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beccasinners's review against another edition
3.5
3.5⭐️
Great concept and liked the plot, could have been more condensed/shorter. Refreshing to have an unhappy ending for a change but didn’t hit as hard as it could.
Great concept and liked the plot, could have been more condensed/shorter. Refreshing to have an unhappy ending for a change but didn’t hit as hard as it could.
sparklebox1's review against another edition
5.0
A new author for me. I enjoyed it, being a spiritualist I could see that you may have this as a gift but it would be really tough and totally destructive so it’s probably a good job most do not have this as a foresight.
samanthacallf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
3.0
I had never read anything by this author before but was aware of the successful Helen Grace series so I jumped at the chance to read this new standalone novel.
Kassie is a loner. She has a difficult relationship with her mother, few friends, is rarely at school and she dabbles in drugs. She only has one person who understands her and she can’t help her due to her age and health. She is a person who if it was real life I would go out of may way to avoid. But she has a gift that nobody else would wish for and because of this gift I had a lot of sympathy for her. Both Adam and Gabrielle tried to help and gain insight from her but understandably struggled. Especially Adam who suffered terribly due to getting involved. Strangely, both of these two I didn’t have much liking for.
The murders committed are extremely violent, I can’t think of any that are as violent as the ones that take place in this novel. The details about the remains were similar to others but the actual act of murder made me happy that I read during the day. I did have my suspicions about the who the killer was and why they chose their victims but I was wrong in every way.
My favourite character was one who featured briefly, Kassie’s grandmother. When Kassie described something that occurred during her grandmother’s childhood that affected her for the rest of her life, it was the most chilling part of the novel. She also showed that nobody could understand Kassie better than her.
Kassie is a loner. She has a difficult relationship with her mother, few friends, is rarely at school and she dabbles in drugs. She only has one person who understands her and she can’t help her due to her age and health. She is a person who if it was real life I would go out of may way to avoid. But she has a gift that nobody else would wish for and because of this gift I had a lot of sympathy for her. Both Adam and Gabrielle tried to help and gain insight from her but understandably struggled. Especially Adam who suffered terribly due to getting involved. Strangely, both of these two I didn’t have much liking for.
The murders committed are extremely violent, I can’t think of any that are as violent as the ones that take place in this novel. The details about the remains were similar to others but the actual act of murder made me happy that I read during the day. I did have my suspicions about the who the killer was and why they chose their victims but I was wrong in every way.
My favourite character was one who featured briefly, Kassie’s grandmother. When Kassie described something that occurred during her grandmother’s childhood that affected her for the rest of her life, it was the most chilling part of the novel. She also showed that nobody could understand Kassie better than her.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
5.0
Being a massive fan of the authors DI Helen Grace series, there was no way I could resist reading his new stand alone novel. Glad to report that it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Kassie is a young and vulnerable teen who has an unfortunate gift that runs in the family of being able to see how and when people are going to die. Imagine the people you love, friends and family, and knowing something like that. It is definitely more a curse than a gift that’s for sure.
Adam pretty much has it all. Even though his job is demanding, he has a wife and a baby on the way and life is definitely looking good. Meeting Kassie makes him question his own beliefs being a forensic psychologist and he is definitely out of his comfort zone when it comes to her.
The killer in this novel is a very sick and twisted one. The killings will without a doubt make you cringe but had me enthralled never the less. With a male and female protagonist and a female detective running the case, this really does make for a compulsive read. There are a great mix of characters that really add to the appeal of the story also.
A Gift For Dying shows off the authors writing skills even more. It is guaranteed to win over new fans as well as old and I hope that he has plenty more stand alone’s in the pipe line after this one. A dark, twisted and gripping read. Loved it!
My thanks to Tracy Fenton, NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
Kassie is a young and vulnerable teen who has an unfortunate gift that runs in the family of being able to see how and when people are going to die. Imagine the people you love, friends and family, and knowing something like that. It is definitely more a curse than a gift that’s for sure.
Adam pretty much has it all. Even though his job is demanding, he has a wife and a baby on the way and life is definitely looking good. Meeting Kassie makes him question his own beliefs being a forensic psychologist and he is definitely out of his comfort zone when it comes to her.
The killer in this novel is a very sick and twisted one. The killings will without a doubt make you cringe but had me enthralled never the less. With a male and female protagonist and a female detective running the case, this really does make for a compulsive read. There are a great mix of characters that really add to the appeal of the story also.
A Gift For Dying shows off the authors writing skills even more. It is guaranteed to win over new fans as well as old and I hope that he has plenty more stand alone’s in the pipe line after this one. A dark, twisted and gripping read. Loved it!
My thanks to Tracy Fenton, NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
annarozsa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mike_peach's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
anamendeslopes's review against another edition
3.0
Good old fashion thriller, clearly written for a tv show or a movie! Fast paced and emotional with a good ending - though not surprising.
The short chapters make it impossible to stop reading, and I kept thinking Ok, just one more!
Will definitely read Arlidge again!
The short chapters make it impossible to stop reading, and I kept thinking Ok, just one more!
Will definitely read Arlidge again!