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  • Published: 1 September 2021
  • ISBN: 9780552779654
  • Imprint: Black Swan
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 416
  • RRP: $24.99

The Facts of Life and Death




The exceptional new crime novel from Belinda Bauer, the award-winning author of Rubbernecker.
EVERY KILLER HAS TO START SOMEWHERE . . .

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNAP

'Belinda Bauer is one of the best British crime writers out there right now' Simon Kernick
Every killer has to start somewhere . . .

On the beaches and cliffs of North Devon, young women have become victims in a terrifying game where only one player knows the rules. And when those rules change, the new game is Murder.

But a madman on the loose feels very far from the crumbling, seaside home of ten-year-old Ruby Trick. Instead she lives in constant fear of school bullies, the dark forest, and the threat of her parents' divorce.

Helping her father to catch the killer seems like the only way to keep him close.

As long as the killer doesn't catch her first.

___

'Bauer's great gift is her ability to surprise the reader . . . She makes you think a bit differently about the world' Daily Telegraph
Readers are gripped by The Facts of Life and Death:

'If it was possible to give ten stars I would. I absolutely loved this book' *****
'One of my favourite crime novels of all time' *****
'Absorbing from start to finish, a cracking read!' *****

  • Published: 1 September 2021
  • ISBN: 9780552779654
  • Imprint: Black Swan
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 416
  • RRP: $24.99

About the author

Belinda Bauer

Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa and now lives in Wales. She worked as a journalist and a screenwriter before finally writing a book to appease her nagging mother.

For her debut, Blacklands, Belinda was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year. She went on to win the CWA Dagger in the Library for her body of work. Her fourth novel, Rubbernecker, was voted Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Her eighth novel, Snap, was a Sunday Times bestseller. It was longlisted for the Man Booker prize and voted Crime & Thriller Book of the Year at the Specsavers National Book Awards.

Her books have been translated into twenty-five languages.

Also by Belinda Bauer

See all

Praise for The Facts of Life and Death

Gripping and original

Sunday Times

Bauer at her best . . . the true heir to the great Ruth Rendell

Mail on Sunday

She writes so beautifully, plots so cleverly and exhibits a razor-sharp understanding of people and places

Literary Review

This gripping, unsettling tale blends a murder mystery with a blackly comic look at the gradual erosion of 'normal' family life. You won't want to put it down

Bella

Lingers in the mind like an unwelcome guest, albeit one with a dark sense of humour . . . powerful, compelling reading

Spectator

One of the most startling plots in contemporary crime fiction

Sunday Times

Breathtaking. I read this and wished I’d written it

Val McDermid

Our most inventive crime writer.

Metro

Taking the psychological thriller into new territory

Independent

Belinda Bauer is one of the best British crime writers out there right now

Simon Kernick

Belinda Bauer's thrillers are always compelling, always original, always brilliant. I will rush to read anything she writes

Mark Billingham

A new Belinda Bauer always goes straight to the top of my to-be-read pile. She's the most interesting crime writer in England today

Val McDermid

Brilliant.

Radio Times

Gripping and original

Sunday Times

Bauer at her best . . . the true heir to the great Ruth Rendell

Mail on Sunday

She writes so beautifully, plots so cleverly and exhibits a razor-sharp understanding of people and places

Literary Review

This gripping, unsettling tale blends a murder mystery with a blackly comic look at the gradual erosion of 'normal' family life. You won't want to put it down

Bella

Lingers in the mind like an unwelcome guest, albeit one with a dark sense of humour . . . powerful, compelling reading

Spectator

One of the most startling plots in contemporary crime fiction

Sunday Times

Breathtaking. I read this and wished I’d written it

Val McDermid

Our most inventive crime writer.

Metro

Taking the psychological thriller into new territory

Independent

Belinda Bauer is one of the best British crime writers out there right now

Simon Kernick

Belinda Bauer's thrillers are always compelling, always original, always brilliant. I will rush to read anything she writes

Mark Billingham

A new Belinda Bauer always goes straight to the top of my to-be-read pile. She's the most interesting crime writer in England today

Val McDermid

Brilliant.

Radio Times