The entire premise of the book being that Kassie can predict how and when people will die had me a tiny bit skeptical starting off with this book. I was worried it would take a dive into completely unrealistic voodoo and I would lose total interest in the plot. How wrong I was to worry! I completely appreciate that despite this somewhat supernatural element to the story, it’s a story that is otherwise grounded by complex and broken characters and that makes it compulsively readable.

I loved Kassie’s character. That this gift/curse would be something that would isolate her in life was entirely more believable than any other situation that M.J. could have put her in. I spent the entire book feeling so sorry for Kassie and rooting so hard for her to come out on top in the end. Even in some of her more crazy actions - I know I’m getting older when my reaction to young characters making dangerous and impulsive decisions is to want to sit them down and lecture them, but I digress - she was still relatable and believable in how she was trying to tackle the increasingly terrifying position she was in. I think I also just very much appreciated that M.J. never took the easy way out with this plot point - no one just outright believes Kassie when she tells them what she can see, and that is something I ADORE in a book - a very honest reaction to off kilter news like that.

I won’t offer any spoilers, because this is one of those stories you want to go into knowing very little so you can fully enjoy how the story plays out, but I will say that I was surprised to be moved so emotionally by this book in parts. It is very rare for me to really have an emotional connection to a mystery/suspense/thriller but in this case I did. That has piqued my interest in checking out more of M.J.’s work, because quite frankly, it was the exact right combination of suspense and drama to make this a highly refreshing read for me this month.

If you are a bookworm who likes your suspense with a little bit of a wild and unique twist, this is CERTAINLY one I would recommend for you. It’s a compulsively readable summer pick, and will make for the perfect companion while soaking up these sunshine rays!

Firstly thank you to Michael Joseph - Penguin Books and Netgalley for this advanced copy. I love the Helen Grace series and I love this Standalone from M J Arlidge. There are a lot of things you can expect from his books but disappointment is not one of them. I just love his style of writing and his books grip you from the first to the last page and this book is no exception. Another winner.

I am a big fan of the Helen Grace series, so jumped at the chance of reading M.J. Arlidge’s new standalone thriller.

The story is split between Kassie, a troubled teenager who sees and feels how people die, her Psychologist Dr Brandt, and Detective Grey. However, the main focus is on Kassie and Brandt. Detective Grey seems to purely be there to fill in the details of the investigation as she is not developed as a character at all. This works though, as introducing another character’s life would not have helped the story in any way.

Kassie’s abilities made this an intriguing and unique story, and I really enjoyed following her as she tried to solve the crime.

My personal theory is that you can’t go wrong with an M. J Arlidge novel to read and this book doesn’t disappoint. I must confess I’m sceptical when it comes to spiritual matters, but I found this thread intriguing. Adam, a psychologist, is confronted by a disturbed Polish girl, Kassie who has the power to look at someone and predict their death. It places Adam and others in an invidious situation as Kassie insists on helping him solve some gruesome murders. When I say, gruesome it’s with a capital G. It beggars belief that anyone is programmed like the perp in this novel who is exceptionally vicious, inhumane and a damaged soul. WOW! An earth-shattering tense ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph.

Adam is well used to dealing with damaged people in his job as a forensic psychologist, but Kassie is a whole new kettle of fish.

She claims to have a terrible gift – by looking into your eyes, she can see when and how you will die.

Adam knows that Kassie must be insane, but with a serial killer on the loose in Chicago she seems to be the only person who knows where he’ll strike next.

Against Adam’s better judgement he begins to believe her but how deadly will this faith prove?

Arlidge’s Helen Grace series is one of my all-time favourites in this genre. So, when I saw that the author was writing a standalone, I was eager to request it via NetGalley.

For the first few chapters I was gripped! Those of you who have read this author’s work before will know, this isn’t a great deal of the book as he writes in short, snappy sections. I would say the mid 65% really didn’t compel me, and I found myself only reading on my lunch breaks, always finding something better to do in the evenings.

Although, I often find it difficult to get on board with these supernatural twists, Kassie was a well-developed character and it was easy to believe and empathise with her situation. I didn’t really think the same of Adam, his background wasn’t fleshed out very much and this led to me not caring much for his circumstance throughout. As for the police, I couldn’t get to grips with why the author decided to perceive them aggressive and incompetent. I almost wanted Kassie to just give up on trying to aide them in their search for the serial killer.

In the last 10% of the book I was eagerly waiting for the punch; the clever twisted link I have come to expect from Arlidge, but it seems there wasn’t to be one.

