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.