Dead First
Published on 10. February 2026
368 pages
978-0-593-85432-7 (ISBN)
Description
From the Bram Stoker award-nominated author of The Spite House comes a bone-chilling new novel about a private investigator hired by a mysterious billionaire to discover why he can't die.
When private investigator Shyla Sinclair is invited to the looming mansion of mysterious Texan tycoon Saxton Braith, she's more than a little suspicious. The last thing she expects to see that night is Braith's assistant driving an iron rod straight through the back of his skull. Scratch that-the last thing she expects to see is Braith's resurrection afterward.
Braith can't 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 investigate him, and bring his long-buried history to light.
Shyla can't help but be intrigued, but she's also trapped by the offer. Braith has made it clear that he knows she's the only person he can trust with his secret, because he knows all about hers.
Bold, atmospheric, and utterly frightening, Johnny Compton's Dead First is spine-chilling supernatural horror about the pursuit of power and the undying need for reckoning.
When private investigator Shyla Sinclair is invited to the looming mansion of mysterious Texan tycoon Saxton Braith, she's more than a little suspicious. The last thing she expects to see that night is Braith's assistant driving an iron rod straight through the back of his skull. Scratch that-the last thing she expects to see is Braith's resurrection afterward.
Braith can't 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 investigate him, and bring his long-buried history to light.
Shyla can't help but be intrigued, but she's also trapped by the offer. Braith has made it clear that he knows she's the only person he can trust with his secret, because he knows all about hers.
Bold, atmospheric, and utterly frightening, Johnny Compton's Dead First is spine-chilling supernatural horror about the pursuit of power and the undying need for reckoning.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Johnny Compton is a Stoker Award nominated author whose short stories have appeared in Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, The No Sleep Podcast and 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.
