From the moment the fire poker went straight through billionaire Saxton Braith’s head (this happens almost immediately), I was hooked. Talk about an inciting incident to hook us. What’s more? He survived and literally cannot die! Hell of a case for private investigator Shyla Sinclair. Millions of dollars and personal stakes are on the table.
I was intrigued by how the author would weave supernatural ambiguity with nitty-gritty detective noir, and I was pleased with how these genres meshed in certain parts. Mr. Braith is, of course, a mysteriously intriguing client, and how someone could see what happened with him and still logically pursue helping him is unfathomable to me. The author needed to explore that conundrum more. Instead, he chose to justify the illogical with a long-winded backstory, as a device, in my opinion, to convince the reader that it was alright for the protagonist (and us) to just accept it.
It’s all set against a Texas backdrop, and the investigation feels grounded at first, almost by-the-book, of someone choosing to follow procedure rather than dark corners clearly being exposed to her. The deeper Shyla digs into Braith’s past, the more the case stops making any kind of rational sense, so that should have told her to stop being rational.
The dialogue and character development are what make this novel strong. Remy, Braith’s loyal retainer, as I thought of him, was my favorite character.
The horror creeps gradually from the abandoned asylum to the San Antonio hotel and from the drive through Galveston. These are the places where family secrets and deeply buried rituals expose themselves.
Shyla is easy to root for in the beginning, but that faded for me when the author overindulged in backstory to justify her clear disregard for the strange in front of her. I will say, though, I love the dynamic between her and her partner Jinh. It gave the book a nice touch of humor and warmth. Their bicker-and-banter dialogue is a natural strength of the book.
Dead First was a bit of a letdown, but still a worthy novel to sink into, especially if you enjoy Noir and are looking for a bit of an edge to the classic detective tales.
Interested in the Horror/Thriller Book Club or our Mystery Book Club? Please email reference@hobokenlibrary.org or register for our next meeting by searching under Events on our website.
Find a copy of Dead First here in the BCCLS catalog.
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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant
Hoboken Public Library Blog 