3 stars

This book, which is part of a series that includes _The Final Hunt_ and _The Last Hunt_ made me think of one thing the entire time I was reading it: _Dexter: New Blood_. Unfortunately, the show is more compelling than the book that reminded me of it.

I enjoyed this book, but it felt less developed than its predecessors. The most intriguing character here is Holly, a reporter who is reasonably obsessed with her sister's unsolved murder. Holly's personal life even becomes part of this when she finds herself seriously involved with a police officer who also becomes a suspect. Look. If you're going to live in the Pacific Northwest, you can reasonably suspect that all dudes in Holly's demo are potential serial killers, so it's not surprising that with the indicators and geography, she grows suspicious. Holly's partner takes things to another level; he's not the kind of guy to break up and move on. So, when he finds new ways outside of their relationship to terrorize her, readers must also wonder what this guy and various other suspicious characters have to do with Holly's sister's death and if she will ever get the answers for which she is searching. The answers WE get? Well, they are definitely concerning.

The audiobook is well narrated, and this added to my overall enjoyment. I recommend this option when and where accessible and available.

The First Hunt by Audrey J. Cole is the prequel to her heart-pounding thrillers The Final Hunt and The Last Hunt—and let me tell you, this one was absolutely chilling.

This book gives us the backstory of John—and whew… it’s intense, dark, and deeply unsettling in all the ways a good crime thriller should be. The pacing was sharp, the atmosphere tense, and the way Audrey Cole unravels John's descent into darkness? Masterful. This prequel doesn’t just add context—it seems as it will elevate the entire series.

If you're into true crime-inspired fiction, gritty investigations, or anything that gives off Green River Killer energy, you NEED this on your radar. It has that addictive “just one more chapter” feel that makes you lose hours in the best way.

Audrey J. Cole has officially landed on my auto-buy list. I cannot wait to dive into The Final Hunt and The Last Hunt next.

If you're sleeping on this series—WAKE UP. This is your sign to start reading.

The first Hunt is a captivating fast-paced thriller that I enjoyed immensely. I was really drawn in by the loose plot line of the Green River Killer and that the story used a true crime as part of the mystery. There was multiple times where something happened or there was a twist that I definitely did not see coming. The only issue that I had was I had a little bit of confusion over some of the plot points mainly what I think might be editing errors. There's two instances in the book where there is the same scene repeated and I had to go back a couple times. The first one has to do with the main character and her current boyfriend during a scene where she is talking to him about a specific interviewee that he had interviewed and then a couple pages later she starts talking to him about the exact same thing again and he acts surprised like they weren't just talking about it. How is he acting so surprised and ends up having a turn in the scene when they were just talking about it and he was fine . Towards the middle of the book there's another scene very similar where our main character is getting groceries, she's walking out to her car and she gets home and something happens. She's very stressed so she decides to go to the grocery store and get groceries even though she was just there. Both of these scenes contain the same conversation/event happening twice in one scene which was confusing to me as a reader .

Besides those couple Issues that I personally had (which had nothing to do with the actual story itself) I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast paced, psychological, crime drama novels. I am definitely going to be checking out the rest of this series as well as the author's other books.

This was action packed and filled with unpredictable twists and turns. The plot is fast paced and gripping. The characters are interesting and engaging even as anti-heroes. It was exactly what I was looking for in terms of pace, plot, and characters. This is my first time reading a book by this author and I was not disappointed. I prefer reading books in chronological order so when I saw this I just knew I had to read this first. I definitely need to read the other books in this series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

This is the 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙡 to Audrey J Cole’s The Final Hunt and The Last Hunt. This one is John’s backstory and it was absolutely chilling!!! This series is one you don’t want to pass up!! I have definitely found another favorite author!!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This was another great book by Audrey J. Cole. I love this series so much and to get some back story on how a killer comes to be adds so much depth to the first few books. There was so many twists and the suspense keep me reading until I'd finished this in one sitting. I especially loved the link and references to the Green River murders and how the characters distinguished between the two cases.

The ending was a great closure to the book, bringing a full circle back around to the first book. I would definitely recommend this book, as well as the whole series, to anyone that loves a fast paced, easy reading serial killer novel. 4.5 stars from me!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Audrey J. Cole for the advance copy.

This was a decent thriller but I didn't realize there were other books in the series which made me wonder what I was missing. Overall decent pace and enjoyable.

I have loved every one of Audrey’s books and this was another great one. Didn’t want to put this one down! Thanks for the opportunity to get an early read on it.

Fast paced with an engaging plot. Fans of the series will devour this prequel. The tension is through the roof. Complex characters and different points of view suck you in. I honestly thought I knew exactly where it was going and was wrong. The author gives you great twists that enhance the experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of The First Hunt by Audrey J. Cole. This chilling thriller serves as a prequel to The Final Hunt, offering readers an insight into one of the main character’s backstory. However, it can be read as a standalone novel.

Set in the 1980s, The First Hunt transports readers to a time when people felt safe walking alone, even after dark. Serial killers were haunting the west coast but most people didn’t have a clue about it. Cole skillfully creates a story around the Green River Killer and the possibility of how likely it could give a copycat motive to commit similar crimes. We follow along with the main character Holly’s journey as she works to uncover whether or not these murders are connected in addition to solving the murder other own sister.

Many of the murders she researched went unsolved or were assumed to be the responsibility of the well known Green River Killer already at large. But what if it was actually someone else?

The First Hunt is a gripping, fast-paced read that blends true crime and history into a page turning thriller. You will definitely want to read the next book in the series!

