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A Gift Before Dying
- Author
- Malcolm Kempt
- Narrator
- Stephen Mendel
- Publisher
- John Murray Press
- Publish Date
- 22 January 2026
- Run Time
- 9 hours 14 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'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.
----------------------------------------------------
'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
Critics Review
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Stunning . . . Kempt worked in the Arctic which gives his story marvellous authenticity on top of a heart -wrenching plot
Daily Mail
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A harrowing but ultimately life-affirming read, it's hard to believe this is a debut
Daily Express
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What comes across most powerfully in this gritty debut thriller is . . . the dispiriting plight of many of the Inuit people
Irish Independent
-
One of the finest debuts of the year
Donald Ray Pollock, author of THE HEAVENLY TABLE
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Rich in atmosphere and relentlessly suspenseful . . . a don't-miss-it debut
Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of THE PROPHET
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A gripping thriller . . . Kempt's debut is delivered with insight and authority, pacing and style
Ivy Pochoda, author of WONDER VALLEY
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A Gift Before Dying is a haunting, immersive, moving story - told by an expert, with great authority and emotion. Keep an eye on Malcolm Kempt - one of my favourite voices in contemporary dark fiction
Richard Thomas, a Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, and Thriller Award finalist
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There's a river of warmth running under this icy Arctic thriller, with a big bang of an ending you won't soon forget. Hold on tight, because A Gift Before Dying will grip you until the last page
Rene Denfeld, bestselling author of THE CHILD FINDER
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Stunning debut . . . Kempt's remarkably assured narrative evokes a mythic atmosphere . . . It's a knockout
Publishers Weekly
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With its gripping opening, exciting climax, powerful sense of place and eerie, nicely unforced mysticism, this is a strong debut. There's never been a police protagonist more disheveled or out of sorts than Cole, which makes his determined efforts all the more winning. A terrific, permafrosted mystery
Kirkus
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This extraordinary, beautifully crafted debut mystery blends together an arresting setting, a background of systemic social net failures in an Indigenous community, and a spiky police procedural . . . If you only read one mystery this year, this should be it
Booklist, starred review
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Kempt infuses his lived experience into the gripping story, balancing the darkness with a terse writing style that doesn't get in the way. I await further stories of the area, and of its people
New York Times
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Kempt, who worked as a criminal lawyer in the Arctic for almost two decades, conjures this forbidding landscape and its residents with artful authority. A Gift Before Dying merges harsh realism, insomniac perceptions and tribal visions in a story that shocks and engages
The Wall Street Journal
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Tautly written, this first novel by a former criminal lawyer who spent 17 years in the Arctic is a hard look at the desolate lives of people resigned to life in the bleak far north
The Denver Post
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A Gift Before Dying is a meditation on guilt, justice and the fain hope of making one thing right before it's too late
Voice Mag, starred review
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This chilly, atmospheric crime novel wrestles with guilt and redemption
I Paper
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This gripping debut is hypnotic in plunging the reader into the vast frigid expanse of the Arctic Circle and the brutal reality of its Inuit population who are plagued by addiction and domestic violence. A harrowing but ultimately life-affirming read, it's hard to believe this is a debut novel
Daily Mirror
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Hypnotically good - instantly immersive, intense, and ultimately inspiring
Lee Child, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Malcolm Kempt
- Narrator
- Stephen Mendel
- Duration
- 9 hours 14 minutes
- Release Date
- 22 January 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399829779
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- John Murray Press
- Genre
- Crime and / or mystery fiction, Thriller / suspense fiction
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----------------------------------------------------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.----------------------------------------------------'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
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