Dead First

From the Bram Stoker award-nominated author ofThe Spite Housecomes a bone-chilling new novel about a private investigator hired by a mysterious billionaire to discover why he cant die.

When private investigator Shyla Sinclair is invited to the looming mansion of mysterious Texan tycoon Saxton Braith, shes more than a little suspicious. The last thing she expects to see that night is Braiths assistant driving an iron rod straight through the back of his skull. Scratch thatthe last thing she expects to see is Braithsresurrectionafterward.

Braith cant die, it turns out, but he has no explanation for his immortality, and very few intact memories of his past. Which is why he wants to pay Shyla millions to investigatehim, and bring his long-buried history to light.

Shyla cant help but be intrigued, but shes also trapped by the offer. Braith has made it clear that he knows shes the only person he can trust with his secret, because he knows all abouthers.

Bold, atmospheric, and utterly frightening, Johnny ComptonsDead Firstis spine-chilling supernatural horror about the pursuit of power and the undying need for reckoning.

Johnny Compton is a Stoker Award nominated author whose short stories have appeared inPseudopod, Strange Horizons, The No Sleep Podcastand several other publications. His fascination with frightening fiction started when he was introduced to the ghost story The Golden Arm as a child.The Spite House, his debut novel, was released in 2023. His second novel,Devils Kill Devils, was released in 2024.

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
• Publish Date: February 10, 2026
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• Type: Hardback
• EAN/UPC: 9780593854310
• Dimensions: 9.0 X 6.0 X 0.9 inches | 1.2 pounds
• BISAC Categories: Horror, Mystery, Thrillers & Crime