fredag den 25. februar 2011

Belinda Bauer, Blacklands (2010)

This thriller is a British debut.

Eleven-year-old Steven suffers from lack of attention. His grumpy granny and his single mother have never got over the fact that Uncle Billy disappeared nineteen years ago. The little boy was killed by the paedophile murderer, Arnold Avery, but as Avery has never confessed to this crime, no one knows where he is buried.

For years Steven rambles Exmoor, digging holes to find his missing uncle and make everything in his family right, until one day when it strikes him that it would be easier to ask Mr Avery where he hid the body.

No spoilers, but the rest of this intriguing debut is an intellectual battle between a smart, determined boy and an imprisoned monster. As we get several sections from the child abuser´s point of view, this story could have been a nasty experience, but clearly this writer knows what her readers want to know - and what they don´t. She strikes a fine balance between what is scary and what is just sensational.

Besides, she draws the little, lonely boy and his Exmoor excursions very well. Strongly recommended page-turner!

Thank you to Maxine of Petrona for the book.
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14 kommentarer:

Anonym sagde ...

Dorte - Oh, I am so glad you liked this one as much as you did. It really is a fine novel and I think Bauer did, indeed, do a terrific job of painting a picture of young Stephen; a great character, I thought.

Maxine Clarke sagde ...

Agreed. Nice review, Dorte, glad you liked this one ;-)

Mason Canyon sagde ...

Loved the review. You have me hooked. Great book cover too.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Dorte H sagde ...

Margot: yes, she is great at characterization.

Maxine: very much, thank you!

Mason: I have hardly seen a negative review of this book so I think you´d also enjoy it.

Unknown sagde ...

What a super book! I'll have to remember it for future.

Dorte H sagde ...

Clarissa: you´ll probably see more reviews of this one so I doubt you´ll get a chance to forget it :D

Kelly sagde ...

This sounds fascinating! I'm off to Amazon to see what my options are.

Dorte H sagde ...

Kelly: so sorry I´ve tempted you again ;)

Cathy sagde ...

I'm glad you enjoyed this as much as I did, Dorte!

Dorte H sagde ...

Cathy: what great taste we have ;D

Dorthe sagde ...

Hej Dorte. Jeg elsker krimi, så det er dejligt når nogen vil fortælle om hvilke krimier der er værd at læse. Jeg vil helt sikker vende tilbage for opdates så jeg har ført dig på min liste for faste læsere. Tak for anmeldelsen for denne krimi. Den må jeg have fat på.

Dorte H sagde ...

Dorthe: selv tak. Jo, du skulle nok kunne finde et par anbefalinger her. Og selv om jeg ikke officielt giver stjerner (fordi jeg kender enkelte af forfatterne), kan du bare spørge, hvis du vil være sikker.

Beth F sagde ...

This one does sound good -- lots of good elements and I like the idea of the boy trying to find out the truth.

Dorte H sagde ...

Beth F: it is a really fine debut.