A Gift Before Dying: A haunting and gripping crime novel set in the unforgiving Arctic Circle - 'Hypnotically good' (Lee Child)
By (Author) Malcolm Kempt
John Murray Press
Baskerville
20th January 2026
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Thriller / suspense fiction
Paperback
320
Width 153mm, Height 234mm
'Hypnotically good - instantly immersive, intense, and ultimately inspiring' Lee Child, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series
After a botched high-profile murder investigation, Corporal 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 him 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.'One of the finest debuts of the year' Donald Ray Pollock, author of The Heavenly TableHypnotically 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
Malcolm Kempt worked as a criminal lawyer in the remote Arctic for seventeen years before leaving to write full-time. He now lives on the island of Newfoundland. A Gift Before Dying is his debut novel.