#BookReview ‘Dying For Christmas’ by Tamar Cohen

No! No I DID NOT!

Described on the cover of my paperback copy as ”Gone Girl’ meets ‘Misery”, ‘Dying For Christmas’  was published in 2014 by Transworld books, I missed my window to read it that Christmas, and this year, I have given myself the task of reading my backlog of Christmassy books, partly because, according to the other half, there is a ‘house to book ratio issue’ and partly because I wanted to feel more seasonal.

Did it work? No, absolutely not as I rattled through the pages, trying to work out just what was going on , with an interruption where I went to A and E with whiplash on jumping between parts 1 and 2.

This is one of those stories where, I believe, even though you see and know that a plot twist is coming, it is so cunningly hidden that you gasp when it lands, And even then, you still don’t know where the book is ultimately going.

On Christmas Eve, desperately trying to finish her shopping, Jessica Gold does something out of character and goes home with Dominic Lacey, not back to her home with her safe but boring boyfriend.

This is not the hookup you are thinking it is, as the book begins with the sentence ,

”Chances are, by the time you finish reading this, I’ll already be dead.”

What follows from that hook is the narrative of Jessica’s time held captive by Dominic, over the course of Advent, where he makes her undergo horrendous experiences then offers her a gift to open each evening.

The gifts relate to Dominic’s past as we learn more about his strange childhood, warped relationships and the alarming amount of death that follows him, the fear that Jessica will survive this , mounts and mounts.

She records this as a testament to a life lived in the shadows of others, in a family that does not understand her, and decisions she has felt forced into, for example, the boring boyfriend just to satisfy a societal norm.

On the opposite side of this, you have the detective assigned to be the family Liaison Officer when Jessica’s disappearance is reported to the police. After spending so much time getting to the rank of detective, her husband has given her an ultimatum-career or family.

So you have these juxtaposing narrative, played out across a seasonal story where traditionally, it means a massive increase in work for women , and even more pressures on their workloads.

Determined to work out just what has happened, as , as the kids day , ‘the math ain’t mathing’, Kim throws everything into the case, desperate to find Jessica so that she can prove her worth both in and outside the force. This is not merely keeping up with societal norms of the woman who can ‘have it all’, this is a matter of pride that she brings Jessica home.

Alternating between Jessica’s perspective where she records her personal history as well as her head to heads with Dominic, and Kim’s narrative defined by being printed in bold type, you come to know these formidable women -whether reliable narrators or not.

Jessica clearly has had mental health issues which were ignored by her family as ‘quirks’ or ‘oddities’, whilst Kim is seen as abandoning her traditional role for one which her -excuse me, awful husband-was well aware meant everything to her.

The decisions and actions which both women take are deeply personal but also make sense -desperately trying to avoid spoilers here-and I was completely swept up in their stories to that final, gut punch of an ending.

It may be technically after Christmas but if you are looking for a thriller to keep you on your toes, then you could definitely treat yourself to this book.

Tammy Cohen is the author of six psychological thrillers, the latest of which is The Wedding Party. She is fascinated by the darker side of human psychology.

Her books explore how ‘ordinary’ people react when pushed into a corner, the parts of ourselves we hide from the world – and from ourselves.

Previously she also wrote three commercial women’s fiction novels as Tamar Cohen debuting with The Mistress’s Revenge which was translated all round the world. In addition, she has written three historical novels under the pseudonym of Rachel Rhys.

The first, Dangerous Crossing, was a Richard & Judy book club pick in Autumn 2017. She is a member of the Killer Women crime writing collective and lives in North London with her partner and three (allegedly) grown up children and her highly neurotic rescue dog.

Links-https://tammycohen.co.uk/