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This article is about the writer Belinda Bauer. For the actress Belinda Bauer, see Belinda Bauer (actress).
Eileen’s almost complete absence from the novel accentuates her loss and her children’s need to a degree that makes their subsequent moods and attitudes completely understandable, and I loved the way the story gradually came together. Three years later, Catherine, a young pregnant woman, wakes to find a knife laying alongside her in her bedroom. A note scratched on torn paper states: "I could have killed you." Afraid to tell her husband who's on a business trip, Catherine refuses to devulge strange happenings in their home with break-ins. Someone is lurking outside and they've now been in. She won't even go to the police. Catherine has more than raging hormones to deal with. Her mother’s scratchy signature had been roughly crossed out and on the blank side of the card was scrawled a new message. . . 'I could have killed you.' Ha....not so fast. Don’t think for one second that there aren’t other adults in this story ... or there aren’t other plots happening.
Bauer deftly interweaves a West Country cold-case murder, a teenage master burglar, some ill-assorted coppers and a pregnant wife, knowing exactly when the turn the dial to humor, pathos or something darker. Intelligent entertainment that keeps you guessing.”— Sunday Times Crime Club (UK)
A teenage boy hunts for his mother’s killer in this Man Booker Prize-longlisted novel by “the true heir to the great Ruth Rendell” ( Mail on Sunday, UK). The emotional rollercoaster that Belinda Bauer sets us on is a large part of what makes this novel such a treasure. The mysteries (and yes, there are several), kept me tapping my screen to find out how one thread would unravel, only to find hidden threads within the mess of fabric. Onward. Ever onward, no matter how hopeless things might appear. A rather dark crime novel with some memorable characters and a burglar who likes to nap.....BUT someone will Snap! Bauer secures her place as a star in the British psychological-suspense firmament with this tightly written tale . . . Readers who miss Ruth Rendell are sure to become fast Bauer fans.”— Booklist (starred review) Now his world is turned upside down as he must find out if he's really to blame, or if something much more sinister is at play. All while staying one shaky step ahead of the law.Three years later, mum-to-be Catherine wakes to find a knife beside her bed, and a note that says: I could have killed you. I also believe that I have a love/hate relationship with my thrillers. Was this a book that was super unique? No... but I was entertained for the most part.
No one writes crime novels like Belinda Bauer, with a rare blend of darkness, humour and heart. She's a crime writing genius.' C. L. TAYLOR It’s hard to understand how the Man Booker judges could have deemed Snap to be of sufficient depth or imagination to merit its inclusion on the longlist. Even as a thriller, it’s much less thrilling than Michael Ondaatje’s Warlight. And it’s just hard to be thrilled when you come up against passages like this: There's a very serious storyline running through the book of survival and family loyalty, realistic, emotional but dark and dangerous with a hint of humour that has fast become a trademark of Belinda Bauer's work. I truly loved it and couldn't stop reading, I was just so enthralled. I adored this book and how it was written. There are no fancy frills or poetic moments here (except maybe for poetic justice, if that counts) – and yet my thoughts, feelings, and imagination were all held captive until the very end.Yeah- yeah.... I know how did they not get caught by social services- and support themselves to boot? The only issues I had with this one was the slow burn. I was pretty bored on and off with this story and had trouble focusing because I felt like there was nothing happening.
A brilliantly entertaining crime read, with an ordinary pensioner at its heart, a Felix who managed to capture my heart.' With her deeply quirky take, Belinda Bauer is totally unlike contemporaries, and all her crime novels have a very distinct identity. Readers never know what to expect with each new novel, except that it will be highly accomplished.”— Financial Times (UK) Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.I really think it's tough for authors out there to come up with unique and interesting thrillers lately... I feel like they're all beginning to bleed into one another :(. The other story line introduces DCI John Marvel. He’s a rumpled, dyspeptic old fashioned copper who’s been exiled to Somerset PD as a result of his less than PC techniques. Instead of high profile cases, he’s been given a rash of home burglaries to investigate. Seriously? Don’t they know he was an elite homicide detective? And don’t even get him started on his colleagues. Snap is the best kind of crime novel—it gives you chills, it makes you think, and it touches your heart. I loved it!” —Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes
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