Snap: The astonishing Sunday Times bestseller and BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick

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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) The children steal the show in Belinda Bauer’s unnerving suspense novel.”—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times

Bauer is known for taking the bleakest of situations and turning them into something special. At no point in this book are you going to go 'WOW!', because it is a quietly clever book, one that is a satisfying read, a moving read.

But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police - after making the biggest mistake of his life. Elena Cresci (1 April 2013). "Belinda Bauer: I want to prove that books set in Wales do sell". WalesOnline . Retrieved 17 April 2019. Man Booker prize 2018 longlist – in pictures". The Guardian. 23 July 2018. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 24 July 2018. The abalone was a turbulent storm cloud, captured and tamed by the smooth, warm handle that fitted his palm like magic. He touched his thumb to the diamond stud and the knife seemed to open itself! Seemed to know that he wanted it open, and obliged before he’d exerted any noticeable pressure. No hesitation. No notches. No friction. The blade sprang open like a living thing, alert to his every wish. Serrated on one edge, curved on the other to a cruel point. Mommy must have ‘snapped’ a brain-artery... she goes searching for help....but leaves the kids behind.

SNAP is a multi-layered, cleverly plotted crime novel with a varied group of unusual and unpredictable character types. The beginning completely drew me in and then, after a bit of confusion, everything just SNAPPED into place. I can’t begin to describe how much I love Belinda Bauer’s work. Every book is better than the last and this one was truly extraordinary. While on the surface a psychological thriller, it really is so much more. Bauer writes her characters with such nuanced perfection that the reader experiences numerous reactions to them all. I don’t want to give any spoilers away but I will be recommending this book to everyone, whether they like thrillers or not.” —Linda Quinn, Fairfield Public Library This has a straightforward story line, good sound characters, and a couple of surprising reveals along the way. The author and publisher apparently felt confident enough not to resort to the ubiquitous blurb "With a twist you'll never see coming!" or some variation on the theme. Thank you for that.

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I hope I’ve interested you enough that you will run and get this book as soon as it’s published, it’s that good! MY THOUGHTS: Bauer has a way of sneaking up on you. She doesn't rely on twists and turns to keep the reader interested. She gets inside the heads and hearts of her characters to provide a rich, deep and often humorous viewpoint. Belinda Bauer creates quite the intelligent read as she slips in avenues that are less traveled in most mystery/thrillers. It's all about actions and reactions in this one. It's all about dogging a huge clue that will take readers down an inevitable path. Light will be shed upon the coldest of the cold. And the sharpness of that waiting game will have a huge pay-off. It's all in the resilience of the human spirit and the diligence behind it. How do you take to the pathway of life when there are no longer any bridges to see you safely across? A psychological thriller with a 14 year old leading the search for answers to a crime that took his mother from him 3 years earlier.

This was an audio book I listened to, think I'm getting better at these. The narrator was Andrew Wincott, and I thought he did a wonderful job. Maybe I'm better with male narrators? 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.

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Belinda Bauer is an incredibly intelligent, creative and talented writer and is exceedingly well versed in producing fabulous thrillers that crime fiction readers young and old devour. Would I recommend? You bet! A must read for this summer!

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. A below average thriller with a flimsy plot, mediocre writing and cliché characters. How this book ended up on the Man Booker Longlist is beyond me. Yeah- yeah.... I know how did they not get caught by social services- and support themselves to boot? Finders Keepers, Bauer's third novel, was set in the fictional location of Shipcott, also in Exmoor. The book was published in Britain on 5 January 2012, and in the United States on 28 February 2012. It was always there, like an itch. Sometimes low and ignored, sometimes so big and sore that his slight frame could not contain it, and it burst like a boil, spewing violence and bitter hatred that left him hollow.DS Reynolds is eager to make a good impression on his new boss. He’s a fastidious, impeccably groomed straight arrow who’s always willing to help coworkers better themselves. Whether it’s tips on deportment or correcting their grammar, he knows deep down they appreciate his attention to detail. So why does the new DCI seem to hate him? Any issues with the book list you are seeing? Or is there an author or series we don’t have? Let me know! 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 A little later, Catherine is queasy as she stares down at her tummy: “Because for the first time, alongside their precious child, grew a tiny seed of doubt.”