All in all, it was an ok read. I probably wouldn’t recommend this to Helen Grace fans as I think they would be disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two Helen Grace books (yes yes I’m waaaaaaayyyyyyy behind) so I was really looking forward to reading M.J. Arlidge’s stand-alone A Gift Before Dying.

The book opens with the chilling reality of Kassie’s “gift”, “affliction”, call it what you will. But this young girl has such a massive responsibility on her shoulders. I can’t imagine looking at someone and knowing how long they had to live. Can she save anyone? Or are all her efforts in vain? I was willing her to save one life, to make a difference.

The killer’s MO made me mentally recoil just based on the post mortem but when I read him repeating the kill on another victim, OMG I physically felt so uncomfortable. I have a reasonably strong stomach when it comes to gore but what Mr Aldridge has conjured up is sick and twisted. It so reminded me of his debut novel Eeny Meeny in many ways. This is a killer not for the faint-hearted.

There is a very tense climax to the story. I really didn’t want to put the book down so was reading in the early hours, caught up in the action that played out before me on my kindle.

This book is not only an addictive crime thriller that kept me on tenterhooks but it made me question life. Is everything predetermined in life? How much free will do we have? Is the saying que sera sera that far from the truth or can we change the future?

This is the first book I have read by M.J. Arlidge so I was reading with fresh eyes. This is a faced paced crime thriller. The chapters are short and punchy, which for me, means I have to keep reading – just one more chapter! I quickly whizzed through the pages.

The Characters

Each chapter is told from a different characters perspective. This was great as you got to see the action from all sides, however, it did mean it took a little longer to get a handle on the personalities involved. I would say there are four main characters, Adam, Faith, Kassie and Gabrielle.

Kassie is a very damaged teenager, she claims to be able to see the exact moment that someone will die and how. She has a troubled home life, doesn’t go to school often and gets in trouble with the police. She meets Adam on one such occasion. At her heart though, Kassie is just trying to help, you can’t help but feel sorry for her.

Adam is a psychologist tasked with helping Kassie, who he assumes is suffering from some type of psychosis. He’s married to Faith, an artist. There is a side story concerning this couple, which I found tough to read. They are both very likable characters, both intent on trying to do the right thing.

Gabrielle is the detective tasked with solving the case, she is tough and hard working. She has an excellent team behind her. I really liked her, she was very relatable. This is a hard case especially with Kassie, seemingly able to predict/find the next victim.

As I mentioned the chapters are short, you get to see glimpses of their personal lives and their professional ones. I loved being able to see each side of the characters. It helps you build a picture of them and understand their motives.

The Action

There is no getting away from it, these murders are brutal. There isn’t an awful lot of graphic detail given, which almost made it worse. It is left to your imagination to fill in the blanks. There were some incredibly creepy moments, I read this while I was in the house on my own. Not a good plan! It certainly got under my skin.

Final Thoughts

Overall I did really enjoy this book. There is one thing that did bother me, I felt that one of the characters didn’t get a proper conclusion and I was left a little disappointed with that. Having said that I will be searching out more of M.J. Arlidge’s books as this was right up my street. If you like fast paced action and being a little scared. Then go and grab yourself a copy, you wont be disappointed.

Many thanks to Tracy to inviting me on to the blog tour and to M.J. Arlidge and Michael Joseph for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kassie is not like every other Chicago teenager, she doesn’t stay out late partying, she doesn’t hang out at the mall chatting with friends. In fact Kassie has no friends because when she looks you in the eye , she sees your death, when it will happen and how it will happen and so Kassie goes through life avoiding eye contact. Adam Brandt is a forensic psychologist and the police departments ‘go-to’ expert when they have mental health concerns for any suspects they arrest.. Adam meets Kassie after she is arrested for attacking a passerby. Adam attempts to show sympathy and understanding and bit by bit, Kassie explains what she sees and that on this day she saw this man’s gruesome death at the hand of another. Despite not believing in Kassie’s visions he tries to help her. Meanwhile, the gruesome murder predicted by Kassie takes place and as the bodies line up and detective Gabrielle Grey makes clear links from the victims to Kassie, so both Adam and Kassie’s lives begin to unravel and intertwine with each other.

This fantastic psychological thriller is a step away from Arlidge’s Helen Grace series, but it is as enthralling a read , as I’ve come to expect from this author.. The writing is incredibly gripping and as the tale unfolds the reader is taken on a roller coaster journey of emotions that ends so perfectly.

I am a huge fan of M.J Arlidge, and if you too are a fan of the DI Grace books you will not be disappointed in this stand alone book.

Kassie has a gift but it brings her nothing but trouble, if she looks into your eyes she knows how you will die and when.  Her mother doesn't understand or believe and Kassie has her own ways of coping.

