The Guest List with a 90s slasher edge that begs the question: who will survive when your most famous horror movie comes to life? This book offers a fascinating and immersive look at what it would be like to be on the set of a classic 90s slasher. Perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Lucy Foley.
ALWAYS THE FIRST TO DIE
by R.J. Jacobs
Sourcebooks Landmark, September 2022
After her husband’s death, Lexi has refused to return to the Pinecrest Estate on the Florida Keys, too many hard memories on the tiny strip of land. Memories of meeting her husband as a teenager on the set of an iconic horror movie shot at the dilapidated manor house. Of being cast as an extra, of watching herself get killed on screen. And of scoffing at the rumors of the Pinecrest Estate “curse,” until she witnessed a cast member die that very summer. But when her daughter insists on visiting her grandfather, legendary horror movie director Rick Plummer, Lexi finally agrees. That’s when a Category Four hurricane changes course, and hits the southern coast.
Unable to get through to her daughter, Lexi drives to the Keys in the wake of the storm. What she finds is an island without cell service, without power, and with limited police presence. A desolate bit of land, with only a few remaining behind: the horror director, the starlet once cast as the final girl, the young teenager searching for clues of her father, the mother determined to get off the island, and…the person picking them off one-by-one.
R. J. Jacobs has practiced as a psychologist since 2003. He maintains a private practice in Nashville, focusing on a wide variety of clinical concerns. After completing a post-doctoral residency at Vanderbilt, he has taught Abnormal Psychology, presented at numerous conferences, and routinely performs PTSD evaluations for veterans. He’s the author of And Then You Were Gone and Somewhere in the Dark, published by Crooked Lane.
Natalie Walker is the reason her brother and sister went to jail over 15 years ago. As a result, she hasn’t spoken to her family since. On the same day she expects to be promoted at her job (until her boyfriend Paul swoops in and takes the position), Natalie receives a letter from a lawyer in Santa Cruz saying her mother has died and the only way for her children to inherit their family’s large, historical home is for all three adult children to come back and claim it.
Tess Morelli is living a dream: she was selected for an incredible exchange program in Rome, where she’s spending a month taking in the beautiful sights and sounds and tastes of Italy. Her Italian counterpart, Sofia, is staying with Tess’s family while she’s away. Sure, her host parents barely speak English, but they seem cool enough.
High school senior Riley Ozment is desperate to change her reality after making a fool of herself on social media. She needs to do something drastic to repair her social standing—like trying out for a Survivor-style reality TV show. Suddenly, Riley’s dropped onto a deserted tropical island with nineteen other teens competing for a million dollars and a rumored treasure lost on the island. But that treasure has a history: a local curse says that seven people need to die before the treasure can be found. And six hunters have already lost their lives in the search. Now the question is: who will be the seventh? With a cast of vivid characters who will stop at nothing to win the show, a cursed island setting, and a priceless treasure waiting to be discovered, THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH pitches readers right into a scheming web of lies, love, and betrayal.
The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line are the heroes of the Greatest Generation that you hardly ever hear about. These women who did extraordinary things didn’t expect thanks and shied away from medals and recognition. Despite their amazing accomplishments, they’ve gone mostly unheralded and unrewarded. No longer. These are the women of World War II who served, fought, struggled, and made things happen―in and out of uniform. Liane B. Russell fled Austria with nothing and later became a renowned U.S. scientist whose research on the effects of radiation on embryos made a difference to thousands of lives. Gena Turgel was a prisoner who worked in the hospital at Bergen-Belsen and cared for the young Anne Frank, who was dying of typhus. Gena survived and went on to write a memoir and spent her life educating children about the Holocaust. Ida and Louise Cook were British sisters who repeatedly smuggled out jewelry and furs and served as sponsors for refugees, and they also established temporary housing for immigrant families in London. Retired U.S. Army Major General Mari K. Eder wrote this book because she knew their stories needed to be told―and the sooner the better. For theirs is a legacy destined to embolden generations of women to come.