‘Before I Die’ by Jackie Morrissey is a psychological thriller, published by Inkubator books, that had me on the edge of my seat with the twists and turns the story took.

Maureen is an older lady who lives alone and is happy to live alone, pottering about and going to get-togethers with her particular group of friends. Maureen is recovering from a fall where she had hurt her ankle and she has just experienced having Dolores, a younger woman who cares for Maureen’s friend, come in and help Maureen. Maureen isn’t keen on Dolores, she feels she is overbearing. Frank, who Dolores cares for due to the amount of illnesses he suffers from, has a son who is a drug addict and Dolores can’t stand him.

The tension is palpable. Both Dolores and Frank’s son blame each other for things going missing and Frank has had enough. He decides to visit Maureen one evening and he decides that Dolores is getting finished and cut out of his will. He returns home after telling Maureen his intentions.

From this point events start taking a turn for the worse and Maureen is determined Dolores is the instigator of all the happenings around her. The only problem is that when Maureen ends up in hospital her daughter will not let her return home without having Dolores as a carer until she is strong enough to live alone. So Maureen has to go home with a woman she doesn’t trust but is it just in her mind? Is she becoming the weak old woman she does not want to be?

This story has the stark realism of the confusion of the elderly and the children’s protectiveness that is experienced by all in these situations. The older adults are written in a very perceptive manner, the proficiency of living their way of life on their terms, not anyone else’s. Not the parodies the general population think of old people. I Loved Maureen and her suspicious mind, sharp as a tack! Even Frank’s son has his moments of being a decent human being. I felt this story did highlight the plight of the elderly and how they are seen generally and it made me think how misconstrued they can be. Altogether a chilling, tense and emotive read. I loved being a part of the Before I Die blog tour for Damp Pebbles Blog Tours and Inkubator Books, who allowed me a copy of the book to review.