However now she is drawn into a series of killings, she knew they were going to die, she tried to warn them.  Now she is the prime suspect.

Adam Brandt is a successful forensic psychologist, and the police want his help with Kassie.  They are sure she is guilty but after spending time with her, he is sure she isn't.  In fact he starts to believe in her gift, but what will this cost him?

The relationship that grows between Kassie and Adam is full of emotion as Kassie starts to finally trust someone, a relief for the young girl burdened with this 'gift'.  Adam, in turn looks beyond his scientific teaching and starts to realise not everything can be explained.

A thrilling read,highly recommended.

Wow this was a gripping, nerve shredding thriller that I’ll be recommending to everyone! It’s quite an intense read and I found myself thoroughly involved in the action that was unfolding. I thought I could feel Kassie’s fear and desperation as events unfolded and was on the edge of my seat whilst reading!

Maisie was a very interesting main character and it was quite poignant to see how much her gift confused and terrified her. On one hand she seemed like a vulnerable little girl who just needed someone to tell her what was happening and that everything would be ok. However on the other she seemed a very brave, together person who wanted to try and discover the truth about what was happening. She was definitely a character that you could get behind and I felt that I was willing her to be successful.

Some of the action in the book is rather graphic and gruesome so it won’t be to everyone’s taste. It does add something to the story however as it ensures that the reader’s loyalty lies with Kassie. The tension builds until it is almost too tense to bear which made it very hard to put the book down. I found I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens but at the same time wanting to stop as I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out!

The ending and final twist was superbly done! Just when I thought I had figured out what was going on, the story suddenly went off in a completely different direction which had me reading faster and faster as I scrambled to catch up which is always a sign of a great book.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and for Michael St Joseph for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

Really enjoyed this book, totally different from his others which I enjoyed. Would like to see more like this

Imagine being 15 years old and seeing and feeling death when you look into someone’s eyes? You can tell and feel where, when and how they are going to die. This is what Kassie faces everyday. Except nobody believes her and she ends up as a murder suspect instead.

Adam Brandt is a forensic psychologist assigned to Kassie but as the story moves on, he begins to see she may just be telling the truth and could be the only key to stopping a serial killer.

The story is told from four main perspectives (Kassie, Adam, the killer and the detective – Gabrielle) although we do get snippets from other characters such as Kassie’s mother too. This multi layered narrative gives you a really good insight into each character and often provides different viewpoints of the events.

The story itself is unique and thrilling. I love a good crime/thriller but the added psychological perspective of Kassie’s gift makes this something refreshing and novel. Short chapters add to the pace of the story and builds suspense and tension, bring you along a twisty road before reaching your destination.

Highly recommended.

Oh wow! A book that draws you in from the very beginning and the” gift” that keeps on giving so to speak!
A man is murdered, in fact more than. His body is brutally taken apart. Two young gang members are picked up quickly afterwards in the mans car however it is just their bad luck that the body was in the trunk. Kassie has been having visions. Always just slightly the wrong side of the tracks at 15, she often misses school and has drugs to help her through. On a shoplifting spree she bumps into a man and when she looks into his eyes it disturbs her so much she knows she has to do something about it and warn him of his impending doom. Adam is a forensic psychologist attached to the police department as well as his own practice and is soon to be a father. When Adam agrees to treat Kassie, can he believe her visions or is she hiding something more, much more? I found myself wanting to turn the pages faster and faster whilst at the same time not wanting this to end. This is stunningly written. Sometimes a little gory but enough to give you a clear picture of scenes and characters and short chapters keep the pace flowing nicely along. A slightly dark and chilling read with a hint of supernatural.One brilliant read.
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2732077885?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

When fifteen year old teenager Kassie gets accidentally knocked to the ground on a busy street by a stranger it sets her on a terrifying road that she cannot get off. Kassie has always been known as a bit of a weird girl, a one of a kind who has learnt to keep herself to herself, but when her eyes meet those of the stranger she sees and feels how he will die. It will be very soon, very violent and the beginning of a serial killers reign that weaves itself into her life and those connected to her.
Forensic psychologist Adam Brandt is the man assigned to work with the crazy girl who swears she can see every persons death if she looks into their eyes. It is his responsibility to help her cope with these delusional feelings. Surely reports of the man brutally murdered has to be a coincident to this young girl’s ramblings. When Kassie becomes obsessed with one of his colleagues Adam begins to doubt his own logic. He wants to ask her if she can see his death but changes it to can she see her own. The answer is one that sent ripples of cold through me and turned him speechless.
This is a stand alone novel by MJ Arlidge and although there is of course police involvement in the story it centres round Kassie, Adam and the killer. This is a very graphically detailed story, including the murders which are performed to give to killer the greatest fulfilment and his victims the most prolonged and painful death.
As a reader you find something out early on and the more I became invested in the story and the main characters the more worried I became. The tension is tremendous, with the last few chapters agonising, brutal and off my adrenaline scale of scary. An absolute brilliant read and perfect stand alone novel.
I wish to thank the Publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I loved this book!! I have been a huge fan of the Helen Grace series and was delighted to receive a copy of this stand alone thriller. Very different from previous books but fabulous nonetheless. I devoured this book in one sitting - reading till the early hours to finish it. I really liked the characters and loved the supernatural element to the story. Another 5* read

