Just Before I Died

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

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...

One of my favourite authors that never fails to deliver. From reading the ICE TWINS as the debut novel I always wait in anticipation for the next. And as each book comes I’m never disappointed.

Just before I died is amazing. Very well written and in the style I love from this author. A cracking read.

This was a beautifully written thriller that had me on the edge of my seat all the way through. I felt as though I was on Dartmoor from the descriptions and was fascinated by all the 'witchcraft' which was clearly well researched. Quite frequently one reads that a book has a 'twist you won't guess' but quite frequently I've guessed it fairly early on... not so with this one. Superbly done!!

It must seem quite weird to say how overjoyed I was to read 'Just Before I Died' by S. K. Tremayne. Not quite a title which might inspire joy but read on! I had an early childhood in North Devon and although I have visited Dartmoor many times, nothing has evoked it as strongly as the masterful descriptions by S. K. Tremayne. I read the novel in the heat of a Canarian summer and for me to shiver over the descriptions of the moor's mists and fog takes some doing! I think I've witnessed an ammil but in Lathkill Dale, Derbyshire. It was so magical, every leaf, twig and branch was adorned with tinkly, twinkling ice and so, so beautiful. Tremayne's description brought it to mind instantly. Moving on from luxuriating in the writing style, we must consider the story itself. It managed to meld a lot of beliefs and practices with the landscape in which it was set. It fascinated, teased and horrifed in a very realistic way leading to a page turning climax. You probably are thinking by now that I liked the book, well I loved it and feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to have reviewed it through Netgalley.

Psychological fiction is not something that I've read often, of which this story is, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like NetGalley as it brings me to read books by authors that I wouldn't ordinarily, and I'll be reading more by this author. The story is immersive, and the atmosphere on the remote areas was created brilliantly, just the right amount of creepiness and intrigue. I hate it when books don't wrap all of the characters up at the end, this one did so perfectly, including the supporting characters. I didn't see the twist coming and I cried at one part near the end. I appreciated the way her daughter was portrayed, it was very accurate, and Lyla was integral to the interest within the story.

I loved The Ice Twins and although I didn't enjoy the author's second book quite as much I thought I'd try this and I'm so pleased I did. It is so beautifully written and the story flows perfectly. Thank you.

An eerie atmosphere yet again. This isn't the first book of S.K Tremayne that I have read, and yet again I loved it and it hit all the right places!!

Why did you do that to me Mummy, don’t you love me?

Kath lives with her husband Adam and daughter Lyla in a desolate stone longhouse deep in Dartmoor National Park. She likes her life the moors are beautiful, if bleak and she counts herself as happy, even if they struggle with money, and work, and her daughter's shyness.

But one day Kath wakes up from a coma, with a vague memory of a near-fatal car accident. She hugs her daughter close, likewise her husband Adam. But there’s something wrong. Adam seems furious with her and Lyla is acting evermore strangely. They should be delighted to see her alive, snatched from certain death. But they won't meet her gaze

Then Kath learns that the car crash wasn't an accident, and her whole life collapses into a world of panic, and danger

I enjoyed Just Before I Died, I was gripped from the first few pages. Full of twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout.
Well worth a read.

I really enjoyed The Ice Twins so approached this book with great expectations. And I wasn't disappointed! What starts out as an unfortunate accident soon turns into something much darker. Tremayne is good at atmospheric scene setting and with strong characters and a twisted but convincing plot, this is a genuine page turner.

It's difficult to know whose narrative may be trusted. It soon becomes clear that something sinister is going on and the atmospheric and creepy Dartmoor setting adds to the tension. Katy, the central character suffers memory loss after a car accident and is desperately trying to put her life together. Her husband is cold and insular and their daughter is gifted and different. As her memory returns, it's clear that things are far from normal.

There are moments of real terror and the final twists caught me totally off guard. Chilling and gripping.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

I raced through this spooky read set on desolate Dartmoor. Kath lives with her husband Adam and daughter Lyla. Kath wakes up after a car crash in hospital and can’t remember anything. Adam is furious and upset and Lyla their autistic daughter is acting even more oddly than normal.

