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A Gift for Dying (2019)

by M. J. Arlidge

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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966280,606 (3.29)9
Could you live with knowing how you'll die? Adam Brandt is used to dealing with all kinds of people - as a consulting psychologist with the Chicago Police Department he has faced his share of criminals. But Kassie Wojcek is like no one else he's encountered, fifteen-years-old and burdened, she says, with a terrible gift: she knows how and when you will die. After claiming to 'feel' the horrific murder of the first victim, Kassie is caught up in the hunt for a sadistic serial killer terrorising Chicago, frightened that people will die without her help. Kassie pulls Adam into the investigation, determined to stop the torture she sees coming. But as the body count rises, Adam must ask himself if her gift is real or if he is putting his faith in someone far more dangerous than he realised. Events soon spiral out of control as the case and their personal lives intertwine. The boundaries of right and wrong shift, the lines between the hunter and the hunted blur, and one thing becomes clear: Kassie is in the sights of a killer...… (more)
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English (5)  Dutch (1)  All languages (6)
Showing 5 of 5
The Helen Grace series is a favorite of mine. So, I was curious to see how this, a stand-alone thriller about a teenager claiming to have the ability to see into one's eyes and see how she or he would die, would turn out. In this book, we get to both follow the police during the serial killer investigations, as well as Adam Brandt, a forensic psychologist who is slowly getting more and more pulled into Kassie's world. Then, there is Kassie herself, the star of this book. She's a troubled youth who carries a terrible burden. Adam wants to help Kassie, but the more involved he gets into her life, the more problem arises for him and his wife who after several years are expecting their first child. Are Kassie's visions true? Or is she unbalanced?

I always enjoy reading books that are angling towards the paranormal. There is it or is it not something supernatural going on is such an interesting subject to read about. The "gift" of seeing how people will die, especially violently isn't something I would like to have. For Kassie has this been part of her whole life, she truly believes that she has this awful gift. However, all the people that she wars just end up being weirded out by her. Kassie herself comes from a broken home, with a mother who just wants her to behave and act normal.

As a thriller did I find the book to be interesting to read. Very different from the Helen Grace series and if I'm perfectly honest so did this book not rock my boat the same way that Arlidge's series about Helen Grace does. I found myself not as invested in the story as I hope to be and the pacing was a bit slow now and then. On the plus side, it sure gets hectic towards the end of the book. It's definitely a book worth reading and I found myself quite impressed with the books grim ending.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )
  MaraBlaise | Jul 23, 2022 |
M.J. Arlidge is one of my favorite authors. His D.I. Helen Grace series is phenomenally and consistently good. So when I saw that he had a stand-alone novel, I jumped at the chance to read it. Alas, "A Gift for Dying" did not live up to the standards I have for Mr. Arlidge, and here's why:

1) The book took forever to get going. There was so much backstory and setup. Too much. Although the book had Arlidge's trademark very short chapters, the short chapters didn't help move along the plot like they do in his D.I. Helen Grace series. Instead, I got frustrated that a 3-page chapter would be inserted to talk about a potential victim's mundane day. I realize that Arlidge wanted to give readers a chance to get to know the characters, but in this case it really wasn't necessary. Knowing the victims' daily routines and thoughts didn't have bearing on the plot or getting insight into the killer, so it was really unnecessary and served only to drag out the book, which was already 470 pages long.

2) This story should not have been set in Chicago. Or anywhere in the United States, for that matter. It should have been set in England because Arlidge's language is British English, with British vocabulary. Lots of British vocabulary. It was so jarring for the characters to be speaking British English when they're supposed to be American people based in Chicago. And not just the characters, but the descriptions and narrative portions were also steeped in British vocabulary. There was no need to base this book in Chicago. It could have been based anywhere and still worked. But if you're going to base it in the United States, you need to use American English. Otherwise, it simply doesn't fit.

3) I didn't connect with Dr. Adam Brandt, the main adult character. I didn't find his actions and decisions believable, and I simply never felt a connection with him and his wife Faith and their domestic trials, although I could tell that Arlidge was trying very hard to draw the reader in. I felt more of a connection with Kassie, the teenaged girl who is central to this novel. But even with Kassie, I didn't really care about her family life backstory, her mom, her childhood. I don't know why, but all of that just made me impatient to get on with the plot. I understand the need for character development, but for some reason it wasn't working for me in this book.

