A big fan of M J Arlidge. I was very excited to have the opportunity to read A Gift for Dying. I was apprehensive too as this book didnt contain my favourite character DI Helen Grace from some of his previous books. But I needn't of worried. It was amazing.
If I had to sum up this book in one word it would be Exceptional!! I read this book in a day as it grabbed from the very first page. Loved the character Adam Brandt is a forensic psychologist who deals with the most damaged members of society and one of those is another likeable but unusual character called Kassie who just by looking at you can tell when you die!! But is she telling the truth and how does she know where a serial killer will strike next?? Is she as innocent as she claims??
This book is gripping, fast paced, scarey, shocking but also very sad. I was in tears in parts. It is so well written with a twisted but amazing plot. This book should definitely be made into a film.
MJ Aldridge has written another best seller and I can't wait to read more of his books.

My thanks to NetGalley and Publishers Michael Joseph for the ARC.
Kassie is a sullen, lonely teenager, living with her widowed mother in a run-down suburb of Chicago. Wherever she goes she looks downward to avoid meeting people's faces; she has a gift, or curse, which has blighted her life since the age of 5 when her father died. She's hurrying, looking downward, along a busy Chicago street, when she collides badly with another pedestrian, Jacob. He's concerned for her fall and in helping her, her eyes look up to meet his - the horror she experiences in that moment results in her being held at the Juvenile Centre for apparently attacking Jacob; this is where she encounters Adam Brandt, forensic psychologist. Adam struggles to come to terms with Kassie's stated ability to be able to see the manner of someone's death, as well as when it will take place, but is determined to help her. These events herald the introduction of a sadistic serial killer in that area and Kassie is drawn into becoming an obvious suspect, but all she wants to do is try and prevent the deaths from happening in the first place,.
The plot-line was unusual and interesting, the writing within the body of the story flowed, the characterisation of Kassie and Adam especially really gave you a 'a feel' for them, as well as Adam's back-story with his wife; however, I found that the long passages of individual's deliberations, procrastinations and musings tended to rather disjoint the main story., making it feel so long-drawn-out.. Additionally, the graphic violence leant itself further to the side of Horror, rather than Mystery/Thriller.
I can't say I really enjoyed this - skim-reading skills saved me from having to give up half-way through, in order to finish it.
Not the best.

Kassie is a 15 year old from Chicago but she's different to other teenagers because she can look in your eyes and see how you'll die. When she bumps into Jacob Jones in the street she knows she has to warn him but when he's found dead the police think she's involved. The police refer her to psychologist Adam Brandt who struggles to believe she has premonition. Really great book to read with an interesting concept which worked well.

Thanks to Netgalley, Michael Joseph and M J Arlidge for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Thriller with a difference. Tough story without many light moments, a great deal of sorrow and sadness.Characters who struggle with their lives.

I enjoyed this book and tried hard to not compare it to Helen Grace series, which I absolutely love.
This book is very different, with more of a mystery feel to it. Kassie has a gift that when she looks into a person's eyes she can see how and when that person is going to die, and forensic psychologist Adam Brandt is asked to find out is her claims are real. Both characters were well described especially Kassie who underneath it all is a typical teenager with many emotions.
this stand alone was a good read with a intriguing plot.

I'm a huge fan of MJ Arlidge (or stalker if you ask Matt), so when I had the opportunity to read his new standalone thriller I jumped pretty high, and when I was asked to help organise the blogtour I was all over it like a rash and actually managed to fill the blogtour in precisely 40 minutes... I'd like to take full credit for my amazing organisation skills, but it's more likely that the other 50 bloggers involved in this epic tour are huge MJ Arlidge fans as well.

So, let's get back to the reason you are here and that's to read my review on A GIFT FOR DYING.  With no Helen Grace I was concerned I wouldn't like the new characters because let's face it, Helen's a mate - I've spent the last 5 years following her career and don't want to appear disloyal but thankfully it's fine because A GIFT FOR DYING is so far removed from the Helen Grace series that no guilt is involved.

Adam Brandt, a forensic psychologist who appears to have it all.  A beautiful wife, a baby on the way, a successful practice with plenty of patients, a reputation within the industry and police force for being one of the good guys, totally professional and dependable until he meets Kassie.

Kassie is a teenager with a gift and it's not a gift anyone would want - she can look into your eyes and see how and when you are going to die.  When she accidentally bumps into someone on the street and "sees" his imminent murder she tries to intervene, but all this does is bring her to the attention and suspicion of the police.

The killer in this book is one sick puppy - the murders are so gruesome that I was squirming throughout - you need a pretty strong stomach to read those scenes.  With the authors standard short and gripping chapters, I was glued to my kindle turning those pages eager to find out what happens next.

