First Kill

A Layla Caine Suspense Thriller #1

by Ava Strong

“This is a chilling, suspenseful page turner that just might leave you scared at night!”
—Reader review for Not Like Us
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Former actress Layla Caine is an invaluable Profiler for the LAPD, with her unique ability to see through people and her deep knowledge of Hollywood. But when an elusive killer terrorizes Los Angeles, Layla finds herself in a game of cat and mouse with a killer always one step ahead…

A killer claims victims in a macabre tribute to their cinematic triumphs, and Layla must channel her past to unmask the murderer who stages each crime scene with eerie perfection—before the final curtain call.

“The plot has many twists and turns, but it is the ending, which I did not see coming at all, that totally defines this book as one of the most riveting that I have read in years.”
—Reader review for Not Like Us
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

FIRST KILL is BOOK #1 in a long-anticipated new series by #1 bestseller Ava Strong, whose bestseller NOT LIKE US (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star ratings and reviews.

A gripping mystery series featuring the compelling and intricate protagonist Layla Caine, this crime thriller delivers relentless action, tension, and surprising narrative turns that promise to hold your attention and keep you enthralled long past bedtime. Fans of Mary Burton, Kendra Elliot, and Lisa Regan are sure to fall in love.

Future books in the series are also available!

“Very intriguing, kept me turning page after page… Lots of twists and turns and a very unexpected ending. Cannot wait for the next in this series!”
—Reader review for Not Like Us
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A roller coaster ride of events… Can’t put down until you finish it!”
—Reader review for Not Like Us
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Excellent read with very realistic characters that you become emotionally invested in… Couldn't put it down!”
—Reader review for The Death Code
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“An excellent read, lots of twists and turns, with a surprising ending, leaving you wanting to read the next book in the series! Well done!”
—Reader review for The Death Code
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“Well worth the read. Cannot wait to see what happens in the next book!”
—Reader review for The Death Code
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“Quickly became a story I couldn’t put down! I highly recommend this book!”
—Reader review for His Other Wife
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“I really enjoyed the fast-paced action, plot design and characterization... I didn't want to put the book down and the ending was a total surprise.”
—Reader review for His Other Wife
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“The characters are extremely well developed… There are twists and turns in the plot that kept me guessing. An extremely well written story.”
—Reader review for His Other Wife
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“One of the best books I have ever read… The ending was perfect and surprising. Ava Strong is an amazing writer.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Google

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2024

About the author

Ava Strong is author of the REMI LAURENT mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the ILSE BECK mystery series, comprising seven books (and counting); of the STELLA FALL psychological suspense thriller series, comprising six books (and counting); of the DAKOTA STEELE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising six books (and counting); of the LILY DAWN suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the MEGAN YORK suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting).

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Ava loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit her website.

Reviews

[Josephine Pizzimenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

What a welcome change to have a lead character with no dead sister haunting the whole book like a nagging headache. Good book

[Betty Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Kill, Book 1

The characters were believable the story was interesting and exciting and kept you wanting to keep reading. Can't wait for next book.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow read In beginning, then middle was good & then ending ehh. Maybe 2.5 stars..

[Barbara Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Unlike many other "serial killer" books, this one does not rely on gore to tell an intriguing mystery with interesting characters.

[Claudete Takahashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Layla was a movie star who became a Police profiler/Detective and keeps on being haunted by her past. She is paired with Mike, a hands-on Detective, and although they are totally different, they learned to work well together. They are searching for a killer that poses the victims as in a movie set and who is getting bolder every time he kills. Good plot, in spite of the posing of victims being widely used in other series. The story ends in a cliffhanger which makes me wonder what will happen next.
I thank Ms. Strong for this ARC.

[Michael Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Layla Caine is an LAPD homicide detective and also a psychological profiler with a master’s degree to back her up. She’s also an ex-Hollywood film star -- though we find out later she was more of a “scream queen” in horror films. (She’s been a cop for only five years, but apparently joined the force as a detective -- which I doubt ever happens, especially as no mention is made of her having gone through the academy.) She and her partner, Mike Sandoval, get called out on the murder of another actress, whom Layla knew well in her earlier career (which sound like a conflict to me, but she tells her captain it isn’t), and we’ve already watched the homicide take place in the Prologue. From what seems like a mere glance around the crime scene, Layla sees a dozen things that her much more experienced but apparently clueless partner didn’t, and off they go (in the middle of the night) to follow clues. All this without any sign of a forensics team, too. Okay, that’s interesting start, maybe, but my investment in the story was already grinding to a halt, because there are a couple of major problems.

The narrative style is a bit much -- kind of loud and excitable, and brimming with implied exclamation marks (i.e., they aren’t actually printed in the text but you can feel them hovering and vibrating behind the words). This sort of thing is not untypical of a first-time novelist and is usually fixable with time and experience (and hopefully, a good editor). However, Strong appears to have written -- and self-published -- more than sixty (!) mysteries and thrillers, so there’s no excuse for the author’s lack of stylistic restraint -- especially in this genre, where readers generally prefer a more laconic style.

More than that, with her presumed experience in writing police procedurals, Strong displays a serious lack of understanding of the legal standards under which U.S. police departments must operate. For example: The two detectives are browbeating a possible suspect in an interrogation room (and with apparently no recording being made of what is said on either side) when the duty sergeant breaks in to tell them -- in the presence of the suspect -- about another, very similar murder that has just been reported. So the two cops take off to check it out, . . . leaving the suspect alone in the room, unguarded, and with no instructions to the sergeant about what to do with him. Amy lawyer would have his client out the door in five seconds and the detectives would be in very hot water with the brass, and probably the DA. And anyone who has read more than a handful of novels of this type knows all this very well. This scene described takes place about one-third of the way into the book and that’s where I gave up on it. I won’t waste my time on bad writing.