The First Hunt is set in 1985, and follows Holly, a crime journalist who lost her sister to murder several years before. Holly believes her sister was the first victim of the Green River Killer, but no one else does. As Holly begins to write her first true crime book, she starts to develop a theory about not only her sisters murder, but several other murders in the area. Five years later, Holly is a published author. Her abusive ex finance gets released from prison, and murders very similar to the Green River Killer’s start up again, and Holly has to try and figure out if he is the killer or not.

This was a pretty enjoyable book for me. I enjoyed the fact that it was set in a past timeline rather than the present day. The mystery was interesting, and there is a point of view in this book that added a really creepy element to the story. I did find some elements of the story pretty unbelievable, which lowered my rating of the book somewhat, but overall, I enjoyed it.

I couldn’t stop reading this! Having read Audrey Cole’s books before I was excited for this one. It’s is so exciting I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough. I totally connected with Holly and loved her relationship with Andy. It was a very clever plot with John twisting in and out: excellent read and can’t wait to read more from her!

This read peaked my interest from the very start. If the reader is even remotely interested in true crime, this is the book for you.

Part of a series, but can be read alone, the setting for this book is sat in the 80;s and remained very realistic to the time frame. I really loved that about this book. One of the characters, a reporter who reports on crime, Holly, can't seem to move on after the murder of her sister. Was it the Green River Killer? Was it her ex-fiancé'? What does the serial killers' son know about his dad's killing secrets? This book had me guessing and turning the pages as quickly as my fingers would allow. It's gripping and it's fast paced, so hold on to your seat!

This is a must read! Being published on 6/17/2025, do not wait to get your copy!

Thank you Rainier Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you, BooksGoSocial, for providing the copy of The First Hunt by Audrey J. Cole. I loved The Final Hunt and The Last Hunt so I was looking forward to reading this prequel. Of course you can read this as a standalone, but the reveals were probably more effective because I had read the other two books. I loved the tie-in with the real life Green River Killer. This is a fast and intriguing read, so go get it! 4 stars.

I really enjoyed the first two books of the series, so I was immediately curious when I saw this prequel being announced. Since this story is set before the first two books, The First Hunt can very easily be read as a stand-alone; this is basically what you can call a villian origin story focusing on John. While I was a bit sad not to have Cameron in the spotlight this time around, I can never say no to a serial killer thriller and this prequel has plenty to offer along the way. It turned out to be another very solid thriller indeed!

If you enjoy serial killer thrillers and true crime, you are definitely in for a treat with The First Hunt. Not only is one of the main characters a true crime author, but the plot also focuses on the Green River Killer; an actual serial killer active in Washington during the timeframe. I loved the incorporation of these true crime elements, and it definitely made the story stand out for me. It also helped me forget about the fact that Cameron wasn't present in this story... If you don't count the epilogue that is.

This book uses a multiple POV structure, switching between the different characters in play to help develop different storylines. Holly and John's POVs are the most important ones of course, and especially John's POV is fascinating. Then again, I always love a good serial killer POV... And it was interesting to learn more about how it all started. Holly's POV was great as well though, and she made for a solid main character. I loved the fact that she was a true crime author, and while she did make some very stupid mistakes, as a whole I can't deny it was easy to warm up to her.

I have a weak spot for serial killer thrillers, and having more than one in the spotlight in The First Hunt is without doubt a bonus. There is also the domestic abuse case of course, and the fact that you are never sure about the identity of the serial killer(s)... The building up of tension is very well done, and there are plenty of twists to keep you entertained. Sure, John's behavior doesn't exactly come as a surprise if you have read the other two books, but then again this is basically his origin story in the first place.

If you like fast-paced, engaging and suspenseful crime thrillers with a true crime element, I can definitely recommend this prequel. It is slightly different than the other two books of the series, but without doubt an excellent read!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book as an ARC

This was such an amazing book, before this I hadn’t read the other books yet in the series and honestly I’m happy I didn’t because everything was so fresh with it being a prequel. I became obsessed with Holly’s story and the ends of the earth she went through to try and solve her sisters murder, this had all the heart tugging feelings but kept you on your toes the entire time!

I need to know more of what happened after this so I’m off to go check out the rest of the books in the series because I’m hooked now!

Thank you, Audrey J Cole and Netgally for this ARC opportunity.

This book is actually the prequel to The Final Hunt series.
The story is set back in the 1980's where it deep dives into the rather eerie story of boy named John who discovers his father's deep, dark, secret life as a serial killer.
John is forced to confront his own natural instincts, with the possibility of inheriting his father's rather grotesque tendencies.


It really showcases the thin line of being the hunter or being hunted, it really blurs the narrative between predator and prey.
It shows how one can seem so normal on the outside but harbor deep darkness within.
Reminding us just how complex and multifaceted humans are.

Audrey Cole just can’t miss. Every book I’ve read by her has reignited my fire for thrillers. Her books are never boring, and have me hooked from the get go.

The First Hunt takes us back to 1985, back to the beginning. We get John’s origin story and find out how he got put on the path of becoming a serial killer.

I’m not a huge fan of prequels, but I absolutely loved the First Hunt. It was intriguing to bounce between perspectives and learn what made John into the killer he ended up as. We follow along with Holly, a crime reporter as she unravels the mystery of who murdered her sister.

When I started this book I did not realize it was a prequel and had no issues reading it first. I fairly enjoyed reading the prequel first and also think this book can be read as a stand-alone if you don’t read the others. If you like murder-mystery, this is a great book and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. I also enjoyed that this referenced the Green River Killer which then sent me into a deep dive of researching the real life murders.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC to review!

I’ve really enjoyed this author’s work! Being from the Seattle area I am always looking for a thriller set in my home state and this one was! Great twists and turns and it kept me guessing until the end. I haven’t read the rest of the series so I’m glad I started with the prequel! I will continue the series!