ALWAYS THE FIRST TO DIE by R. J. Jacobs – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Always the First to Die by R.J. Jacobs
Published by Sourcebooks Landmark on September 13 2022
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Pages: 304
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: The stage is set for murder in R.J. Jacobs ode to horror movies, a fun, thrill-filled mystery with scares aplenty.

This is my first time reading R.J. Jacobs, and I had a lot of fun with this book! Horror movie fans in particular will love Always the First to Die, as Jacobs pays homage to many films, some of which are mentioned by name, but others are only implied so savvy fans will have a blast discovering them with only a few clues. Set in the Florida Keys during a hurricane, this dual timeline story has plenty of mystery, action and murder to appease any thriller fan. 

Lexi had her fifteen minutes of fame as a teenager when she had the opportunity to be in a horror movie called Breathless. Breathless turned out to be a hit, although what happened off camera was far more interesting than the movie itself. The production was rumored to be “cursed,” with strange accidents on set, ghostly sightings in the Pinecrest Estate mansion where filming took place, and even a shocking death right after the movie wrapped. Twenty-five years later, after avoiding the Pinecrest and anything to do with the movie, Lexi is forced to confront her demons. Her teenaged daughter Quinn—without her mother’s permission—has gone to the Pinecrest for answers. Lexi’s husband Cam, the son of the Breathless director Rick Plummer, mysteriously disappeared a year ago in a boating accident, and Quinn is determined to uncover the truth about what happened to her father.

As Lexi drives straight into a hurricane that has just hit the Florida Keys, on her way to be with Quinn, someone is targeting Rick and others who were involved in the original movie. It seems the curse of Breathless might not be over…

Jacobs does a lot of fun things with horror tropes, and there are even some meta moments when events on the movie set of Breathless mirror real life horror movie productions. For example, the characters—who are all well versed in the horror movie scene, by the way—bring up things like “cursed” movies where actors and crew died during or after production. One example was The Exorcist, a movie haunted by bad fortune (Google it if you’re curious), and I loved the way the characters sit around and talk about that movie as well as others with similar eerie deaths. Stories like that always give me chills, and the way these conversations were included really worked for me. Even better, I’ve seen just about every movie mentioned in the book, like Alien, Panic Room, The Omen, The Shining, and Scream, to name a few, so if you’re a fan of any of those films you’ll probably enjoy this too.

I also loved the way elements from the movie are actually happening in real life in the present: the movie takes place during a hurricane, and now there’s an actual hurricane to deal with. Power going out, phone lines going down, people trapped due to the weather…and a killer on the loose. History seems to be repeating itself, and for Lexi, Quinn and Rick that is not a good thing.

Jacobs does a great job with the Florida Keys setting, and I especially loved that Lexi has worked on boats most of her life and is well versed in everything to do with boating. Little details like knowing how to tie (and untie!) knots come in very handy during the story, and Lexi even solves some of the mysteries by using her vast knowledge of boats and sea currents. 

The book isn’t without its flaws, though. First, there is a lot to keep track of. With three timelines going on (there’s also a jump back to the time that Cam went missing) and different characters in each one, I found some of the action confusing, especially when the author moves between the past and the present. One character in particular felt sort of shoe horned into the story—Lexi’s boyfriend Luke—and I’m not sure he was even necessary. Also, there is an “event” that happens between them that felt completely out of place and unnecessary and only added to the clutter.

Also, I much preferred the story going on in the present over the 1998 storyline when Lexi was a teenager. In the present, the action takes place over the course of one day—Halloween—so there’s a nice sense of urgency to the story. In the past timeline, the pacing seemed off to me, for some reason, and the storyline about making the movie, which should have been more interesting, felt slow and tedious, probably due to the author going out of his way to describe the tedium of working on a movie set. Unfortunately, that tedium came through in the narrative and stalled the momentum of those sections.

The final reveal came out of nowhere, and the last few chapters are full of over-the-top action that was more melodrama than horror. But I enjoyed the twists the author threw in, and there were some satisfying emotional moments at the end. This is a quick read that’s perfect for the Halloween season, and I’m looking forward to reading more of R.J. Jacob’s books soon.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.