[Felicia Campbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

✨Kindle Review✨
First Kill 
By Ava Strong 
23/08/24
213pgs
🌟

Fav Quote- "None"

This one just wasn't the right fit for me. My hope for a fast paced, gripping read quickly fizzled out as the story struggled to gain momentum. The believability of the characters was a major hurdle they felt thin & underdeveloped, making it hard to care about their fate. Combine that with a plot that never fully engaged me, & I found myself repeatedly avoiding my reading time. The structure didn't help, either  the long, drawn out chapters felt tedious when the story itself was already running on fumes. I held out hope that it would pick up, but the further I read, the more I realized I was forcing myself through every page. I ultimately had to DNF. While I'm sure others might enjoy this book, it landed as slow & flat for my taste. 


 Tropes-
👒Masks & Performance
🔎Artistic Killer
👒 Past Trauma
🔎Unreliable Narratives
👒Locked Room / Impossible Crime 
🔎Haunted by Loss 
👒The Copycat
🔎Investigator in Peril
👒 Thriller Mystery 

[Cidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Layla is an LA police officer who used to be an actress, she wears different hats each day. No idea why and I don't think it's necessary. She is partnered up with Mike Sandoval and they quite a good team. A serial killer seems to be at work and they are tasked with finding out who that is, an actor and several actresses are found in positions as if they were in a scene on set and Layla and Mike are several steps behind him. This is a good sort of cat and mouse situation and we go through all the motions with them, it is quite a puzzling story and you learn something of the background to being an actress/actor along the way. Enjoyed this and I agreed with the reviewer that it is nice not to have some long dead sister being hauled along in the background of the story! Just wish they would ditch the hats, I don't think they are necessary. A good read though!

[Punkin’ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, fast paced, and decent if you need a break from your typical genre and need a quick pallet cleaning. I love law and order SVU and this was basically just like reading an episode play out but in book form.
Caine our female lead detective who was a former actor uses her industry connections as a leg up in this case.
I also enjoyed the killers POVs, nice change up.
These are all in the same category’s as a Frieda McFadden books for me but this is more entertaining than the last one by her I picked up so that’s why it’s a 3.5 star.

[Bridgewes · Rating 2 out of 5]

First Kill was a story of a once beautiful actress turned police officer. She and her partner work on solving a serial murderer. There conversations are often grunts and groans rather than actual words. She is very good at what she’s does, but the story fails by the author’s words. There are more unnecessary adverbs and adjectives so conversation is difficult. I found the book difficult to read because of that.

[Penny Lane-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

well paced crime drama

I enjoyed this book as the characters at first slightly unbelievable grew on me. The story developed at a good rate, not overly police procedural as some are. The characters were allowed to grow, as you become involved in their plights. I quite like a good read that allows you to suspend your disbelief and appreciate a good yarn.

[Amber Wilburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was about a serial killer who was killing people who wanted to be actresses. I liked the way it explained the kills. He tricked them and I could picture it so vividly. I liked the fbi agents in this book. It played out good I did give it 3 stars. I do recommend this book for all the crime thriller lovers.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story,but.

Good story line with enough suspense to keep the reader interested and wanting to know how it ends. But, too flowery with so many adjectives and adverbs, many repetitive to a point of distraction.

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

OMG. I didn't care what hat the MC was wearing. I didn't care what it looked like, how well it sat on her head or how well it hid her previous identity.

I cringed every time her hats were mentioned.

[MARY Stepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

a well written book

Not a book I would reread, even though it was well written. Had enough suspense to keep you intrigued but was just a little to juvenile for my taste. I will try another of this authors work before final decision.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book while reading it. It was a slow start, a bit of excitement and then turned slow and boring again at the end. It's like one of those films you enjoy while they're on but once they're done they're easy to forget

I think 3 stars is more than fair as I did enjoy, it was just nothing significant

[Faye Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

The book was great reading but had an abrupt ending. Nice characterization. Plot is interesting and moves well.you will have difficulty putting it down. My only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is because of the abrupt ending.

[Avid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. I enjoyed the last part of the book. The beginning was pretty disorganized, and I was starting to have issues with the characters and scenes. Then, the book came into focus & it turned out to be alright. It's not one of her best books, but it's worth a listen. 👍

Recommended 👍
📚📚📚

[diannscollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demented Reasoning

The main character and her partner were interesting in this crime solving case. But the reasoning for killing people was silly.

[Fiona Staples · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found it slow to get into and nearly didn’t finish but the last few chapters did grip me so I may try and read the second in the series

[Danika · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just took so long. Everything was so drawn out. If you like slow paced, this is the book for you. Unfortunately, i do not.

[Charlotta Lucarelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the idea and I wanted so badly to love it fully but it was a dnf for me. Just couldn't keep me pulled in

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing was pretty poor, quick read tho!

[Richard Gash · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt the characters lacked depth but worse, so did the story.

[sharon curtis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to stop reading it because of the cursing words in it!

[peter hodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gripping

I have not read any Lalya Caine before this book.
Impressed by the characters throughout the storyline and keeping the interest going throughout.

[Sonia Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

This serial killer thriller had me up all night reading till I got to the,very end. It was a great murder mystery that had me at the edge of my seat.

[Phil Howard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poorly written mystery / cop/ thriller. I question whether it was written by one author. I won't read another.

[Joanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Realized this is the second book to a series even though it says book one and this could be why I was so confused.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow moving throughout.