Johnny Compton’s ‘Dead First’ is the Year’s First Great Horror Novel
I first encountered burgeoning horror talent Johnny Compton when The Spite House was released in 2023. I love architecture, and the considerable historical undercurrent of the titular house (an impractical property built to, yes, spite neighbors) was enough to draw me in. What kept me enthralled until the end was Compton’s King-esque command of character and tone. The Spite House was terrifying and immediately ranked among my favorite horror novels of the century. Three years later, Compton is back with a new novel and mainstream recognition. Does Dead First live up to the hype?
Short answer? Yes, astoundingly. Like most sophomore mainstream efforts, Dead First is larger in scope and intention. Compton’s key strengths remain intact—stellar characterization, a hot, brooding Texas atmosphere, those nagging, can’t-shake chills—though Dead First is much more plot-driven than The Spite House. There are more characters, more B-plots, more conspiracy and noir. It’s not quite as certifiably terrifying as The Spite House, but Dead First finishes dead first in terms of 2026 horror novels so far.
Private investigator Shyla Sinclair is thrust into the spotlight after her most recent (and lucrative) case. Marred by hearsay and supernatural rumors, her work catches the attention of Elon Musk stand-in Saxton Braith, a reclusive billionaire whose offer Shyla, quite literally, cannot refuse. Saxton, as Shyla learns early, cannot die, and he simultaneously cannot remember anything about his past. Shyla’s own past renders her the perfect candidate to dive into his and figure out why a fireplace poker to the skull is the equivalent of a bug bite.
Along for the ride are Shyla’s psychic ex, Jinh, and Saxton’s armed guard, Remy. Compton delicately merges tender queer and Black themes with his propulsive, procedural take on witchcraft and long-buried traumas. There are spooky basements aplenty and strange characters all too keen to discuss the strange happenings in and around the bread trail leading to Saxton’s origins. Fans of The Spite House won’t be disappointed to know there’s another Big Twist that wholly recontextualizes everything, though I won’t spoil that here. It is, after all, part of the sheer joy of Compton’s writing. It makes perfect sense, though you’ll never see it coming.
Shyla is a remarkable protagonist. She’s stalwart yet vulnerable, competent yet in over her head (billionaire contracts will do that to a person). Her banter with Jinh calls to mind Lovecraft Country, a comp featured regularly in the pre-release press, and early on, Dead First is similarly episodic. There’s poignancy in Shyla’s unfettered resolve to retain control, even as the circumstances of her investigation propel her into territory that defies all logic. Jinh, destined to be a fan-favorite, is all quips, though never a caricature. Even Remy, a suitably imposing presence, yields depth belying the opening beats.
Dead First is the year’s first great horror novel, and another win for Johnny Compton. While its scale and scope might leave some fans wishing for the intimate haunts of The Spite House, Compton’s complete command of the material will no doubt enrapture you until the shocking end. This is hot-blooded detective fiction at its most modern. Delicate, terrifying, deeply felt, and gorgeously evocative.
It’s not often one finds themselves in the presence of a new pioneer of the genre, but I’m confident Compton will endure as one of this generation’s brightest horror talents. Dead First is seductive and entrancing. If you’ve been itching for the hot Texas heat in the cold dead of winter, Dead First will skip the simmer and send your heart and mind straight to boil.
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Dead First
Summary
Johnny Compton’s Dead First is propulsive, seductive, and terrifying. This is hard-boiled detective fiction the 2026 way.
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