfunctioning special effects! But that was just the beginning. The actress who was about to play Lexi’s role quits because she thinks her belongings start to get lost mysteriously. There’s an eerie atmosphere around the house makes her scared.

Another leading actress insists she saw the ghost of a little boy.

And after murder occurred at the last day of the set, leading star Marla gets hysterical, slowly losing her mind.

After two decades later, Cam got missing and presumed death after suspicious circumstances. He visited Pinecrest to focus on his horror book that explains how to survive in the middle of chaotic horror movie.

His wife, new widow Lexi drives through Florida Keys in the middle of hurricane to bring their daughter Quinn home. Quinn lied her about going to Disney Orlando trip. She went to Pinecrest not only to visit her granddad Rick but she also planned to play at the sequel of Breathless.

Lexi already get estranged with her father in law, blaming him on the death of Cam, reluctantly going to the place she never planned to set a foot in.

As soon as she reaches the house, she understands things start to happen in the same sequence of the movie. Could somebody play a game with her to reenact the movie scenes of Breathless and force her to face her past?

The place is flooded, the phones are not working, there’s no electricity and there’s a serial killer out there to finish what he started two decades ago! Will Lexi be the first girl to die just like she did at the movie or will she achieve to be FINAL GIRL by facing the murderer?

Overall: quick, exciting, smart, heart throbbing reading with lots of intelligent horror movie references. I especially recommend to horror geeks like me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

[Melissa (Distracted by New Grandbaby) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up for some clever twists toward the end.

When she was in high school in 1998, Lexi was cast in a horror movie filmed at Pinecrest Estate in the Florida Keys. Mysterious and dangerous things happened during the filming, but one good thing came out of it was that Lexi met the director Rick's son Cam and they eventually married and had their daughter Quinn. Fast forward to the present day and Cam has been dead a year, disappearing while visiting Rick's house to finish a novel he was writing. Lexi discovers that Quinn has lied and against Lexi's explicit instructions has gone to participate in the filming of the horror film's sequel. A hurricane hits the Keys and Lexi rushes to get Quinn to safety. Yet when she arrives, so many puzzling and frightening things begin to happen. Can they get out alive?

Overall, this is a decent novel. There's a great deal of action and suspense, and the outcome, while a bit implausible, is intriguing and kept my interest. It took a while for me to get the rhythm of the narrative going back and forth between the past and present because I didn't care as much about what happened in the past as I did with what was going on in the present.

This book is a sort of homage to horror movies and there are various bits of trivia scattered throughout. It capitalizes on many horror conventions which to me made the book more enjoyable. I also liked that the explanation for events is real life and not supernatural/paranormal. I get that many people enjoy that trope but I like my mystery solutions to be believable.

Always the First to Die is fast paced and has some good twists that propel the story forward. If you like your horror on the lighter side, this is a great choice for spooky season.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Kim ~ It’s All About the Thrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! I LOVED this book!! 😍 Thank you soo much to @bookmarked for sending me this gorgeous gifted copy!!! I couldn’t put this down!! 5 stab 🔪 you in your sleep 😴 stars! 😳 Publication date is September 13th!! 🥳🥳🥳

Why did I love this soo much? Well listen to this… Present day… October 31st..😳former horror movie 🍿 star Lexi knows a thing or two about how to stay alive… so why does that go out the window?? Lexi finds herself in a bad situation… headed to Pincrest Estates… the home she got brutally murdered in..🤔.. well on film 🎥.. but still..😬.. the home that her sketchy yet ultra famous horror film director father in law lives in.. 😬the home that holds secrets… of it’s own..🤫

I loved the current day timeline that had me yelling at Lexi like the Geico commercial.. you know the one… 😂 Don’t go in the shed with the power tools⚒️… no.. no.. okay..😬🙄 Look Lexi knew what she was doing… 🤷‍♀️.. she knows the rules..

