BOOK REVIEW: Snap by Belinda Bauer

Snap decisions can be dangerous...
On a stifling Summer's day, eleven-year-old Jack and his two sisters sit in their broken down car, waiting for their mother to come back and rescue them. Jack's in charge, she'd said. I won't be long.
But she doesn't come back. She never comes back. And life as the children know it is changed forever.
Three years later, Jack is still in charge- of his sisters, of supporting them all, of making sure nobody knows they're alone in the house, and- quite suddenly - of finding out the truth about what happened to his mother. 

Publisher: Bantam Press

Pages: 335

I can still remember reading Belinda Bauer's debut novel Blacklands and loving everything about it. I have read every book she has written since and I can confirm that she just gets better and better.
Snap is about Jack Bright whose mother was murdered when he was just a young boy. He is still only fourteen but he has taken on full responsibility of caring for his two sisters Joy and Merry. That is a huge load to carry plus he has never gotten over his mother's death or the fact that her killer has never been caught. Jack is getting by day by day, he has to steal from other people to provide for his family, it is during one of these burglaries that he discovers the knife that killed his mother. A knife that the police inadvertently let him see as a young boy. He knows that the knife's own
er murdered his mum, he just has to get the police involved without getting himself into trouble or risking his sisters being taken into care. He knows that it won't bring his mother back but he knows that it will bring him some peace that he has been missing since she was killed.
Snap is fantastic, one of the best thrillers I have read this year. Jack Bright is a character with so many levels, on the one hand he is incredibly damaged and vulnerable and on the other hand he is highly focused, determined and clever. He has sacrificed so much to look after his family after being failed by his father who walked out after his mother was killed. His life is so far from what he had imagined it would be but he does not give up, finding the knife just gives him more purpose, maybe he can finally succeed where the police failed.
Snap is beautifully paced and well written; Bauer weaves her story around wonderful characters, ramping up the tension and intrigue with each chapter. Do not miss out on Snap, it is fantastic!

BOOK REVIEW: The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer

There's no safety in numbers...
Eve Singer needs death.With her career as a TV crime reporter flagging, she'll do anything to satisfy her ghoulish audience.
The killer needs death too. He even advertises his macabre public performances where he hopes to show the whole world the beauty of dying.
When he contacts Eve, she welcomes the chance to be the first with the news from every gory scene until she realises that the killer has two obsessions.
One is public murder.
And the other is her...

Publisher: Bantam Press

Belinda Bauer brings something extra to the crime genre and her latest book The Beautiful Dead shows off her talent in all its glory.
Eve Singer is our female protagonist; she is a hard hitting crime reporter but with new talent snapping at her heels, she knows her job hangs in the balance. When a murderer contacts her and gives her the details of his next crime so she can be there live, she jumps at the chance as it is the exclusive she needs. However, knowing that the killer may not have carried out such an act if she had not gone along makes Eve feel incredibly guilty; she has almost become part of the crime. But it is too late now, she has made that fateful connection and it soon becomes clear that the killer is not going to lose interest in Eve anytime soon.
The Beautiful Dead is a very clever and well-thought out book, it was a bit more action packed than her previous books yet it still gives you a lot to think about. Bauer delves quit
e deep into her character's emotions; especially Eve and the murderer which makes for interesting and often uncomfortable reading. It is this aspect of the book that sets Belinda Bauer apart from other writers in this genre. It feels like she really lays her characters bare which in turn almost makes them seem quite vulnerable.
Eve is an excellent creation, she has so much going on in her life before she makes contact with the killer, you begin to wonder just how much more she can take as she becomes tangled up in his web.
I would highly recommend this book and Belinda Bauer's others too. She avoids the cliches that often come with books in this field and instead provides you with an original and thought-provoking story.

Many thanks to Dead Good Books for sending me a copy! 

Book Review: Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer

'The dead can't speak to us.' Professor Madoc had said.
This was a lie.
Because the body Patrick Fort is examining in anatomy class is trying to tell him all kinds of things.
Life is already strange enough for the obsessive Patrick without having to solve a possible murder. Especially when no one believes that a crime has even taken place. Now he must stay out of danger long enough to unravel the mystery- while he dissects his own evidence.
But as Patrick learns one truth from a dead man, he discovers there have been many other lies rather closer to home. 

This is the second book by Belinda Bauer that I have read and I thought it was brilliant and completely different from other books in the crime genre.
Rubbernecker revolves around Patrick Fort, he has Aspergers so looks at the world in a totally different way to most people. He wants to know what happens when people die. He saw his father die in front of him and he needs to know what happens afterwards. So Patrick enrols on an anatomy course at a medical school in Wales. The story is then joined by other plots and characters. We have cadaver number 19 who Patrick and his fellow students are dissecting; Patrick is sure that this man was murdered by no one will believe him. Part of the book is also told on the neurological ward where cadaver number 19 came from; the reader is given the story from one of the terrified patient's perspectives and one of the ward nurses who is less interested in patient care and more interested in bagging one of her patient's husbands. These plot lines gradually come together as Patrick's actions become more and more drastic in order to prove that cadaver number 19 did not have a peaceful end.
Rubbernecker is extremely dark and macabre but hugely entertaining. Patrick is a fascinating character and it was so interesting to see the world through his eyes. Most of the characters in this book have secrets and the consequences are mixed as they are revealed. All Patrick wants to do is reveal the truth; I was left questioning whether this was due to his Aspergers or just the need in him to do the right thing.
Rubbernecker is a crime novel but it is so much more than your standard thriller. Belinda Bauer gives the reader so much to think about without losing humour and also providing a gripping plot. I highly recommend this book.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

This book is published by Transworld is available now.

Book Review: Blacklands by Belinda Bauer

This is one of the most disturbing books that I have read in a long while. Blacklands is Belinda Bauer's first novel and follows the relationship created between Steven Lamb and Arnold Avery who is a convicted paedophile and serial killer.

Steven's Uncle Billy was killed by Avery before Steven was even born, sadness and uncertainty has hung over Steven's family ever since. His Nan still waits for Uncle Billy's return as Avery has never revealed the whereabouts of the young boy's remains.

Steven is convinced that his family will be happy if they can lay Billy to rest so in his spare time he goes digging on the treacherous moors in search of his uncle's body. Frustration and desperation leads him to send Arnold Avery a letter and so the game begins.

Belinda Bauer really takes the reader into the mind and thoughts of Avery which obviously makes for pretty disturbing reading. What really shone through for me though is the devastation caused to the family by their loss and the power wielded by the killer even when he has been locked away.

Steven Lamb is a wonderful character and I think that you get a real sense of the responsibility that he feels. It is a massive burden that he carries with him as he sets out to bring some happiness to his downtrodden family.

The subject matter of this book is disturbing but the idea and the way that Belinda Bauer explores it is fascinating. I was gripped all the way through and although you cannot describe Blacklands as a nice book, I wouldn't be put off as it is definitely worth a read.