Having said all this, I still give the book 3 stars because Arlidge is a good writer. When the pace of the book finally started picking up, I was much more engrossed. Some of the violence is extremely graphic, but this was not a surprise to me, as I know how graphic his D.I. Helen Grace series can be. It's not gratuitous violence - it does fit, but it's definitely not for the squeamish.

Because I like Arlidge so much, I'll still give it a go with any future standalone novels, but in the meantime I eagerly await the next in his D.I. Helen Grace series. ( )
  niaomiya | Oct 21, 2020 |
This was a dark read centering on a teen girl who can see the moment of ones death by looking in their eyes. While the story-line was intriguing and I wanted to know what happened, I felt the characters could have been fleshed out a little more. The plot was interesting albeit twisted (as one would expect) and the ending wasn’t quite what I had predicted. Overall a decent book - just missing the depth I was hoping for. ( )
  NikiKropf | Feb 18, 2020 |
This was a dark read centering on a teen girl who can see the moment of ones death by looking in their eyes. While the story-line was intriguing and I wanted to know what happened, I felt the characters could have been fleshed out a little more. The plot was interesting albeit twisted (as one would expect) and the ending wasn’t quite what I had predicted. Overall a decent book - just missing the depth I was hoping for. ( )
  NikiKropf | Feb 18, 2020 |
A Gift for Dying is a standalone thriller by the author of the Helen Grace books. I was immediately taken by the unusual storyline, that of a young woman, a 15 year old in fact, who believes she can see the manner of a person's death from simply looking into their eyes.

This is burden enough, but one day Kassie bumps into a man and when she looks into his eyes she sees a most terrible death for him at the hands of a murderer. Not only that, but his death is imminent. Kassie's reaction to the man is extreme and disturbing. Well, wouldn't your reaction be the same if you saw a vision of a man being murdered in the next few hours? Indeed! Enter Adam Brandt, a psychologist brought in to deal with the fallout of that bump and Kassie's behaviour.

The two form an unlikely alliance as Adam (kind of) believes Kassie when everyone else thinks she's either crazy or making it up. Eventually there are more murders and every time Kassie manages to predict them, but she also manages to always be there, bringing her to the attention of the police. I wasn't quite convinced by how Kassie always managed to just be in the right place to see the victims just before their murder but it's a minor issue and not one that spoiled the story for me.

A Gift for Dying is a fast-paced thriller with short chapters that make it so easy to just read another...and another....and another. I did feel like this book was a tiny bit on the long side but those short chapters certainly helped to keep up the tension. This sort of storyline isn't always easy to make plausible but I think Arlidge manages to do so very well.

Be warned, this book is fairly gruesome and there's no holding back on the gory details. Perhaps not one to read in bed at night! It's really well-plotted though and I practically inhaled the last 20% or so. I just needed to know how it was all going to end.

Overall, this is an ideal read for thriller lovers and it has a hook that makes it stand out from the others. ( )
1 vote nicx27 | Mar 15, 2019 |
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Arlidge, M. J.primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Robroch, HarmienTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Wat als jij eerder dan de politie weet waar de moordenaar zal toeslaan?
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Voor Jennie,
je cadeaus zijn echt
Niets in het leven hoeft gevreesd te worden;
het hoeft alleen begrepen te worden.

MARIE CURIE
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De schok van de klap, gevolgd door een vriendelijk gebaar.
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Could you live with knowing how you'll die? Adam Brandt is used to dealing with all kinds of people - as a consulting psychologist with the Chicago Police Department he has faced his share of criminals. But Kassie Wojcek is like no one else he's encountered, fifteen-years-old and burdened, she says, with a terrible gift: she knows how and when you will die. After claiming to 'feel' the horrific murder of the first victim, Kassie is caught up in the hunt for a sadistic serial killer terrorising Chicago, frightened that people will die without her help. Kassie pulls Adam into the investigation, determined to stop the torture she sees coming. But as the body count rises, Adam must ask himself if her gift is real or if he is putting his faith in someone far more dangerous than he realised. Events soon spiral out of control as the case and their personal lives intertwine. The boundaries of right and wrong shift, the lines between the hunter and the hunted blur, and one thing becomes clear: Kassie is in the sights of a killer...

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