Description
Description
"Hypnotically good--instantly immersive, intense, and ultimately inspiring."--Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series In a hauntingly atmospheric novel set against the unforgiving landscape of the Arctic Circle, a disgraced police investigator discovers that his path to redemption is paved with ice--and blood.
"Kempt, who worked as a criminal lawyer in the Arctic for almost two decades, conjures this forbidding landscape and its residents with artful authority."--The Wall Street Journal 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. With his family having severed all ties, Cole waits out the result of a civil lawsuit alone--the wrong verdict could end what's left of his flailing career. 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.
"Kempt, who worked as a criminal lawyer in the Arctic for almost two decades, conjures this forbidding landscape and its residents with artful authority."--The Wall Street Journal 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. With his family having severed all ties, Cole waits out the result of a civil lawsuit alone--the wrong verdict could end what's left of his flailing career. 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.
About the Author
About the Author
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.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Hypnotically good--instantly immersive, intense, and ultimately inspiring."--Lee Child "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."--The New York Times "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 "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 "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 "One of those crime novels where, once you read the opening scene, you've got no choice but to fall through the rest as fast as possible."--Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter "A Gift Before Dying announces Malcolm Kempt as the new guy in town. A gripping thriller--both serious and propulsive, Kempt's debut is delivered with insight and authority, pacing and style and is sure to win him fans on both sides of the border."--Ivy Pochoda, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller and author of Sing Her Down "Rich in atmosphere and relentlessly suspenseful . . . Kempt conjures his frigid, dark world with graceful prose and haunting imagery that recalls the best of Jo Nesbø and Henning Mankell. If you enjoyed True Detective: Night Country, you'll be overjoyed by this story."--Michael Kortya, New York Times bestselling author of An Honest Man "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 favorite voices in contemporary dark fiction."--Richard Thomas, Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, and Thriller Award finalist "It's a testament to Malcolm Kempt's talent that I didn't want his ghostly crime novel to end. A Gift Before Dying is sure to be considered one of the finest debuts of the year."--Donald Ray Pollock, author of The Devil All the Time "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 "Malcolm Kempt is a brave new author I'd follow anywhere. Set in the Arctic Circle, his illuminating debut, A Gift Before Dying, is ice-cold, yet it still managed to warm my heart by the end."--Eli Cranor, author of Ozark Dogs "It's a knockout."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "With its gripping opening, exciting climax, powerful sense of place and eerie, nicely unforced mysticism, this is a strong debut. A terrific, permafrosted mystery you may want to read with gloves on."--Kirkus Reviews
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Pub date:
2026-01-20
Length:
272 pages
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