This book is filled with numerous characters, who aren’t all likeable.
The story is told from dual POVs.
The suspense really built up towards the end of the book.
This book has a chilling conclusion.

Pretty good for a thriller! I thought the premise was really interesting and I wasn't bored at any point in the book. Elder abuse is not talked about nearly enough so I appreciate this book for raising awareness!

Enjoyed this read and found it tense and gripping. Good characters and plot. I will look out for more from the author.

I flew through this book, with a well-thought-out plot and really believable characters. would definitely recommend it!

The scary aspect of this book was that the plot was perfectly plausible. An elderly person in need of a carer can often be helpless and vulnerable, as we see with Frank and Maureen in 'Before I Die.'

I found this quite slow and almost gave up but I am glad I didn't. I think we can all agree that we like a good villian in books and that Delores the caregiver from hell fits the type (what is it with Delores' in books that make them great villians).

I would recommend this to anyone.

Thank you netgallry, the publishers and Jackie Morriessy for an advanced copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

#Before I Die

What a delightful read this was! Before I Die offers such a fresh and original perspective, bringing a very unexpected character as a protagonist. Most of the times, when an old person is the main character of a book, the action takes place somewhere in the past, developing mostly from the memories, when that character was young, strong and adventurous. That’s not the case in Before I Die, where Maureen is an old teacher with zero special detective abilities, with no special training to deal with crazy or wicked people and with nothing more than an ordinary life for a person of her age.

Moreover, her age starts becoming a disadvantage since people around her are beginning to doubt her mental capacity. So much actually, that at some point, Maureen herself begins to wonder if her intuition is correct or if she’s imagining everything. So when Maureen gets tangled in the spiderweb of what seems to be an absolute evil caretaker, she’s clearly completely unprepared for such a fight. And her one and only ally? A homeless drug addict...

The mystery/crime fiction has brought before older characters that play the role of the detective. Mostly amateurs with some kind of experience or retired police officers or private investigators. But it’s the first time when I’m encountering such an innocent and “unqualified” protagonist for such a story. And the author does an amazing job on illustrating how difficult it is for an absolutely common person to be put in a situation where she has to deal with a diabolical villain. 

I’m also in an awe regarding Maureen’s new friend, Michael. A typical drug addict: zero self control, questionable morality, falling for every impulsive need, totally unreliable. There’s little to nothing to like about him. But somehow, his devotion for the old, kind Maureen, mixed with his own survival instinct is enough to start pushing him to the right path and to make the reader grow more and more sympathy towards him. The blooming friendship between such opposite personalities is contoured in realistic shades, with ups and downs, with doubts, fears and disappointments, but ends up being one of the sweetest aspects of the book. 

The action is well balanced, with enough suspense to keep you hooked but without being rushed. Perhaps not completely surprising, but definitely well enough written and entertaining. 

I enjoyed each page, each turn of the action and can’t wait to try some other books of Jackie Morrissey.

What a really good book I enjoyed this read in a day. The story is centred around Maureen who has a bad feeling about Dolores, she's a carer who appears to be a bit of a busy body, but Maureen senses that there is something more with this lady. Michael is the son of Frank who is Maureen's friend so when he dies in suspicious circumstances both of them feel Dolores has something to do with it. But Michael's a hereon addict and Dolores is content on making the world believe Maureen has dementia they aren't a pair people are quick to believe.

What i love about this book is the fact we are presented with an elderly lady as our main character. She has all the problems that come with aging but she is still a strong character. I absolutely loved Maureen and honestly think she's a bad ass granny. The storyline surrounding her is so believable aswell which is the scary part of this book.
Michael's character might be a harder one to like, but as the story progresses i really enjoyed his entries in the book. Again like Maureen the easy way these characters fears are dismissed are so believable. I found both characters very relatable and realistic.

The storyline progresses well, it makes it easy to have doubt in your head aswell. The psychological element of the story is so subtle but written so well. Suspense is built up right until the concluding chapters . It keeps you at the edge of your seat.

I whole heartedly recommend this book. Its a great psychological story with elements of thriller entwined. It's so a really easy read got through it in an evening. With likeable characters and a realistic plot which makes your mind think hoe often does this happen in real life, an easy 4 stars almost 5 but the lack of thriller for me is why its 4.


Thank you netgallry, the publishers and Jackie Morriessy for an advanced copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

A truly unique psychological thriller. I found the plot of this book fascinating, and it kept my attention right to the very end. With intriguing characters, and a devastating twist...this book was brilliant!.

I've never read a book about elder abuse before, but Before I Die brings to mind interesting considerations about what happens to us as we grow old and how we will be able to keep ourselves safe. I definitely don't look forward to growing old after reading this!

Maureen is a great protagonist--she refuses to let herself become the victim and commits to saving herself despite no one believing her.
Delores is the kind of character that you love to hate; I definitely thought her character was very well written since I reacted to her so strongly.

It took a while for this book to pick up, but once the action started I enjoyed it.

Not Bad At All!!

