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Member Reviews

This was a definite 4-5 star read. Fast paced, with lots of twists and turns, which keeps you on the edge of the seat ready to know exactly what happens next. Love the thrillers with the chilling home life, and this really hit that nail!
Will be sure to highly recommend!

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Clever and atmospheric, but for me, too long. I understand that suspense has to be built slowly, but at times I was bored. The Aspergers child was very realistically written, but the other characters were unsympathetic and with little nuance.

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In the style of her last two books, this is a Gothic thriller that relies heavily on an unreliable narrator. There are many elements we are unaware of and just like Kath, the protagonist, we find it hard to decide what to believe. Throughout the story the unveiling of the mystery is accompanied by eerie descriptions of Dartmoor and the strange behavior of Layla, Kath's autistic daughter. Though there are clues scattered throughout the novel, the ens still comes as something of a surprise. A nice quick read for the holidays!

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I’m not familiar with Dartmoor but I certainly feel more like I am after reading this book.

This is a story that involves a mystery after a mother of one is found following a car accident, as she tries to piece the happenings and her memory back together.

My second book by this author, after reading and enjoying The Ice Twins, and it won’t be my last.

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This was a very enjoyable psychological thriller.
The pace at which the plot revealed itself really added to the suspense and couldn’t have been more perfect.

To complement the storyline we are also treated to some great descriptive writing on Dartmoor and its surroundings. The description of the moor and its beauty and antiquities really brings the place to life. I couldn’t help google a few of the descriptions just to see them for myself (and to mentally plan a trip for the future).

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This is the third novel I have read by SK Tremayne and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. This novel is set on Dartmoor, not an area I know well but the descriptions of the scenery, climate and wildlife are very detailed and make the setting easy to picture as I read. All the main characters are very well written and the reader is really taken inside the head of Kath, recovering from a near fatal car accident. Kath is suffering from temporary amnesia as a result of the accident and can not remember incidents just prior to it. When she learns that it is believed to have been a suicide attempt she is desperate to find out why. As she tries to recover her memory everyone she knows comes under suspicion and the reader also really wants to know what happened that December night. There are lots of red herrings, unexpected twists and a very surprising ending.
Thanks to the publisher via Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book in return for an honest review.

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I didn't really enjoy this thriller. I felt that it was quite slow and confusing. The book was quite long as well and I did skip chapters to get to the end.

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Another great read from this author. Fantastically evocative moorland setting, creating exactly the right mood for this cleverly written psychological thriller.

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A solidly entertaining thriller that actually did what it said on the tin - thrill. The star of the show for me was the setting. The author depicted Dartmoor so evocatively and with obvious knowledge and affection that the whole story was raised to a new level. The creepiness, the isolation, the bleak beauty all contributed to the tension. On the whole the writing was tight and effective, stirring up suspense and suspicion and lots of satisfying misdirection. The fog and smoke of the denouement had me on the edge of my seat with a stifling sense of fear, panic and claustrophobia. Great stuff! Didn't see the (slightly icky) twist coming which is a rare thing and I always appreciate and respect any author who can pull that off. This novel certainly kept me nicely enthralled.

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An atmospheric slow burn, this story was very enjoyable! The bleakness of the Moors was very well portrayed and perfectly set the scene for this creepy mystery!

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I really enjoyed this book. I loved the premise that the main character was dealing with all the stresses of a disables child and daily life and wakes up believing one thing, only to realize everything is not as it seems. Good writing, and story construction.

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I was very excited to receive an advance copy of Just Before I died by S.K. Tremayne. I have previously read The Ice Twins and found it quite thrilling at times. Just Before I Died is set in the dark and eerie Dartmoor where Kath and Adam live a seemingly enchanted life with their young daughter Lyla. This perfect life is shattered when Kath woke up from a car accident which may or may not have been accidental. The twists and turns pile up in this novel leaving you with a shocking solution to this tale of suspense.

I was really interested in this novel and look forward to reading further books from S.K. Tremayne.

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I thought the storyline was well written and interesting which developed well. But this happens so slowly. Don’t get me wrong I did find it very atmospheric and detailed, but I think there may have been just a little too much and for this reason I found it slowed my reading pace. I actually prefeed the last 20%of the book. It was here that the plot picked up pace and I really started to enjoy it much more. Unfortunately, I also found the ending a little disappointed as I felt it was a little too far-fetched.

When it comes to the characters in this book, I don’t really know how I felt about them. They were interesting and I enjoyed finding out more about them as I read on but for me personally there was something missing.

Overall I would say a slow but good read. I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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Unfortunately, this book was just a bit too slow for me and I ended up struggling with it. It described Dartmoor vividly though.

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Kath thought she’d had a simple accident, so couldn’t understand why her husband Adam was so cold towards her or why her autistic daughter was so unsettled. A slow burner which completely draws you in without you even realising. It’s claustrophobic, very descriptive, a bit too descriptive at times so I wouldn’t recommend eating whilst reading this story! Beautifully written with folklore and historical references. I loved the atmospheric and creepiness of this book and found it hard to put down.

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Wow
I found this book very enthralling albeit slow to start off with and I wasn’t sure where it was heading so after picking it back up after a couple of days later I started to wonder why on earth did I put it down in the first place.
It was utterly gripping and had me In spits of I know where this is heading and then sending me in a completely different direction, it held my attention and boy was it a great ending.

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Very readable and atmospheric thriller, set in the wilds of Dartmoor. Perfectly readable, it carries echoes of The Ice Twins, but manages to stand up on its own against the hype of the author’s previous book. Twisty and unnerving, it’s well-worth reading!

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I loves this book i loved all her other books this author wrote and have read and enjoyed them all this book was a rollercoaster of a read and i just sisnt want to put it down

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Soooooo Kate has been in a car accident and has lost some of her memory. But was it an accident, who can she trust?

She wakes up to find her daughter and husband are both acting weirdly towards her and she doesn't know why; as her memory is vague, she starts to think it wasn't an accident at all and starts to try and figure out just what happened and who was involved.

It's a bit of a slow burner but is full of suspense and has you hooked.

Another great book from the author.

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S.K Tremayne does it again. An intense, creepy psychological thriller set in the cold and bleak terrain of Dartmoor in Devon. S.K Tremayne always paints the scenery in a particularly masterful way, making you shiver with the chill as you read, and feel the remoteness even if you're sneaking a few chapters on the busiest commuter train home.

Kath has been in a car accident and comes out of a coma having lost some of her memory. Her husband and daughter both appear to be acting strangely towards her and she can't quite pinpoint why. There is secrecy and suspense surrounding the accident - and Kath feels like she is being watched.

Living in a remote location on Dartmoor, Kath tries to work out what exactly happened to her whilst also dealing with strange goings on in and around their home. Kath slowly begins to get her memory back and discovers that something more sinister is going on...

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