This had been a really interesting read, quite different from the ones I am used to.
When the attorney Jacob Jones appears dead, the police only has one clue, a young teenager has been seen leaving the scene… Kassie is this teenager, a girl with her own problems who only wanted to save him; because she says that can see the moment the people will die and how will die when looking to their face…
Of course, the police will not believe her, and the forensic psychologist Adam Brandt will be the one having to decide if she is imagining things or telling the truth… It would not be an easy decision to make, but he will start believing what Kassie says after more deaths start to appear and being her the only one that will be able to help them.
Kassie is really an interesting character; her mother is not very supportive and she is a drug user, but with her “gift” is not easy to live or talk with the people you know if will die soon… She doesn’t trust anyone, but wants to help… Will Adam be an ally or will deceit her as everyone else? You’ll see…
Adam will seem the perfect “character” with the perfect life; a good job, girlfriend and soon a baby… so this case will make him leave his comfort zone and try to understand things that are not able to explain; but feeling the clock against them will have to make a decision and quick!
I loved the story and the twists on it, the characters attracted me since the beginning, Kassie is one of those characters that all the readers feel a connection and the need to help.
The story is told between various characters, making the story easy to follow and with different perspectives to be more real and profound.
Ready for a past-faced murder investigation with some curious characters and full of twists?

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. 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.

I loved M.J. Arlidge’s previous series DI Helen Grace so this was a must read for me. However, this story is a standalone and very different to his series set. I throughally enjoyed this story, it is a page turner of a read that you won’t want to put down.

I felt sorry for Kassie with her talent to see peoples death, it must be hard for her as one, no one believes her. Two, she can’t do anything to stop it and three she will always end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. But then she meets Adam, will Adam believe her and help her? No wonder she keeps to herself and acts the way she does, I don’t blame her for that as it must be horrible to endure and live with.

Will this killer be caught? Have the team got the correct suspect? Could they work with Kassie to find him/her? Interesting story. Haven’t read anything along these lines before. Brilliantly written, fast paced and contains short chapters. You’re bound to love it! I did. I awarded a well deserved four stars and would highly recommend to you all. One I stayed up late just to finish! It’s good.

Who's going to die next? Kassie knows as she has a deadly and special gift. A gift to look someone in the eyes and foresee when and how they are going to die and she's just seen that someone is going to die imminently in a most gruesome and evil way.....

A dark, suspenseful and chilling story. This is the first book by this author that I've read in a long time and it's just reminded me why I should be reading more by him. Just brilliant, but be warned, you'll need a strong stomach for this one!

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

A gift for dying? How about a gift for writing!

LOVE the Helen Grace booksr to put my hand up and yell ‘yes please!’ to the always amazing Tracy Fenton of Compusive Readers when she asked for tributes, I mean, blog tour hosts!
So why should you buy this book other than the fact I tell you to? Well let me begin…

It’s deftly plotted and keeps you on a tightrope of suspense combined with supernatural undertones that have you shivering under your blanket.

M.J Arlidge plots like a demon-he absolutely nails the pressure on detective, Gabrielle Grey to catch the serial killer who is stalking Chicago. I have never been there but the city becomes a character in its own right as terrified citizens demand justice, especially when the death of a high profile victim hits the news headlines.

Teenager Kassie has the ability to look into a person’s eyes and know the date of their death, a kind of precognitive awareness that in other hands could be a hackneyed plot device but here adds cadence and richness to a troubled soul.

These two story lines intersect in the addition of forensic psychologist Adam Brandt who is bought to interview Kassie after the death of a lawyer who she had been seen arguing with.

There are undertones whch explore our attitudes towards science and those things which science cannpt explain, together with the way society looks at and regards the victimes of serial killers/murderers-especially when a ‘high profile’ victim suddenly explodes the case.

It is billed as a standalone novel but I sincerely hope there will be more in the line of dark and supernatural from the fabulous M.J Arlidge!