I LOVED the flashbacks to 1998… even MORE!! Lexi and the crew.. filming an iconic movie 🎥… AND… @rjjacobs75 killed it with cleverly slipping in tidbits of iconic horror movie facts..about weird things occurring during and after filming.. I ran 🏃‍♀️to Google a ton of times 😂…and it was true..😬😳

This is my first @rjjacobs75 book and I have already added his others to my TBR!! Loved it!! 🖤 Will Lexi have it in her to be The Final Girl 👱‍♀️this time??

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Reviews Can Also Be Found On:

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3.5 Stars

A few years ago I read and really enjoyed And Then You Were Gone so when I saw Mr. Jacobs had a new thriller available on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. This one is a love letter to horror movies and even though it isn't one of my favourite genres I was really into this book.

This was pretty fast-paced and the setting was plenty creepy. The format of the book is my favourite with a single-person perspective and two different timelines. As is usual for me I preferred the before timeline as we really get to know what the back story is and I like seeing what led to where the characters are now.

This one will keep you focused on flipping the pages wanting to find out what the heck is really going on at Pinecrest Estate. It is a short book and I managed to read it in a single sitting. R.J. Jacobs always manages to put all my favourite elements in his books...mystery, adventure, and strong characters. I also like that there were some surprising twists that I didn't see coming because there were a lot of red herrings along the way. This was an entertaining book that was also a lot of fun.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and R.J. Jacobs for the giving of the ARC.

#NetGalley

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the ending was a bit over the top, I'm surprised at the overall "meh" ratings for Always the First to Die. Perhaps I enjoyed it more because I've steered clear of horror/thriller type books for a bit, and I had zero expectations before picking it up. The audiobook was fantastically creepy, and I was equally engaged between the past and present storylines. If you're looking for a deep character study with drawn out back stories and expositions on motive and reasoning, you've come to the wrong place. However, if you're looking for a popcorn thriller type of jaunt that is a fast paced, enjoyable read, this is it!

*Many thanks to the author for providing my review copy.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this one so bad. The writing style was ok but I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t care about the characters or the impending storm. I just couldn’t connect with it and after three attempts I DNF’d it at 42%.

Always the First to Die is available September 14,2022.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 3 out of 5]

October 31st and a category #4 hurricane is crashing down in the Florida keys and that's where Lexi's daughter (Quinn) is right now when she should have been safe at Disneyworld with her friends. Lexi can't believe Quinn lied to her and went to the Keys against her wishes and now Lexi is afraid for Quinn's life. Why did she lie? Now Lexi is driving down to bring her home because she can't lose her only child when she only lost her husband a year ago when he suddenly disappeared from their lives and they are still feeling the effects of that devastating trauma. As Lexi is driving the 4 hour trip not counting the downed trees and flooded roads she'll encounter, she reminisces back twenty-five years ago when she was the same age as Quinn when she met her future husband (Cam). Cam's father, Rick was and still is the most famous horror film director of all time and Lexi and a couple of her friends had a chance to get a role in his new movie "Breathless".

The memories come fast and furious along with Lexi's anger towards her father-in-law Rick who made a fortune on the movie and also the publicity that surrounded creepy events and deaths that were associated with the filming. Lexi used to be a big horror fan but after working on that movie set she cannot and will not watch anything to do with horror since that ghastly summer that still haunts her today. Now, Rick wants to make a sequel " Breathless #2" and wants to cast Quinn in one of the roles. That's the reason Quinn went behind her back to Rick's home in the Keys and now there's a possibility that none of them will make it out alive because of this deadly storm which was the original setting for the movie that caused so much trauma to many, many people. Is Lexi having a deja vu or is she experiencing a real premonition where there will never be a happy ending.

First, I want to say that I loved the storyline and the premise for the book. There was an array of interesting characters and an intriguing atmospheric setting. Unfortunately, I may be in the minority with my enjoyment of the story. All the elements were there for a really scary and tense book yet it failed to resonate with me. I can appreciate what the author intended to do but it failed to feel eerie or creepy. There were quite a few twists and mystery but they seemed to get lost within the writing somehow. I wanted tension and spookiness but I just couldn't feel what the author was trying to convey although I did enjoy the book but I found it too slow and bogged down with too many extraneous situations and conversations that left me feeling very tired. The last twenty-five percent of the book was the best part for me and did pick up some speed and became much more entertaining. Definitely not a slasher book! I know others really loved this book so I would still recommend reading it so you can base your own opinions about this story.