She learns she brought the accident upon herself and she questions everything she thinks and does. She’s determined to unravel the mystery no matter what. That she could do the unthinkable to her family shocks her to the core. Her daughter keeps telling her she’s seen a man on the moor watching them…

I just loved this fast paced and atmospheric tale which had an ending I for one would never have guessed at! Really recommend.

Another amazing book by SK Treymayne, when I saw that there was another book available, I was super excited for another creepy, dark thriller. Just before I died is set among the wild, bleak and mysterious Dartmoor. A freak accident leaves Kath with amnesia, thankful to be alive she arrives home to find that her husband is less thankful to have her back. As her memory starts to return she realises that this may not have been an accident at all.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I have been a fan of S K Tremayne ever since I read her debut book The Ice Twins. In fact I have been sitting on my hands waiting for this book to be released since 27/12/17!!

I was immersed in Just Before I died from the first chapter and I ended up reading over half the book in one day.

Kath was married to Adam and they had a delightful daughter called Lyla who possibly had Aspergers. Shortly after Christmas Kath had a car accident and landed in the Burrator Reservoir, nearly killing her. Back at home Adam was very angry with her and Lyla`s behaviour deteriorated.

Then Kath started to experience strange things in the Dartmoor National Park. First Kath found some stones placed on a windowsill outside her office that was used to prevent witchcraft. Then Kath and Lyla find something disturbing in Hobajob`s Wood. A Dead bird was found on the floor, in the middle was a pagan circle with bits of rubbish. Including Kath`s hairbrush with hair attached and something far more disturbing. Then Lyla admitted she had seen a man on the moor who was watching Kath and wanted to hurt her.

I liked Kath who was suffering from partial amnesia as a result of the crash. I found Adam an unsympathetic character who willing to bury his head in sand about Lyla. The star of the book was quirky little Lyla. Being on the Autistic Spectrum gave her extraordinary hearing and she could remember incidents from when she was a baby. My heart broke for her when Kath organised a birthday party and none of the kids attended.

The descriptions of the beautiful but desolate Dartmouth National Park sent a shiver down my spine. The surroundings definitely increased the tension and paranoia of the story. The plot of Just Before I died was amazing with many different strands to the story. The ending was shocking, I did not see it coming.

I recommend this book, it is definitely a must read.

Absolutely loved this book. I read the Ice Twins by this author and this book was also a great read. The ending - didn’t see that coming I was in tears! A must read.

A great read and not too time consuming, I read over about 4 days. The plot starts straight away and continues to make you think all the way through. There are so many twists in the story that I ended up changing my mind countless times regarding 'who done it'. Kates sanity is tested to the limit and the author makes you feel it every step of the way. It would make a great short tv series. Without giving too much away, its impossible to know who did it as you arent introduced to the character until the very end. Would highly recommend this book to anyone.

A definite must-read for lovers of psychological thrillers.

The setting, Dartmoor, is perfect. The scenery and the season, the ancient mystery of it all, combine to create an atmosphere of horror that builds to a dramatic close.

The lead character, Kath, finds herself quite suddenly and inexplicably in a nightmarish situation: her husband clearly loathes her; terrifying discoveries and events take place in and around her home; her daughter is clearly under immense stress...and Kath has no memory of the events that led to her recent near death 'accident' and no comprehension of all that seems to stem from it. Who is it that hates her so much? Who wants to destroy her so badly?

The plot here is very clever and the ending impossible to solve oneself, but we are brought to the denouement in such a way that we can't scream "unfair!" when it arrives.

I would score this a full five stars, but i think the characterisation of Kath's husband was a little weak - he was but a shallow, 2D, man for me and better development of his part - beyond the brooding Heathcliffe-type we're given, would certainly have added to the tension.

The picture she paints of their child however, who sits somewhere on the autistic spectrum, is beautiful, Your heart breaks for her in every chapter, as she struggles first with ostracism in the playground and then with the confusion and terror stalking her at home. And oh...the birthday party. Even if you have had no personal experience of autism, even if you've no child of your own, this element of the story resonates deeply and gives the novel a depth it would otherwise lack.

Excellent, full of suspense. Tackled mental health issues in a very descriptive way. Allowed me to better understand what I knew a little about. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Absolutely loved this book! I had previously read The Ice Twins by the same author and had high hopes for this one too. I'm pleased to say that I wasn't disappointed by this offering.

