Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and Crown #partner, for the finished copy of A Gift Before Dying in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Dutton / Random House Audio
Published: January 20, 2026
Summary:
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.
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.
My thoughts:
If there was ever a book to read during the harsh winter we experienced this year, this book was it, hands down!! And the fact that this is a debut is mind-blowing – this author is absolutely one to watch!!
This book absolutely checked so many boxes for me and then some! I’m not ashamed to say it was the Arctic setting that originally appealed to me, as I haven’t read too many books set there, but there was so much more that made this book stand out. While this could be classified as a police procedural, with a strong Nordic Noir influence, it also has some horror and supernatural elements that are woven in that make the story just a little spooky and even haunting at times.
I loved the characters we meet here – flawed and just trying to find their way. Those are my favorite types of characters to read about and Cole, though he frustrated me at times with some of the decisions he makes, always had justice as his endgame and I could see that. I also loved the bond that Cole formed with the dead girl’s brother – both become obsessed and haunted with the case and I could appreciate that determination.
This book has such an incredible sense of place and setting. It is impossible not to feel the bone-chilling cold seep into your bones as you are reading this. But it’s not just the physical setting that we really get a feel for – that remote, rugged area of the Arctic Circle – it’s the fact that throughout the story, Kempt weaves in facts about the area as well as the Inuit culture, making us feel fully immersed.
This book is dark at times, taking on some heavy topics, so take care when picking this one up. Due to the isolation of the area, the harsh life in the Arctic community, suicide, substance abuse, overcrowded housing, are unfortunately issues these communities face and Kempt takes them on in the book to make it that much more realistic.
I loved this book and am quite eager to see what comes next from this brilliant writer…whatever it is, I will absolutely be picking it up!
Audio thoughts:
This was amazing on audio. The narrator, Stephen Mendel, is able to infuse just the right amount of tension and desperation into his voice to further elevate this story. It was perfection!!
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