Overall, a gripping, gruesome and gritty thriller.

4.5 stars. I have read this authors Helen Grace series and loved it so was looking forward to reading this standalone book. It certainly didn’t disappoint and had me hooked from the first page. It was quite different from your normal police procedural hunt for a serier killer. It was full of twists and turns and there were certainly a few shocks in there that I didn’t see coming. Would definitely recommend this book.

I'm a big fan of this author's Helen Grace series so when I saw he had a new stand alone out, I thought I'd give it a spin. I was a little bit wary though, given that the blurb hints at a bit of the supernatural but, unlike other books where this has been snuck into the narrative, hitting me for six and basically annoying the heck out of me, here I went in with my eyes wide open and I was very pleased with what I got!
Adam Brandt is a forensic psychologist and, as well as his own practice, also assists and takes referrals from the Police. He is asked to talk to Kassie, a troubled young woman, who had a run in with a man who subsequently died. Apparently, she was trying to warn him of his impending death, having "seen" it when she made eye contact. Obviously Adam doesn't believe her but, as she is still troubled (insane possibly), he carries on seeing her to try and help. Then there's another death and Kassie is found to have had another run in with the victim just prior to it. Coincidence? Or is there more to Kassie's story? Things hot up as the deaths are connected and the police realise that they could have a serial killer. But is Kassie really an innocent victim of her talent or is she more involved?
I really can't get over how good this book was. It completely blew me away with its tight, convoluted plotting. Even when I thought I knew where we were going, the getting there was exciting and the end result still shocking as there was always something extra to what I thought.
Kassie is a really great character and I bet the author had a lot of fun in creating her and crafting her talent. She's spunky and impulsive and goes all in for what she believes. I definitely enjoyed reading about her. Adam was also just as well crafted but a bit more on the stoical side. He has his wife and a baby on the way and he just wants to do right by them, no mean feat given his wife's own struggles. The two of them really are chalk and cheese but they really work well together, complementing each other along the way.
As well as the heinous (not for the faint-hearted) crimes depicted within this book, there's also a great deal of emotion contained within the book. I'm not going to go into details here (spoilers) but be prepared that things do get a bit tough along the way.
All in all, another string added to the bow of an already talented author. I really do hope that as well as more Helen Grace, we get some more great standalones like this one. Soon! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Being a big fan of the Helen Grace books, I was so excited to find out that M.J. Arlidge had a new stand-alone coming out and he explores a very interesting premise. Kassie is a teenager who you wouldn’t want to come across. Kassie believes she has an incredible but terrifying gift, she can see exactly when and how you’re going to die, and there is very little she can do to prevent it. Her psychiatrist, Adam tries to understand what is going on inside her head, but as he gets to know the young girl better, he begins to wonder if there is perhaps any truth in her claims, and the closer he gets to her, the more danger he is putting himself in.

What I absolutely love about M.J. Arlidge’s writing, is that he never fails to grip me straight away. Following on in the same style as the Helen Grace series, A Gift for Dying is told in short, punchy chapters. The storyline is very different compared to his previous books; although it does partly follow a police procedural element, it is also set across the Pond in the United States, Chicago.

Kassie was a character who I wanted to get to the bottom of. Like Adam was to begin with, I too was sceptical of her claims, so it was fascinating to see their relationship develop. As Kassie herself became more deeply connected to the murders that were taking place in her home town, I did begin to wonder myself if she was more involved than she was letting on and I was thinking about several reasons why this could be the case.

I became utterly gripped by the storyline in this book, and I deeply cared for Kassie, and I wanted to find out more about her. As I raced through the final chapters to get to the end, I didn’t once look up from the writing on the page, I just had to know what was going to happen and what Kassie and Adam were going to do next, any jobs that needed doing just had to be put aside until I was finished.

A Gift for Dying is a terrific stand-alone thriller. This is one of those books which will just keep you engrossed in the storyline and the characters; M.J. Arlidge is a writer who knows how to write gripping prose. Addictive and brilliantly written, I have no doubt at all that this will be a bestseller.

Ooh this is such a good book! I love the way M. J. Arlidge writes, it just flows beautifully, there’s hardly ever a wasted word and the books are jam-packed with every bit of tension and suspense you could possibly want, A Gift For Dying being a fine example of this.

The whole premise of Kassie being able to somehow predict these murders was written in such a way that I never thought to question it, it just made perfect sense, and it’s such an interesting twist that I savoured every word. She’s a really great character, haunted yet feisty - what a combination, I couldn’t help but root for her. In fact, murderer aside, I was pretty much rooting for all of them, there’s such a great collection of characters here, from Kassie; to loving, painter Faith. brave and loyal Adam; right to dogged detective Gabrielle Grey.

