Before I Die by Jackie Morrissey

3 Stars from me

It is my pleasure to kick off the blog tour for Before I Die by Jackie Morrissey.

The story begins with Maureen – an elderly lady who is recovering from an ankle injury. Her daughter arranges for carer to drop and keep an eye on Maureen. Afterall, Delores was the live-in carer for a friend of Maureen’s so what could possibly go wrong? Different events unfold that throw suspicion on both sides…is Maureen starting to get confused and mixing things up? Or is Delores not quite what she seems? And how on earth would you go about proving it when everything seems so reasonable?

This is a slow burn that will mess with your head! It put me in mind of The One Who Got Away in that respect – it made me feel desperately sad and concerned for anyone who is in this situation, how on earth do you know who to trust? How easy it is to write an elderly person off as confused and what an awful thought that this might be what the future holds…

There was a lot held back with this story and Morrissey built the slowly builds the tension until final the end of the book plays out – a very well put together story that unravels rather than being dumped in one fell swoop.

So a slow burn but still a quick to read book with some interesting dilemmas and good characters… albeit that it leaves a nasty taste!

Blurb: She’ll care for you. Until you’re dead.

Maureen might be getting on in years but she’s fiercely independent and smart as a whip.

But when she falls and injures her ankle, her daughter Alva is convinced Maureen can no longer take care of herself and is determined to get her some help – which comes in the shape of local caregiver, Dolores.

Maureen tries to say no, she’s fine on her own, but it’s not so easy to get rid of Dolores. She seems to be everywhere, poking her nose into every corner of Maureen’s life, implying to Alva that her mother is getting senile and will soon need constant care.

Maureen feels as if she’s under siege 24/7. And she knows in her heart that there’s something not right about Dolores…  But no one will listen.

Then one of Dolores’s other charges dies in mysterious circumstances and Maureen realises she may be fighting for a lot more than her independence.

Because once Dolores has you in her care, death may seem like a sweet release.