Always the First to Die

By: R. J. Jacobs

Narrated by: Petrea Burchard

After her husband's death, Lexi has refused to return to the Pinecrest Estate on the Florida Keys because there are too many hard memories on that strip of land, including the memories of meeting her husband on the set of an iconic horror movie, being cast as an extra, watching herself get killed on screen, and scoffing at the rumors of the Pinecrest Estate curse...until she witnessed a cast member die that very summer. But when her daughter sneaks away to visit her grandfather, legendary horror-movie director Rick Plummer, Lexi is forced to face her past. 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 an island without cell service, without power, and with limited police presence. The land is desolate, with only a few remaining behind: the horror director, the starlet once cast as the final girl, the young teenager searching for clues about her father, the mother determined to get off the island, and the person picking them off one-by-one.

Soon enough, 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.

©2022 R. J. Jacobs (P)2022 Dreamscape Media, LLC

What a ride!

Having read the author’s first two novels, I knew to expect a gripping ride, expert character development, and a protagonist to die for. What I couldn’t have predicted was just how unpredictable the crescendo would be… Always the First to Die is the twistiest, most irresistible whodunnit I’ve read. The revelatory references to some of my favorite horror movies and psychological thrillers were the cherry on top. Hoping for more from this compelling author!

Interesting Story

This was an interesting story. It was a bit confusing for me at times, but ultimately I found it enjoyable. The timeline jumped around quite a bit and I feel like there were questions that never got answered. I did not guess the ending which added to my enjoyment. The narration was okay, not my favorite, but definitely not the worst.

Thought my theories were legit..

I had two theories and I believed I was correct based on the descriptive writing from the author, I was wrong. It started a little slow, but once it picked up the twists and turns had me hooked.