First time I've read this author. Was enjoying the slowly unwinding plot but could quite easily see which way the storyline was going. Definitely a decent read but quite predictable. Still enjoyable though. Characterisation was quite realistic and I enjoyed getting to know the three main characters.
Literally a modern day Dolores Claiborne which must have been why the protagonist was named Dolores. Written in a nicely descriptive style. Definitely looking forward to the next book from this author.
A huge thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator books for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! #netgalley #inkubator #Before I Die

I really enjoyed the book! The author did a really good job of grabbing my attention. I read it in a couple of hours. I enjoyed the book interaction between Maureen and Michael.

A dark psychological thriller which is hard to put down. Dolores is hired to look after Maureen and things take a sinister twist. Great read, really enjoyed this book.

I don't know what it was about this book or even why but I was completely and utterly taken in from the prologue and sat engrossed until the very last page!

Was not predictable.. yes! Was it slightly cliched.. yes! Was it overly dramatized.. yes. Was it one hell of a read.. YES!

Full of tension that flows from beginning to end without any lulls which is a rarity. A rollercoaster ride of a read.

A totally creepy page turner with brilliantly well executed characters all with a back story that's relevant and helps built the suspense. Maureen grew on me throughout the book as did Michael, it shows that friendships can emerge from despair and from every walk of life!

It does make you think about all the lonely older generation that depend on carers and friendly faces!! Thankfully people like Delores ate very few.

I'll admit it would have been a 5* if it wasn't for the ending, I was so hoping that the author would throw a curveball but it was overly predictable (as expected) and that was a slight disappointment BUT everything was all neatly tied up with a big bow at the end.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC.

# Before I Die # Netgalley
Oh boy what a creepy creepy book.
After Mureen suffers a fall being very very independent she really not happy when her daughter employs Dolores to help her mum Maureen. Dolores just literally seems to be everywhere Maureen turns. She tells her daughter Alvia Dolores is not what she seems and she doesn’t trust Doleres also that Dolores is up to something and it’s not good. She tells her she would better off being on her own. Delores implies that Maureen as a few more heath problems than just having had a bone broken Avia is concerned about her mother so she chooses to ignore her mother’s words as being a bit psychotic for want of a better word after Dolores tells Avia her concerns for Maureen mental health and her loss of memory from time to time also indicating it’s become worse almost every day. Musreen know full well what Dolores is capable of yet no one listens. Wow The characters are very believable I felt my heart going out to Maureen and begging Avia to believe her mum. Dolores is one extremely believable character. I was turning the pages not quick enough to be honest I was actually so impressed by how much the characters are in this book it feels like your in the middle of it. It’s was so intent for me not to help. I think a reader would fully understand about feeling your actual involved in the actual book. This is what I love about books when they draw you on so so far that you lose yourself to the book and lose all track of time. It’s sure one hell of a read I will now be looking at other books by this author. It’s most definitely a must read could not recommend this enough purely brilliant.

Before I Die had a super interesting premise with really well-defined characters. However, the "twist" that I've come to expect from the end of books from this genre never came. I guess I was left a bit disappointed with that. The book is great with building suspense & there is a sense of foreboding in every chapter but without a twist. I came to love Maureen as I progressed through the book, Alva - not so much!! I liked how Jackie Morrissey builds every character in the book. It was scary how she's shown how a person can completely insert themselves into the life of a senior & start ruling before you know what's happening. Most scenes in the book seemed very accurately real so this definitely added to the menace. I would have probably loved the book more if it did something unpredictable in the end or turned my assumptions on their head. This book is simpler in that aspect but that should not be deterring to anyone wanting to pick this up. I loved the general plot & characters in this one.

Thank You, NetGalley, Inkubator Books & Jackie Morrissey for an arc!

Dolores is a caregiver in Dublin. She's hiding her past and finding that she quite enjoys taking care of people.....

Controlling them gives her a feeling of excitement and pleasure. When the patient is to the point they can't do without her help..... that's when Dolores gets delirious with joy.

Maureen is her newest client, recently hurting her leg. Dolores actually likes Maureen ... she'll be fun to break.

This one terrified me! Just thinking about all the people who depend on strangers to take care of them ... what do you really know about these people?

The tension starts on the first page and stays steady until the very last page. The conclusion is surprising and unexpected. There were moments of heart-pounding anxiety. The characters are deftly drawn and get under your skin almost immediately. It's well written with twists and turns planted here and there.

Many thanks to the author / Inkubator Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

What surprised me was the pace of the book. This is a crime thriller which has to do with a group of elderly people and a crazy seriel killer and instead of being a slow, drawn out affair, it is a fast paced, roller coaster ride! This book is not a who dunnit type because here the readers already know who the culprit is from the beginning; the book is more about how one of the elderly MC, Maureen refuses to become yet another victim and with the help of her murdered friend's son, manages to get the upper hand of the killer in the end.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Inkubator Books and the author for the e-Arc of the book.

This book tackled a problem many people don't like to think about. Senior abuse. It's very hard to discern between senility and what was happening in this book. Excellent story!

This book starts off a bit slow, but when it starts gaining momentum, you have to hang on to your seat (or your kindle.....) It was well written and gripping until the end. Recommended.
TB

This was a very good read that I really enjoyed. It started out a bit slow and at times I wondered if I would carry on reading it, However I am really glad I stuck with it as I ended up loving it.