Kath has had a car accident, which has left her with some traumatic brain injuries. In the aftermath of the incident, she starts to believe that it may not have been an accident after all. But how much of it is real and who can she trust to tell her the truth?

I love psychological thrillers and this one cleverly built the tension. The setting of the Dartmouth moors was another masterstroke. It lends to the tension and atmosphere and helps to set the scene as the drama builds. I read this book in just a couple of days and couldn't wait to get to the end. Can't wait for more books by S.K Tremayne!

I've read all of this author's books so was looking forward to getting stuck into this one. It doesn't disappoint, the setting of Dartmoor makes for a creepy atmosphere, the mystery of what really happened to Kath on the night of the accident keeps you gripped, and who is the man on the moor that Lyla keeps seeing?
I recommend this book, it's full of mystery and suspense and look forward to the author's next one.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

It was just a patch of ice. Just a bit of bad luck. But it was nearly enough to kill Kath Redway, spinning her car into Burrator Reservoir in the beautiful Dartmoor National Park. Miraculously, Kath escapes her accident with a few bruises and amnesia. She is shocked but delighted to be back in her remote moorland farmhouse with her handsome husband, Adam, and her shy, gifted daughter Lyla. She's alive! But her family is not so delighted. Her husband is cold, even angry. Her daydreaming daughter talks ever more strangely, about a 'man on the moor'. Then, as chilling fragments of memory return, Kath realizes her 'accident' was nothing of the kind. And now her life collapses into a new world of darkness, menace, and terror.

S.K. Tremayne never fails to completely engross me in her books. Her first two books were amazing and this one was somehow just even better!! I was hooked from the get-go and read it in almost one seating! The whole plotline is dark, shocking, heart-stopping and it honestly just completely terrified me! I doubt I'll be sleeping tonight....

My heart was racing as I was reading the pages, as I felt the pure terror and even paranoia of what was happening. The main character's situation was daunting and her daughter's words and actions honestly creeped me out!

I honestly can't fault this book at all. The descriptions of the moorlands were so beautifully-written and descriptive that I felt I was actually there; the plotline was clever and just brilliant; the characters were extremely well written and an ending that I REALLY DIDN'T SEE COMING!

A very shocking and terrifying read that is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine! A MUST READ!

Great read! A psychological thriller that had me gripped from the first, to the last chapter. Full of twists and turns that keep me guessing. The author did a great job of building the tension.

I loved the atmospheric descriptions of the moors. The characters were well developed and believable.

If you enjoy mysteries, or thrillers, this one is well worth a read.

I really quite liked the the authors previous novel.
So when I saw that this book was available for reviewing, I immediately jumped at the chance.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book! I always love a good thriller and I was delighted to find that Just Before I died truly delivered.
The story flows very well and is very tense and gripping, I can recommend this book to all my friends!

I resented every interruption to my reading of this book and felt shattered when I’d finished it.

Kath lives on Dartmoor with her handsome husband Adam, a ranger, and their much-loved and possibly autistic daughter, Lyla. Kath knows that she had an accident; drove her car into a reservoir and suffered concussion. As a result, she has blanks in her memory. When she desperately tries to remember what really happened, various people tell her that her memory is wrong and that she actually tried to kill herself. She refuses to believe it and starts to distrust everyone. Is her husband lying to her; is her brother Dan also lying? And does strange, fey Lyla know more than she lets on? Why are ancient witchcraft symbols appearing around her and what is Lyla so frightened of? This is an absolutely gripping story, with an ever-present sense of threat. Dartmoor, with its grim weather, ancient superstitions and strange beauty, is as much a character as any of the humans. I raced to the end, which was worse than I could have imagined. A real page turner.

I read this thanks to NetGalley and it’s out on 9th August. I’d previously read The Fire Child, which I found equally gripping. I think Just Before I Died is even better.

Another new author for me. This book is so full of red herrings. Is it him, is it all in her Mind?
A real rollercoaster of a read and I loved it.
Most of the book is set in Dartmoor on the moors. It is eerie and so engrossing. This book is beautifully written and very emotional. Layla is a very special little girl.
I have found a new author and have read a wonderful, exhilarating, eerie, twisty rollercoaster of a book.
I would like to thank the author S K Tremayne, HarperCollins UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.