A Gift Before Dying

Hardback Published on: 22/01/2026
Price: £22.00
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Bookseller Reviews

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A Gift Before Dying
A great mystery read!
A Gift Before Dying is a wonderful, gripping debut thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. It has a dark, haunting, immersive, gritty and clever plot set in th... READ MORE
Emma at Waterstones Blackburn

Synopsis

'Hypnotically good ' Lee Child

'A stunning debut' Daily Mail

'A life-affirming read' Daily Express

'A gritty debut thriller' Irish Independent

'One of the finest debuts of the year' Donald Ray Pollock

'Rich in atmosphere and relentlessly suspenseful' Michael Koryta

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AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, CAN JUSTICE STILL BE FOUND?

After a botched high-profile murder investigation, Sergeant Elderick Cole is exiled to the remote, rugged landscape of Nunavut, a vast territory in the Arctic Circle known for its untamed beauty, frigid temperatures, and endless winter nights.

His bleak existence takes a sinister turn when he discovers the hanging body of Pitseolala, a troubled Inuit girl whom he had sworn to protect. Her death dredges up demons he thought he'd buried along with the scars of a fractured marriage and the aching divide between himself and his estranged daughter.

As Cole's life unravels - and with it, the fragile thread of his investigation - he turns to Pitseolala's younger brother, Maliktu, a fellow outsider. It's then that Cole uncovers what binds them: a singular mission to find her killer.

Against fierce backlash, Cole's overriding desire to redeem just one aspect of his otherwise failed life becomes an obsession - and he's willing to break every rule in his unyielding pursuit of justice and the smallest shred of redemption.

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'A haunting, immersive, moving story-told by an expert, with great authority and emotion' Richard Thomas, Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, and Thriller Award finalist

'There's a river of warmth running under this icy, Arctic thriller, with a big bang of an ending you won't soon forget' Rene Denfeld

'[A] stunning debut . . . It's a knockout' Publishers Weekly, starred review

Publisher information

  • Publisher: John Murray Press
  • ISBN: 9781399829748
  • Number of pages: 272
  • Dimensions: 236 x 156 x 30 mm
  • Weight: 460g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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A Gift Before Dying
mystery
Set against the stark, unforgiving beauty of Nunavut’s frozen expanse, this novel delivers a slow-burning, emotionally charged mystery that lingers like fr... READ MORE
Leanne H
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
A Gift Before Dying
Great read!
A Gift Before Dying by Malcolm Kempt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ eARC review. Publication date: 22.01.26 In the vast Northern Arctic territory of Nunavut, Sergeant Eld... READ MORE
Jenna Tomlinson
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
A Gift Before Dying
Ghostly Murder Mystery
Elderick Cole is a disgraced police officer working in Nunavat, in the Arctic circle with the Inuit population, and among the "Southerners" in various posi... READ MORE
Gail
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.