Book: Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer

Patrick Fort has Asperger’s Syndrome so he sees the world around him a bit differently than most people do. When his father is the victim of a hit & run Patrick decides to try to understand death. This leads him to an anatomy class where the dissection of a human body focuses Patrick’s mind on the cause of death and he doesn’t believe the cause listed here.

Meanwhile a recovering coma patient makes a startling discovery but struggles to communicate with anyone in a position to act on the information he has.

Belinda Bauer again manages to absorb the reader into a fascinating murder story woven around a coming-of-age tale featuring a brilliant main character who overcomes many obstacles in both the investigation he begins and the awkwardness of teenage life.

Ric’s Rating: Highly Recommended.

Book: Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer

Children are vanishing in the town of Shipcott and local Policeman Jonas Holly vows to save them, even though he’s just returned to his job following a personal tragedy.

Belinda Bauer’s third novel returns to the community featured in the previous books and Steven Lamb, the kid from Blacklands, once again takes centre stage.

Lamb knows some of the missing children but he is reluctant to trust the local policeman and even conveys those fears to the city cops brought in to solve the case. Meanwhile he is experiencing his first love and inside he knows that he is slowly becoming a man so feels that he must stand up for his beliefs.

Will Steven once again triumph in the face of extreme adversity?

This is another excellent yarn from the CWA Gold Dagger award winning author. She has created a sleepy little town that harbours many dark secrets and features some fantastic characters. From the wonderfully complicated Holly and the determined teenager Steven, the insecure DI Reynolds and his colleagues, each character is fully rounded enriching the overall feel of the tale.

To fully enjoy this I’d recommend that you read the previous books, Blacklands and Darkside (see reviews elsewhere here), especially Darkside as it’s essential to understand Jonas Holly. The small town policeman is one of the best characters in recent crime fiction, tortured but no stereotypical alky, he seems to understand the perpetrator of the crime while retaining an air of menace himself.

Captivating, realistic and poignant, I can’t wait for my next visit to Shipcott.

If you haven’t read Bauer then what are you waiting for?

Ric’s Rating: 89%

Book: Darkside by Belinda Bauer

Belinda Bauer returns to the rural English village of her award winning debut Blacklands (see review elsewhere here) with this much anticipated follow-up.

This time out we follow local Policeman Jonas Holly as he investigates a spate of murders where the victims are elderly and infirm.

Following such an impressive first book was always going to be difficult and in Darkside the author has gone for a traditional whodunit that, while compelling, lacks the originality that propelled her to the top of the crime fiction genre last year.

The main character of Holly is completely over-shadowed by big city cop Marvel who takes over the case. He is a brash, arrogant man, used to getting his own way but who also displays excellent investigative instincts, much to the dismay of his beleaguered colleague Reynolds.
Holly’s wife, the multiple sclerosis stricken, horror movie addicted Lucy is also a major force and her confrontation with Marvel is one of the book’s highlights.
Stephen Lamb, the young hero of the previous book also appears, albeit fleetingly.

This is a competent and absorbing tale that gathers pace and delivers a tense finale.

Hopefully Belinda Bauer has many more dark stories from Shipcott in the works.

Ric's rating: 75%

Preview: Dark Side by Belinda Bauer

Ben Willis at Transworld Publishers has kindly sent me a copy of
Belinda Bauer's new book Dark Side for review.

If it's even half as good as Blacklands, her fantastic debut, we are in for a treat.

Synopsis:

Shipcott in bleak mid-winter: a close knit community where no stranger goes unnoticed. So when an elderly woman is murdered in her bed, village policeman Jonas Holly is doubly shocked. How could someone have killed and left no trace?Jonas finds himself sidelined as the investigation is snatched away from him by an abrasive senior detective. Is his first murder investigation over before it’s begun? But this isn’t the end of it for Jonas, because someone in the village is taunting him, blaming him for the tragedy, and watching every move he makes...

Check back soon for a full review.

Book: Blacklands by Belinda Bauer

Twelve year old Steven Lamb has grown up in the shadow of his Uncle Billy
who was murdered at age 11 by notorious child killer Arnold Avery.

Billy's body was never found so Steven concludes that if he manages to bring Billy home his depressing and tense family will be happy again so he decides to ask for Arnold Avery's help.

Bauer breathes fresh air into the crime genre with this remarkable tale. Steven's relationship with his family and his adolescent perspective take you on a dark journey that you cannot predict.

This fine novel has excellent characters interacting in a very atmospheric setting and makes for a stunning debut.

I can't wait to see what Belinda Bauer does next, it's easy to see why this book won the CWA Gold Dagger, fantastic.

Ric's Rating: 93%