4.5 stars!

The story is set in Seattle in 1984 during the reign of the Green River Killer. The protagonist, John, discovers that his father is a serial killer, blurring the lines between hunter and hunted. Trust is broken, unlikely alliances are formed, and John must confront his primal instincts as he grapples with his father's dark secret. The book delves into the chilling mind of a killer and the inner conflict of a boy forced to confront his bloodline.

The third book in the series turned out to be a prequel, adding a whole new layer of complexity to the story. It could easily be mistaken for book three, as it delves even deeper into the past of Cameron's husband and his father. I didn't read the blurb beforehand, so I was a bit confused at first, but everything fell into place as the connections between all three books became clear. The second book hinted at John's father and some similar killings, sparking suspicions of a copycat.

Little did I know that this book would bring to life the infamous Green River Killer. I had to do some quick Googling and podcast listening to fully grasp the scope of this real-life serial killer. Turns out, the actual Green River Killer confessed to the murders of 70 women! It's fascinating how the inspiration for this book stemmed from a chilling true crime case, even though the details are quite different.

The writing was top-notch, with all three books intricately weaving together to keep you on your toes. If you're a fan of suspenseful reads, police procedurals, and mind-boggling facts that send you down a research rabbit hole, this book is right up your alley. While it can be enjoyed as a standalone, I highly recommend not skipping the previous books to fully appreciate the intricate web of connections.

This book lingered in my mind long after I finished it, prompting me to uncover even more in my research. Who knew a fictional tale could lead to such a deep dive into the dark corners of reality?

Thank you, BooksGoSocial, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏. 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕.

I absolutely could not read this book quickly enough. Written as a prequel and origin story for a character who appears in THE FINAL HUNT series, this installment was steeped in the nostalgia of the 80s where neon and big hair existed alongside the Green River Killer, one of America's most prolific serial killers.

There are two stories existing separately that will eventually collide. We begin with a man is out for a drive with his young son. He leaves the boy in the car after picking up a prostitute. The father instructs his son to wait in the car, and he walks the woman into the forest. The boy's curiosity and imminent knowledge of what his father is compels him to leave the car to investigate. What he witnesses will shape the course of the rest of his life.

Holly is a reporter and a true crime author, and she's also the sister to a murder victim. She has dedicated her life to searching for patterns that the police missed and trying to track down the car her sister was seen getting into. She's engaged to a police officer, Jared, but she's struggling with both his temper and his lack of interest in her sister's case, telling her to leave it to the police.

I absolutely loved all the different points of view and how the author brought these plots together. What I love with prequels is that you can read them first to set the stage for the rest of the series, or read it like I did, in order of publication, to really get that 'origin story' feel. Thank you so much to the author and Books Go Social for the early copy. This book is expected to publish June 17, 2025.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! I so enjoyed this book!

I loved that this series went backwards and this book gives us a look into John's childhood and how he was influenced by his father.

The book wasn't what I anticipated at all but it majorly exceeded my expectations! This was definitely the final piece of the puzzle and I loved it!

What an awesome story. Love the mystery and the twists and turns. This is one of my favorite books I've read this year. Audrey J. Cole is an amazing author

The First Hunt moved exceptionally fast and I found myself finishing it in record time. I actually didn't realize that this book was part of a series until I had already started. However, it can easily be read as a standalone. The writing was very well done and the book was suspenseful enough to not want to put it down. The only downside is that now I feel like I need to go read the rest of the series but my TBR is already ridiculous!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Holly lives next door to a serial killer but she doesn't know it yet. Holly's sister disappeared and Holly has been searching for answers to what happened to her for years. Holly thinks her sister is one of the victim's of two possible serial killers . She is on the hunt to find out. Writing true crime books while searching for answers with an abusive Ex boyfriend stalking her ....well let's just say a lot is going on in this book. There is another storyline of John a serial killers young son slowly learning that the man he calls his father is killing women. Love the different storylines that end in intercepting. This was a fast read for me kept me very interested. Great book with a great mystery and lots of suspense!

I was so excited for this one, because I loved the other 2 in this series, but this one fell short of my expectations. Good, but not great. This is John’s origin story and it also has true crime aspects as it includes a real life serial killer.

If think what was really missing from this story is his wife. She was the one I loved in this series. I would have rather read her origin story. I think the little surprise at the ending was the best part for sure. If the author decides to write another, I hope we get more of Cameron.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great prequel that fills in some gaps and provides great background for “The Final Hunt”. The book works well as a standalone and great characters are developed by the author, keeping the reader guessing constantly about the murders and murderers..Obsessed writer/sister, abusive fiancé, disfunctional father and son, and others are well represented and appropriate in their roles.

4⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Please check TWs before reading The First Hunt.

This was my first read from this author, and I had no clue when I read this that it was part of a series. I had no issues reading it as a stand-alone and definitely want to check out her other books, even if it’s out of order. Audrey J. Cole deserves more hype!

I really enjoyed The First Hunt. It was twisted, entertaining, suspenseful, and the characters were well developed. It basically has every aspect I could ask for in a thriller. The only issue is it wasn’t long enough. Every chapter we got was great, but I wish the time jumps were shorter with more chapters, especially in Part 1. Rebecca’s one chapter felt really out of place and unnecessary, and could’ve been part of Holly’s POV. If there were more chapters and less summarizing of events, so many loose ends wouldn’t have needed to be tied up in an epilogue. It felt like too much was happening in not enough words, so some things felt a little rushed.

I loved the forensics aspects and the way the story plays out. It reminds me a little of popular crime TV, which is super entertaining. The only qualm I had with this was that it makes it a little predictable, and some of the police interactions were a little unrealistic, but nonetheless it was an engaging read. Would definitely recommend and I can’t wait to read Cole’s other novels!

When a ghost from her past reignites the darkest of hunts, no one in Seattle is safe. Seattle, 1985 Crime reporter Holly Sparks is haunted by her sister's unsolved murder a crime she's convinced was the work of the infamous Green River Killer. But her investigation takes a terrifying turn when she uncovers a chilling truth: There might be two monsters stalking the city, and one wears a badge! Great read! This book had great suspense, murder, mystery, dark secrets and, intriguing, kidnapping, and some wild twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this one! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you for the opportunity of reading an ARC! I’ve read multiple books by Audrey Cole and loved them, so I knew I needed to see what this was about. Great style writing. Love the back story we get. One thing I didn’t realize was this is part of a series. Will be reading the others !

My favorite book out of the series!! Loved the background story of the main characters! Must read! Read this book in two sittings today.

I did not know this was part of a series. I do not read series. This was creepy and well written. There were several twists in this book I did not see coming. I just do not want to have to wait for the second book.