ReadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2025

A Gift Before Dying

A haunting and gripping crime novel set in the unforgiving Arctic Circle - 'Hypnotically good' (Lee Child)

Malcolm Kempt author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:John Murray Press

Publishing:22nd Jan '26

£22.00

This title is due to be published on 22nd January, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

A Gift Before Dying cover

'Hypnotically good ' Lee Child

'One of the finest debuts of the year' Donald Ray Pollock

'A don't-miss-it debut' Michael Koryta

'A gripping thriller' Ivy Pochoda

--

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

'Malcolm Kempt is a brave new author I'd follow anywhere . . . A Gift Before Dying, is ice-cold, yet it still managed to warm my heart by the end' Eli Cranor

'[A] stunning debut . . . It's a knockout' Publishers Weekly, starred review

Hypnotically good - instantly immersive, intense, and ultimately inspiring -- Lee Child, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series
One of the finest debuts of the year -- Donald Ray Pollock, author of THE HEAVENLY TABLE
Rich in atmosphere and relentlessly suspenseful . . . a don't-miss-it debut -- Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of THE PROPHET
A gripping thriller . . . Kempt's debut is delivered with insight and authority, pacing and style -- Ivy Pochoda, author of WONDER VALLEY
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
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
Stunning debut . . . Kempt's remarkably assured narrative evokes a mythic atmosphere . . . It's a knockout * Publishers Weekly *
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. Aterrific, permafrosted mystery * Kirkus *

ISBN: 9781399829748

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

272 pages