Kendra Elliot has built a reputation as a reliable voice in modern thrillers, and The First Death — the fourth entry in her Columbia River series — makes it easy to see why. The novel opens with a harrowing childhood trauma: five-year-old Rowan Wolff and her seven-year-old brother are kidnapped after their nanny is murdered, enduring days of torture before Rowan manages to escape. Her brother is never recovered, and for years Rowan and her family have lived with the belief that he is dead, preserving his memory while trying to move forward.

That fragile sense of closure is shaken when Rowan, now a search-and-rescue expert, discovers human remains near the site of her nanny’s murder. When evidence suggests one set of remains may belong to a young boy, the family braces for long-awaited answers. But Elliot smartly resists easy resolutions. As investigators attempt to identify the remains and track down the killer, the case spirals into a layered and increasingly complex mystery — one that raises more questions than it answers, at least at first. Elliot keeps the reader engaged throughout, weaving emotional weight and intrigue into a plot that steadily tightens rather than overwhelms.

What sets The First Death apart is Elliot’s control. Her writing is clear and accessible without feeling simplistic, and the pacing is finely tuned — urgent when it needs to be, but unafraid to pause and let the emotional stakes settle. Many thriller writers can construct a clever plot; far fewer can create the immersive pull that makes a story difficult to put down. Elliot achieves that balance here with ease.

For readers who love smart, emotionally grounded thrillers, The First Death is an easy recommendation — and a strong argument for exploring more of Elliot’s work.

Rating: 5/5