Dead First

Texas PI Shyla Sinclair takes on a daunting supernatural case in this taut mystery from Compton (Devils Kill Devils). Shyla is intrigued but apprehensive when she receives a note from Saxton Braith, the billionaire owner of a shipping company, asking to interview her for a job. She sets aside her misgivings and heads to Braith’s gothic estate, where, in the midst of their first conversation, Braith’s assistant punctures his skull with an iron rod. Despite the flow of blood and brain matter, however, Braith remains alive, and a stunned Shyla is asked to help him figure out why he’s unable to die. Tempted by the challenge and the prospect of a multimillion-dollar payday—plus the threat that Braith might reveal an unsavory episode from her past if she doesn’t comply—Shyla accepts the gig. For support, she enlists her friend and sometime assistant, Jinh, who recommended Shyla’s services to Braith. Despite the fantastical plotline, Compton manages to make the stakes and details of Shyla’s investigation feel remarkably grounded. It’s a wickedly satisfying whodunit for genre fans looking for something off the beaten path. Agent: Lane Heymont, Tobias Agency. (Feb.)