Dead First (Hardcover)

Johnny Compton

ISBN 10: 0593854314 / ISBN 13: 9780593854310

Published by Penguin Putnam Inc, New York, NY, 2026

About this Item

Hardcover. 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.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 eccentric billionaire 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. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780593854310

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Dead First (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc, New York, NY
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593854314
• ISBN 13: 9780593854310
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

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 eccentric billionaire 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.

About the Author

Johnny Compton is the author of The Spite House, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker award, and Devils Kill Devils. His 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.