R.J. Jacobs blew me away with This Is How We End Things, so I decided to pick up two more books of his, Alway the First to Die and Somewhere in the Dark. Always the First to Die intrigued me upon reading the blurb and as the story fleshed itself out, I couldn’t help but enjoy the unfolding madness.

Lexi, one-time actor in a horror film infamous for the tragic death of one of its actors, not to mention all the unexplainable things that happened at the Pinecrest estate during filming, has promised to never return to that place, even though the legendary horror director is her father-in-law. But when her teenage daughter escapes to find answers about her father’s disappearance from the manor house a year before, and to have a hand in the horror movie’s sequel, Lexi must return to the place of nightmares, and fast – a Category 4 hurricane has swept through the Florida Keys were the estate sits. Driven by her motherly need to protect her daughter, she drives through the debris-stricken roads and arrives at the dilapidated Pinecrest Estate. But nothing is as it seems, and Lexi will have to do everything she can to make it out alive.

I have never been to the Florida Keys and I have never witnessed a hurricane, so I did feel a touch out of place reading this book. It isn’t easy to adjust to a setting you know nothing about, but once the initial strangeness of the setting ebbed, I found myself invested in the events that occurred. The flashbacks to the filming of the first movie give an excellent reference point and strengthen the ties to the characters, not only Lexi and Marla – the main actress in the original film – but Rick, the director, Cam, the director’s son and assistant, Doug, the deceased actor, and the various other characters of interest.

One thing this book relies on is the horror effect on its characters. Rick is a horror director dedicated to his craft, so much so he’s not against scaring his actors in-between takes to keep them pent up and fearful, making for more natural reactions, as he says. This suspense and tension is long-lasting though, as Lexi still feels it being on Pinecrest Estate twenty years later. This high-strung energy filters through from the past into the present, and as readers we always need to feel it to be immersed in the story. To believe in the fear these characters are dealing with. There is a healthy dose of realism when the interactions between young Lexi and Cam break that tension in their exchanges and dialogue, but the events surrounding the filming always bring it back. I think it works quite well given the trajectory of the plot, and moreover the characters make me feel that its still a persistent feeling.

As for plot progression, it is easy to put the pieces together, but the story isn’t spoiled in advance if you do map it all out. The finer details, seeing how everything fits together and how the threads connect, tie the past and present together nicely. Would I have liked a little more horror? Yes. A little more suspense? Yes. More of a thrill? Yes. But does it still serve as a great read without those perfect amounts of horror, suspense and thrill? Yes.

Always the First to Die is eye-opening when you think about how past and present can function in a story, linking together and directing the plot while maintaining an appropriate level of tension. The pacing isn’t perfect, but it works. All in all, I enjoyed my read of Always the First to Die, and I encourage you to pick it up and give it a read. Maybe it can serve as an October spooky read for you seasonal readers out there.