It seems strange to say that the murders happen at regular intervals, but what I mean is they don’t overshadow each other and didn’t make me feel like we had to get from one murder to another for things to happen. I’m not sure if I’ve made that any clearer, but there’s so much going on here that the murders are only one part to the story; when they do happen they are gruesome but not in an overly explicit way. But the pace steadily increases as the story develops and it kept me gripped, as all of Arlidge’s novels do, so I read it pretty quickly (and then invariably wanted to read more).

I’ve no doubt that regular readers of M J Arlidge will love this book as much as I did, but if you haven’t read any of his books yet A Gift For Dying would be a terrific way to introduce yourself to him. A fabulous book.

Where do I start? I loved this book from the first page! The storyline drew me in from the get go, I loved the characters and found myself drawn in to their world and eager to find out how the story would develop. It did not disappoint. Highly recommended.

This is a story about troubled teenager Kassie. Only her aged and sick grandmother understands her tormented mind and the burden of the special gift she had bestowed on her – inherited through the female side of the family and possibly missing only a generation. But when Kassie is taken into police custody after seemingly attacking a random passer-by, she is allocated a counsellor, forensic psychologist Adam Brandt, a respected clinician who is sued to dealing with such cases. Almost from the very start of their time together, Kassie recognises that Adam might well be her saviour and that maybe he can set her free from her lifelong torment.
Adam has great patience with Kassie. She has complex issues that are totally foreign to him. But Kassie is keeping a deadly secret, a secret only shared with Him. He supports Kassie in ways that go against his training and better judgement. Kassie is convinced that she has seen the clever, odious, serial killer who is stalking the streets of Chicago. She totally believes that she knows who and when the next victims will be sacrificed for the twisted, deadly pleasure of the masked assassin. She must intervene to try to save their lives. Adam has the most powerful urges to protect Kassie and keep her safe and he also has the support of his wife. She is either insane or…………Well Adam just doesn’t know. But will his interventions be successful or will they have a disastrous and far reaching outcome?
I was really engrossed in their story right from the very beginning. It is an addictive and character driven murder mystery thriller. I’ve loved each one of Matthew Arlidge’s Helen Grace series of crime thrillers, so I was intrigued to have the opportunity to review this latest novel set across the Atlantic Ocean in the USA. I’ve always known Matthew is a wonderful story teller, envisaging complex storylines full of exciting thrills and spills and also creating wonderful characters that you really identify with, as well as those that are beneath contempt, evil, hateful and twisted. This novel contains all of my favourite attributes. There are plenty of false leads, a dearth of tension and a whole heap of mystery and intrigue. I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Penguin and through my membership of NetGalley. A huge thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. This is a cracking novel written by a man of huge talent. It’s a 4.5* review from me.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I hadn’t realised this book was a stand alone when I started it, I was a bit disappointed. But once I started reading, that feeling soon left. Well written, exciting and totally different to what we’re used to. I grew to love Kassie, and also Adam and Faith. I’d highly recommend this to any fans of crime books.

Sadly this book wasnt for me I have struggled to maintain interest and have given up at 40%. As I have not finished the book I dont feel happy leaving a review on Goodread or Amazon

And now for something completely different! Having loved this author's Helen Grace series set in southern England, he now takes us to Chicago. Instead of a female police officer we now have Adam, a forensic psychologist who deals with mental health patients, as a lead role. He assists the police from time to time and is called in for what looks to be an unusual case. The teenager concerned - Kassie - claims to look into people eyes and know when and how they will die. That can't be the case can it?

The book follows Adam in his concern for, and initial disbelief of, Kassie. As you would expect there is a spate of serial killings in Chicago and the police are not inclined to pander to suggestions from a teenager or a forensic psychologist of what may be behind this.

Parts of this story are fairly unpleasant though that is becoming the norm now. The story really is about Kassie and Adam with others having fairly minor roles at best. Kassie was definitely interesting with her unusual skill. By comparison to the other characters in this story her persona felt quite developed. Adam's character was ok but I was not fully convinced by him. The police seemed aggressively less than competent and rather single minded. For me other characters in this had little impact or interest other than Adam's wife.

Overall I found this less than compelling and the story seemed drawn out. I think that I would maybe have stopped reading it were it not for the fact that it was a review copy. I guess inevitably I compared the story to the excellent Helen Grace series. I would happily recommend them to readers. The pace is excellent and they make for a tense enjoyable read. This book was not like that. The last third was not bad at all however the book had lost me quite some time before that. The ending I actually thought was pretty good too.

By all mean read the Helen Grace books, the majority of them are among the best thrillers I've read in recent years however I cannot recommend this one.

