Reviews:
‘Belinda Bauer’s third book represents a remarkable achievement: almost a return to the good old Victorian triple-decker novel of suspense, but created with a deftness that allows each book to stand alone.’ Jane Jakeman, Independent, 30.12.11
‘Belinda Bauer’s latest novel is disturbingly prescient…You do not need to read either of [her previous books] before opening the covers of this latest novel but you are certain to go out and buy them after finishing this, as I did…At times, it felt disconcerting to be so entertained by such a disturbing imagination.’ David Connett, Sunday Express, 15.01.12
‘…Bauer’s trademark creepiness pervades her third novel…’ Julia Handford, Sunday Telegraph, 08.01.12
‘The kidnapper in [Bauer’s] chilling Finders Keepers sends no ransom demands…What has happened to the missing children – and why – is deeply disturbing, matching the sinister Exmoor setting and its withdrawn inhabitants.’ Marcel Berlins, The Times, 07.01.12
‘Surprise, of course, is the most potent aspect of suspense. And Belinda Bauer knows exactly how to manipulate that element, right until the very end. What’s more, in three stunning, variously linked novels in just three years, she’s shown, not just how to keep surprise bubbling explosively away, but to do it with extraordinary dexterity, maturity and feeling… This is the brilliant end of an outstanding trilogy.’ Henry Sutton, Daily Mirror, 13.01.12
‘Belinda Bauer hit the big time with the excellent Blacklands and continues to explore her theme of West Country cruelty and corruption, balancing the procedural and psychological aspects of crime. It helps to have read the first two volumes in the series, but once again she nails the petty grievances, prejudices and loyalties of village life, and shows how some law enforcers operate at the outer edge of competence.’ Christopher Fowler, Financial Times, 14.01.12
‘Bauer has established a reputation for plunging her characters into unimaginable gore. Her third novel easily matches her previous efforts, exposing village bobby Jonas Holly…to events unprecedented in British crime fiction. The British countryside has never appeared so alien or so macabre.’ Joan Smith, Sunday Times, 15.01.12
‘Finders Keepers has an enjoyably creepy premise… But it’s the book’s humour that really shines. Bauer reveals her Gold Dagger-winning writing credentials in her neat skewering of everyday pomposities and her wry asides.’ Alison Flood, Observer, 15.01.12
‘Another great thriller from Bauer.’ Charlotte Vowden, Express.co.uk, 14.09.12
