The First House by JJ Carpenter

This is a preorder. Release date: September 18, 2026

Some houses keep secrets. This house keeps you.

Murphy has seen ghosts all her life. Usually, they're harmless. Strange shadows in the corner of a room. Pale figures that vanish when she looks twice. Whispers from the dead that have become little more than background noise.

But the First House is different.

Inherited from her grandmother after a messy divorce, a devastating loss, and the collapse of the life she thought she wanted, the isolated house on Tasmania's coast seems like the perfect place for Murphy to start over. Better yet, with its notorious history and reputation for being haunted, it could become the ultimate tourist attraction for her new social media presence. Murphy isn't afraid of ghosts.

She should be.

As she restores the decaying house, Murphy discovers its spirits aren't merely lingering. They're waiting. Teeth click beneath her bed. Rooms conceal impossible spaces. And something ancient moves through the darkness—a presence that has been tied to the house for far longer than anyone remembers. 

The First House has been keeping its secrets for generations. 

Now Murphy has come home.

And something inside has been waiting for her.

Website Exclusive Hardcover: this edition comes as a case laminate hardcover with a beautiful dust jacket and ribbon bookmark.