I want to thank the publisher "Source books Landmark" for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 3 STORMY 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always The First To Die is a highly atmospheric, dual timeline thriller with a killer setting, including an old, rundown hotel known as Pinecrest Estate that was once the site of the filming of the ill fated, some say cursed, horror film Breathless. The film was directed by the famous Rick Plummer who was known to terrorize his actors in order to capture their authentic terror on film. Adding to the sinister ambiance in the present is the Category Four hurricane raging across the island, leaving everyone who didn't get out in time cut off from the outside world. No power. No phone. No help. Jacobs delivers a setting that reeks of danger complete with torrential rain, shutters flapping, wind howling, trees toppling and could it possibly be old ghosts taunting? Rick now owns the decaying mansion and is planning to film the sequel to Breathless there . . . and mother nature has provided the perfect backdrop. He couldn't have set the scene any better if he tried.

Liv escaped the Keys twenty years ago and vowed never to return. As a teenager, her walk-on roll in the horror film was upgraded to a major role when the lead actress became too spooked to continue. When the movie ended in tragedy, Liv left home with the only good thing to come out of the nightmare - she married Cam Plummer, son of Rick. They moved away and had a daughter. Now Liv learns that their daughter Quinn lied to her about a school field trip in order to slip away and travel to Pinecrest Estate to see her grandfather Rick Plummer, knowing she's forbidden to speak to him. Cam had mysteriously disappeared the previous year while at the haunted estate writing a book and is presumed dead. Liv is both scared to death and angry at her daughter's deception, but for the moment her main goal is to get to the island and rescue Quinn from both the storm . . . and Rick Plummer. The story that ensues is a horror film in the making.

Always The First To Die unfolds through dual timelines - twenty years ago at the filming of the original film and now all these years later in the present in Liv's point of view. It's a highly effective way of rendering this story as it serves to keep the musky air of impending doom ever present and hanging over each character's head. In many ways, the past/present stories mirror each other as events spiral out of control. Characters are well fleshed out and mostly believable although I feel like the daughter Quinn presents as younger and less mature than her age would indicate. The tone and pace elevate as the story progresses, building tension and trepidation. There seems to always be a question as to the source of the incidents randomly occurring in the old mansion - are they caused by a real person or something else? And why are events so reminiscent of the original film screenplay? Coincidence? Or set up?

Fans of old horror films with slasher vibes are sure to enjoy the dark, convoluted and twisted Always The First To Die with it's eerily creepy tone and setting. While it didn't have me looking over my shoulder at every creaking noise, I found it to be well written and expertly delivered. In my eyes, the setting is the main character and star of the show. Grab this one if you enjoy a touch of horror with suspense now and then. You may be surprised at who done it.
3.5 Stars
Many thanks to Sourcebooks for an arc of this book. Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine. Review also published at Cross My Heart Reviews

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

The story centers around Lexi who once acted in an iconic slasher film called Breathless. The movie set Pinecrest Estate is located in the Florida keys and is owned by Lexi’s father-in-law Rick Plummer who was also Breathless’s director. Lexi met her now deceased husband on the set of the film but since his mysterious death, she's refused to return to the Estate. That is until Lexi’s teenage daughter Quinn sneaks away to visit her grandfather Rick at the Pinecrest Estate.

A category 4 hurricane is quickly approaching the Florida Keys which forces Lexi to travel to the keys to make sure Quinn is safe. When Lexi arrives at the Pinecrest Estate some odd things begin happening. Real things mirror the horror film that Lexie once acted in.

The story alternates to the present and back to 1998 when Breathless was being filmed.
This is my first book by RJ Jacobs and it did not disappoint. I loved the unique plot and the fact that the story was centered around a horror movie. I also really enjoyed the fast pacing and the atmospheric setting. When the whodunnit was revealed, I was completely shocked!