Thank you to Penguin UK, Michael Joseph, NetGalley and M. J. Arlidge for the chance to read and review this book.

The Helen Grace series by this author is one of my all-time-favourite crime series so I was looking forward to reading this stand-alone novel. The synopsis sounded fascinating and the opening chapter had me absorbed as I read what Kassie saw in the face of the stranger she bumped into on the street. The vivid detail was haunting and you felt her terror at staring death in the face. I was know even more excited to read the rest of this novel.

Kassie hasn’t had an easy life. She lives with her mother in one of the less welcoming parts of Chicago, and it has been just the two of them ever since her father t when she was a young child. They don’t have an easy relationship, Kassie’s mother is cold, hard and unforgiving of her daughter’s transgressions and has no tolerance for her so-called gift. She sees it as an excuse by Kassie to be deceptive and get attention. With no friends the only person Kassie can turn to is her Grandmother. But she is in a nursing home diagnosed with dementia and unable to communicate. All Kassie wants is someone who believes and understands her. To not be alone.

After her collision with the man on the street Kassie chased after him to try and warn him about what she saw. But all that anyone else sees is a crazy girl screaming and grabbing at the man and she is arrested on suspicion of trying to mug him. Adam Brandt is called down to the Juvenile Detention Centre to administer the psychological evaluation that protocol dictates she is given. At first he thinks she is in the middle of a psychological breakdown but is intrigued when she claims to have been trying to warn the man about something.

When the stranger, Jacob Jones, turns up brutally butchered the next day Kassie is again brought in by Police for questioning. Adam interviews her and she confides her secret: she saw the man’s death. She goes on to explain how by looking in someone’s eyes she can foresee the day and manner they will die. Though he doesn’t believe it Adam also doesn’t believe Kassie is crazy. He takes her on as a patient, determined to understand this unusual teenager and her peculiar conviction that she can predict someone’s demise. But things are about to get even more bizarre when another person Kassie claims to have foreseen the imminent death of is found in the same manner as Jacob Jones. Is Kassie somehow involved in these murders? Or is her gift real and she truly is just trying to save them? And if Kassie isn’t involved then who is The Chicago Butcher?

Kassie is a complex character and was an interesting protagonist. She isn’t always likeable. She’s impulsive, headstrong and temperamental but also vulnerable and someone who tries to do the right thing. Unfortunately her lack of maturity and guidance mean she often ends up making things worse, usually for herself. For the majority of the book we are left to decide for ourselves if Kassie’s gift is real or a charade and I went back and forth with my thoughts on this many times.

A Gift For Dying was a mysterious, intriguing, and thought-provoking book. Other than guessing who the next victim would be, I never really knew where the book was going and was taken by surprise with most of the twists and turns. There were times I gasped in horror at the gruesome and grisly murders, times my heart raced as the tension mounted and times my heart broke. I did find that the pace was too slow at times and in the middle of the book I very nearly gave up on it as it wasn’t holding my interest and had lost momentum. Thankfully I persevered and it picked up again as the last part of the book was gripping with a shocking conclusion that I didn’t expect.

What can I say except Wow, this is another great book by MJ Arlidge but this time it is a stand alone and not part of the DI Helen Grace series. Kassie is a troubled teenager who according to her can 'see'peoples death not just when they die but also how! of course Adam being a reliable psychiatrist doesn't believe her and he has to try and make her understand that it is impossible but then she bumps into another victim and just has to let them know what will happen. The police are called and she is classed as a suspect, will she stop her interference now?
I loved the fast paced feel of the plot and the characters were so well defined I felt as though I was there with them even through the gruesome parts but then it wouldn't be a M.J Arlidge book without them. I felt myself racing to the end and was held captive until the very last page.
If I could have given it more stars I would. Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book.

Absolutely loved this, couldn't put it down until I'd finished it, starts of fast paced and doesn't slow down, you think you know what's going to happen and why, You don't, MJ Arlidge delivers as usual, great read.

Sometimes you need to read something far fetched and unreality out there, so if that is what you want then this is the one for you..
Plenty of twists and turns to. keep you gripped while holding your breath and a very unexpected ending.

Thank you netgalley, M J Arlidge and Penguin UK for allowing me to read and review this book.

I found this book somewhat disappointing. After reaching the epilogue chapters I still did not understand why Kassie had these powers but more importantly why the murderer chose the victims and did what he/she did (trying not to spoil the story for anyone reading this). OK the bit of information on looking down at him/her or ignoring him/her just didn't make sense especially in the method of killing.
I felt how Kassie met each of the victims so that she knew what would happen a bit too implausible even when you have to accept that 'this would never happen did happen' story lines in some books.