DEAD FIRST by Johnny Compton – 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.

Dead First by Johnny Compton
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on February 10 2026
Genres: Adult, Horror, Mystery
Pages: 368
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Mystery meets mind-bending supernatural terror in Dead First, a unique tale of revenge, redemption and murder.

“Sometimes, people leave part of themselves in a horrible place, creating an eternal scar.”

Dead First surprised me in just about every possible way. This is a gritty, violent and emotional story that mostly leans into mystery/detective fiction, but there’s a supernatural element that sets it apart. Compton’s writing is so good, and it draws the reader into this very complex but ultimately rewarding story. I did not want to put the book down, because I was so invested in Shyla’s journey. Dead First would make a terrific movie, and I’ll be surprised if someone doesn’t option it.

Shyla Sinclair is a private detective who has been asked to do a job for billionaire Saxton Braith. Braith says he cannot die, and he wants Shyla to figure out why. Shyla doesn’t believe him—at first—but then his assistant Remy shoves a poker through the back of his head to prove it. This demonstration shocks Shyla to her core, as she literally watches Braith’s destroyed face stitch itself back together, right in front of her eyes. Shyla thinks about walking out the door, after all, if Braith can do that, what else is he capable of? But Braith just happens to know Shyla’s deepest, darkest secret, and he uses this knowledge as leverage to convince her to take the job.

Joined by her ex-girlfriend Jinh, a powerful clairvoyant who communicates with spirits, Shyla begins to dig deep into Braith’s past, uncovering shocking events and connections. But the closer she gets to the truth, the weirder things become. What is Braith’s real motivation for getting Shyla involved? And will she survive this dangerous investigation?

Dead First has so many layers, but I’m not going to talk much more about the plot in order to avoid spoilers. Let’s start with the characters, who are all so well developed. The story is told through Shyla’s third person perspective. She has several big secrets in her past that are important to the story, and while I’m dying to tell you what they are, I won’t! Let’s just say these secrets are related to her childhood, and they added so much emotional depth to her character. Shyla is one of the best drawn characters I’ve run into lately: she’s tough, smart and resourceful, she’s able to protect herself, and she’s tenacious when it comes to rooting out the truth, in this case, the truth about Braith, his origins and the real reason he hired her. She also has a decades-old score to settle, which makes her emotional and vulnerable at times. 

I loved the other characters as well. Jinh has an interesting ability and “knows” things that others don’t. Although Shyla has been trying to hide her past, Jinh has figured it out, simply because of what she can do. The two women parted on bad terms, but they decide to work together on the case, which is a good thing for the reader since their dynamic together is fantastic. There’s a lot of tension and danger in Dead First with Shyla and Jinh right in the middle of the crosshairs, so I was on pins and needles for the entire story and worried about what might happen to them.

Braith is the main villain of the story, although he’s not the only one. He’s a truly heinous human being and is responsible for most of the violence in the story. Not only does he seem to be unkillable, but the way he became unkillable is absolutely horrifying. What makes him even scarier is that he uses mind games to get to his victims, and even Shyla isn’t immune to him.

Compton’s story is set in various parts of Texas, and I thought it was the perfect setting, especially the thrilling climax, which takes place in Galveston. The author includes some historical facts about the state, tales of drownings, folktales and witches, all of which add an unsettling tone to the story.

And speaking of unsettling, my favorite parts of the story take place in various abandoned buildings, as Shyla and Jinh sift through clues that lead them from place to place, trying to track down people who are connected to Braith. Some of these horrifying scenes reminded me a lot of Marcus Kliewer’s We Used to Live Here (if you’ve read it, you know!), with dark, narrow hallways, creepy ghost-like figures and subterranean tunnels. The final “good vs. evil” confrontation—Shyla, Jinh and Remy versus Braith—was tense and action-packed, to the point that I was afraid to turn the pages!

The only negatives for me were small ones. The story feels slow in places, especially during some of Shyla’s internal monologue, which gets a bit repetitive at times. There’s also quite a bit going on and a lot of side characters to keep track of, so at times some of the pieces of Braith’s backstory didn’t always come together and make sense.

But overall, I was very impressed with my first Johnny Compton book. Readers who aren’t afraid of dark mysteries and can deal with scenes of graphic violence will not want to miss Dead First.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.