I listened to the audiobook version of this book.
The book is narrated by Petrea Burchard. This is the first audiobook that I've listened to that was narrated by Petrea and she did such a fantastic job.

Always The First To Die will be available on September 13, 2022(today!).
A big thanks to Libro FM, Dreamscape Media, and Sourcebooks for the gifted audiobook.

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

As a teen, Lexi was cast in the now-iconic horror movie Breathless filmed in the Florida Keys at Pinecrest Estate. It’s a summer she’ll never forget: falling in love with the son of the legendary movie director and learning the “curse” of Pinecrest may actually be real when cast and crew members begin to abruptly quit due to strange occurrences and then someone dies on set.
Years later, Lexi’s struggling with her husband’s death when she finds herself racing back to the Keys in the wake of a hurricane to find her daughter who is visiting her grandfather at Pinecrest. The island is without cell service or power and police presence is scarce. Now Lexi’s life will turn into a real life horror movie as she reckons with her past and someone who wants the director and cast of Breathless dead.
While the ending was a bit of a stretch for me, I loved that this was an homage to slasher films!
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Always the First to Die is scheduled for release on September 13, 2022.

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 2 out of 5]

“For fans of Riley Sager with a classic slasher twist comes a chilling thriller following a former horror movie actress who returns to the set of her most famous film…and is soon entangled in a series of terrifying events that resemble the plot of that one cursed movie.”



And this is why I don’t read blurbs. There’s been nothing but Halloween Part 20,000 commercials on my television for the past dang six weeks so I was all in for a “final girl” type of read. The synopsis led me to believe this was going to be a potential Scream 3 situation with real life stabby shenanigans taking place on the set of a horror movie sequel – and during a hurricane to add in some I Still Know What You Did Last Summer vibes to the mix. So meta. What I got instead was a one-way ticket to Dullsville and a day of wasted reading since I don’t know how to do a DNF. Your mileage may very well vary, but I experienced zero chills, zero thrills and almost zero body count (which I knew was going to be a problem right away when the supposed movie was pretty much in theory only with no extras at the ready to whack).

Meh.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! A hurricane hitting the Florida Keys on Halloween, while a horror movie is being filmed at the Pinecrest Estate! What is not to love about that. I powered through this audiobook, needing to know what would happen next.

Lexi knows a thing or two about horror movies. As a teenager, she was killed in one. She then married the son of the director. Her husband Cam disappeared a year ago whist writing his book about surviving a horror film, and now her daughter has taken off to visit her grandfather Rick against her wishes. When the hurricane warnings begin, Lexi jumps in the car to find her daughter Quinn and bring her home. Which means returning to Pinecrest Estate, where the film was made all those years ago. A place that doesn't hold great memories, a place where bad things happen.

This book would make a great movie, with the alternate timelines. It was fun to be on the set of a horror movie, with little bit of trivia and gossip thrown in there. Plenty of action and surprises.

Thanks to Libro.Fm for my copy of this audiobook to listen to. Out now

[Kelli W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I KNOW
That you KNOW
That I KNOW

Alright folks. I'm "like a BIG, HUGE" slasher scary movie fan. I love to read scary books as well. Although, I've not read many nor come across many opportunities to read a SlasherEsque plot novel.

Requesting the DRC was actually stressful. I knew, once I saw the book's marketing. I had two choices. Request a DRC or immediately close out of my web browser, the latter having the higher chance of me forgetting about the book. Then being spontaneously excited to read, when the book was released, on a faraway date that was not tomorrow.

Soooo, what to do?

I KNOW
That you KNOW
That I KNOW

You'd have made the same choice as I did.

(Drum Roll)...

DON'T YOU DARE BE RIDICULOUS!

Of course I hit "REQUEST".

So, yes, 3 stars on the surface. The reality is a 3.66.

Ok. My turn to apologize for being ridiculous. What can I say.
3.75 seems too high.
3.5 seems too low.

Overall: a scary suspenseful story. Not, unfortunately, an actual "Slasher". It's about a group of people who make a Slasher film. Years later, they start making a sequel Slasher film. That is the only portion the Slasher aspect occurs.

