Dying for Christmas

September 19, 2016
Jessica Gold, the unreliable narrator of this exciting, chillingly complex psychological thriller from Cohen (First One Missing), is prone to blackouts and hears voices; even her own family calls her a misfit. Two days before Christmas, while loaded down with packages, Jessica stops at a coffee shop, where she meets a stranger, the charming, smiling, dimpled Dominic Lacey, who says she reminds him of his former wife. Recklessly, Jessica rides with Dominic to his apartment, located in an isolated area outside London. There he holds her captive, torturing her and making her sleep in a dog crate, with a so-called gift for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Jessica is sure her death will be the final present. Meanwhile, ambitious policewoman Kim Harper digs into Jessica’s disappearance, hoping the case will bring a promotion. A deliciously dark twist midway through turns the plot around while keeping the story believable. Cohen realistically shapes her self-centered characters, with Jessica perhaps the most emotionally well-balanced. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners. 


October 15, 2016

On Christmas Eve, introverted archivist Jessica Gold does some last-minute shopping in London and meets charming Dominic Lacey. Dissatisfied with her life and longtime boyfriend Travis, Jessica accepts Dominic's invitation to go back to his place. It's a decision she quickly regrets as Dominic holds her captive for the 12 days of Christmas. When her family finally reports her missing, police officer Kim Harper investigates and suspects that she's not getting the full story. VERDICT The details of Jessica's imprisonment get a bit gruesome but are worth enduring for the story's satisfying twists and turns. Cohen's (When She Was Bad) holiday-tinged psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016
This is a title to take literally, since Jessica Gould is sure she'll die during the 12 days of Christmas. Charmed by handsome Dominic Lacey, who sat at her table in a department store cafe as she'd finished shopping on Christmas Eve, Jessica takes the risk of going to his place for a drink. Her relationship with her boyfriend is palling, and the holidays beckon, so she accompanies him to his isolated London loft. But Dominic has plans that include chaining, whipping, starving, and poisoning her, while presenting her with bizarre gifts from his childhood, as he tells her of the deaths he's caused. She eventually becomes the Christmas Kidnap Miracle Girl, but that's far from the end of the story. Interspersed with Jessica's account is the story of Kim Harper, a police investigator on the case who's trying unsuccessfully to balance home and children with making a name for herself at the job that she loves. Cohen continues the plot twists to the end in this psychological thriller; a suspenseful read, but perhaps best saved until after the holidays.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)