However, when these "Slasher" films were made, it was made in a chaos environment. And chaos typically creates more chaos. Enter a main character "Mama Bear".

Now it's about real life villains. Not about supernatural villains (I admit I was hoping for a Michael Myers type experience)

So go explore. I hope you enjoy.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks via Edelweiss Plus for the ARC.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may not be a fan of horror movies, but I loved being in the world of Always the First to Die by R.J. Jacobs. The idea to switch between Lexi on a horror movie set in 1998, and the present-day during a hurricane was utterly genius, but the movie set chapters were my favorite part of this book. I cannot watch horror movies now, but I do remember watching some of the older ones such as A Nightmare On Elm Street, and now I feel like I see them in a new light thanks to this book. Jacobs's writing was full of imagery, and I felt like I was right in the story with Lexi while all of these crazy things were happening. I also loved the way he pulled the past and present together, although there were a couple of characters that I lost track of, so if I do a reread (which I'm planning on) I am definitely going to write them all down in the notepad on my phone.

To me this was a medium-paced thriller, but the audiobook helped it along even further with Petrea Burchard as its narrator. She was just so GOOD as Lexi, and I loved every minute of her narration. There were some parts that dragged just a tiny bit for me, but Burchard made it all worthwhile. Short story short, I highly recommend listening to the audio BUT you should also get a copy of the book itself. Why? Because there is an interview with the author at the end of course! I'm actually a little surprised the audiobook didn't include it, so I am really happy I had the physical book as well. I really enjoyed the end of Always the First to Die and I would gladly take another story with these characters any day. There is just a touch of romance to the story as well although I don't know if I should call it that. Lexi has a lot going on, but Luke was the perfect addition to her life and this story. I am an immediate fan of Jacobs, and I can't wait to read his next book!

Thank you to the publishers and Libro.fm for my complimentary listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Sydney Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out good but ended up being just meh for me.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was a fun thriller that will undoubtedly attract horror readers. Given the premise, I expected this to be more of a "love letter" to horror but it actually wasn't. I felt like the author doesn't fully understand the genre or at least didn't write a book for those fans. That being said, it was still a really fun, fast read that was easy to fly through. The book was a little relationship heavy for my taste, yet the main horror movie spot kept me pulled into the story.

If you enjoy thrillers inspired by horror fiction, then you may want to check this one out.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[solomiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

the last 20% slightly redeemed the boredom of the rest of it

thank you to libro.fm, the author, and the publisher for an alc of this book

[Marcia reading past dark · Rating 4 out of 5]

R. J. Jacobs has written a fast-paced, hair-raising page turner. Always the First to Die is set at the creepy Pinecrest Estate in Key West during a hurricane on October 31st. How eerie! In fact, could things get any worse? Oh, yes, the action takes place on the movie set where a sequel to the horror film Breathless is being shot. The cast of characters is strong and complex: young widow Lexi Kennedy, her 17-year-old daughter Quinn, her father-in-law and movie director Rick, and her husband’s half-brother Colin, lead the troop. The plot is well-developed, a nail-biter that includes, murder, secrets, deceit, revenge, murder, and family dysfunction.

The writing is tight and clean, and I could not put it down. For thriller lovers, this book is the perfect read. I hope that a movie is in the works. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader’s copy. Publication date was September 13, 2022.

[Danielle B · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Lexi's husband, Cam, died she has refused to go back to Pinecrest Estate in the Florida Keys. She has had too many bad memories of her husband and of herself as an extra in a horror film. Lexi's daughter Quinn decides to sneak away to see her grandfather, Rick Plummer, the famous director of Breathless in the Keys at Pinecrest Estate during a hurricane of all times. As Lexi searches for Quinn, things begin to remind her of the horror film she was in long ago.

This was fun book. The different timelines kept the book interesting and made it a quick and easy read. If you are a fan of horror books you are sure to like ALWAYS THE FIRST TO DIE. This was my first book by R.J. Jacobs and I'm interested to read what he comes up with next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

[Natasha Niezgoda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Cliche. Fine.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and thrilling read. This book covers the mythos of the horror movie genre. While the story progresses these movies are compared to currently occuring events. It certainly created a unique writing style and captured the main character, Lexi's, inner dialogue. Definitely a great spooky season read.

[AndiReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh take on the slasher film genre, Always the First to Die has it all!
Lexi lost her husband last year and is still mourning his death while raising their teenage daughter. Once famous for a role in a slasher film as a teen, she refused to return to the Florida keys where she grew up and had many less then happy memories.


When her daughter runs away on an overnight class trip to the Keys and a hurricane bears down on the coast, she has no choice but to return to her old stomping grounds. Before long she is embroiled in a murder and has to solve it before she and her family are next. Excellent flashbacks and lots of horror movie references, Always the First to Die is horror movie fun! Thrilling, original and engaging - this is a story for all slasher movie fans. If you miss your slasher movies, love a strong heroine or just like the atmospheric storm novels, then this book is for you! #AlwaysTheFirsttoDie #RJJacobs #Sourcebooks #Netgalley

[Matt]

**After seeing an exceptional review by one of my favorite author's Monica Arya on another of R.J Jacob's novels, I decided to check this one out since it's his most recent release. It's also her pick for the BT book club I'm in. It was entertaining and fits the "Halloween" season vibe. I appreciated the slasher movie aspect since I'm a huge horror movie buff. As a Floridian the descriptions were done extremely well. I'll check out the one Arya recommended since the writing was solid here. Also, if you grew up in the 90's you'll enjoy it.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love classic horror movies you'll LOVE this novel, a clever take on the final girl theme with some great characters, a haunting atmospheric setting and some great twists and turns

It is hugely addictive, all the characters know the rules but ignore them anyway and as well as being a hugely readable mystery this also has intriguing family drama elements with relatable people and suitably scary.

This would make a great movie. Loved it.

[Candice Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

I will say that I think RJ Jacobs is one of the most highly underrated, hidden gems of an author out there right now, This newest from him is just further proof of the fact that the man can write highly addictive, perfectly paced and deeply interesting thrillers that keep you glued to the pages.

This might be my favorite book from him yet - I LOVED the characters in this book and even more than that, I love that the use of a horror movie/movie producer was the undercurrent of the plot as a whole. Everything about this book was interesting and unique and totally unexpected. I feel like anytime I pick up one of RJ's books I am in for a ride of unexpected drama, and I LOVE IT.

I really enjoyed the flashbacks to the original filming of Breathless and that insider look to how horror movies happen. I loved Rick's deeply insane character and how it colored and influenced everything else in the story. I love the way that each twist was brilliantly crafted and perfectly timed to keep me frantically reading to see what would happen next. Overall it was like watching a super meta horror film play out on the pages and I always want more of that.

This is such a must have for readers who like a mystery, a thriller and lovers of the horror film genre. This is one you are going to love too.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

A big thank you to the author for sending me an early copy of this book that releases September 13, 2022. I knew from the synopsis it was going to be a winner, and it certainly was.

If you're a fan of horror movies and dual timelines in books, this is a must read. It centers around Lexi, who fled the Florida keys not long after her teenage movie debut in the horror film Breathless, which filmed at Pinecrest Estate. After a shocking death occurred, she vowed she would never return.

Lexi's teenage daughter goes to the Keys under the guise of attending a school trip, sure that she's uncovered something shocking. She had no idea that a category 4 Hurricane was about to hit the island, and against everything in her that's screaming at her not to, Lexi knows she must go to her daughter. She has no idea that her life is about to imitate her most infamous art, and she's not sure who, if anyone, will make it out alive.

Everything in this book just worked...the character development, the pacing, and especially the sense of ominous dread that is pervasive after a major hurricane. Having survived Hurricane Katrina, I can tell you that life after feels like the set of a horror movie. The oppressive heat, the silence, and the complete and utter darkness have you on high alert.

Check out this book when it publishes in early fall--it's a wild ride!

[luv2read · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slasher film turns all too real. Good story line and fast paced.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Lexi was 18, she chanced into a bit part in an iconic slasher film where she met her future husband, the son of the film's famous director. She also saw a castmate die in a horrible accident that would make the film live in infamy as "cursed."

In the present, Lexi is a recently widowed parent with a teenage daughter (we'll get to her--trust) who has just run off to the Florida Keys to work with her grandfather on the long-awaited sequel to the first film. But then life starts imitating art too closely when a hurricane sweeps in and they all find themselves stuck on the island in its aftermath and then the body count starts rising. Say, wasn't that the plot of the first film?

Ok, lovers of mysteries and final girls, I've got some good news and some bad news.

The good news is the author is a psychologist and he is really able to get into the heads of his protagonists. The family interactions between Lexi, her daughter Quinn, and her estranged father-in-law Rick all felt authentically complicated. I think, with a better editor, he has genuine promise.

As for the bad--Jesus, Mary, and Jason Voorhees did the "climactic" ending and coda drag on. There are pages of dialog and exposition that need to be trimmed here. Final showdowns should not be this loquacious and leisurely and I really didn't need all the details of the main character's self-help reading list. And trust I won't get into spoiler territory but the reveal kind of felt like a foul ball.

Finally, I'm sorry but I have to add I HATED Lexi's obnoxious, dumbass daughter. Having just read a book where a teenager sulked and made irrational decisions but managed to be believable, relatable and endearing anyway (The Burning Girls), I started wishing for Quinn to get eaten by sea slugs almost immediately.

I truly think the author has potential, but this book is weighted too heavily in family drama and not enough murder and mayhem for me and has an overall plodding tone. Sorry to be a downer. Before you go, please enjoy this meme which I made for our office Christmas party (it's a long story, you know how art be):

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been very selective with my mystery thrillers lately. I blame the genre. It’s long ago done away with quality control in the name of quantity and thus too many mediocrities are floating out there, promising but failing to thrill. But this one…this one seemed different.
Was it the comparisons to Riley Sager? No, not as much as the combination of genres or more like a combination of media formats in the same genre – doing its best to scare you with literary and cinematic at once.
So yeah, impossible to resist a good story set amid the movie making world. Or possible, but why would you?
Florida Keys (playing the setting as a character here) is a place my fiancé raves about but in books I’d read it always seems to be on the verge of obliteration. And here, once again, it’s being hurricaned into oblivion while one devoted mother is desperately trying to get her daughter out of the clutches of her evil/maybe evil grandpa (the woman’s father-in-law) who is just about the most famous director of scary movies there is making a sequel to the most famous movie he’s made.
Something sinister is going on at the movie set, but is it the director, well-known for pranking and terrifying his actors into their best frightened performances or something more? Natural or supernatural, but there’s something spooky in a decidedly haunted estate on the Keys.
So there you go, a fun premise done right. An exciting, well-written and well-paced thriller that competently mingles the wordly with the otherworldly, while sustaining the claustrophobic suspense throughout.
The genre prerequisite twist ending, to be fair, was something of a letdown. Perfectly decent but might leave you wanting more. The plot had so much more than that, it seems, to merely devolve into yet another family situation (can’t say more than that, you’ll just have to read to find out). But other than that, a fun ride through and through. So I'm uprating it. Ta-da. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy, fast-paced, and entertaining!

Always the First to Die is an intense, engrossing thriller that takes you to the Pinecrest Estate in Key West, the set of the iconic horror movie Breathless which seemed cursed from the very start, and now where twenty-five years later, the original director and father-in-law of widowed librarian Lexi Kennedy is hoping to film a sequel featuring his seventeen-year-old granddaughter that hopefully won’t encounter the same mishaps, tragedies, and deaths that the first one did.

The writing is brisk and tight. The characters are multilayered, persistent, and vulnerable. And the plot is a suspenseful, gripping tale full of twists, turns, secrets, deception, revenge, danger, greed, familial drama, red herrings, mayhem, and murder.

Overall, Always the First to Die is a dark, ominous, crafty tale by Jacobs that kept me engaged from the very first page and is the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a story laced with those eerie characteristics found in all the best classic horror movies.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.