The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer #BookReview #WeekendBlogShare

About this book…

There’s no safety in numbers . . .

Eve Singer needs death. With her career as a TV crime reporter flagging, she’ll do anything to satisfy her ghoulish audience.

The killer needs death too. He even advertises his macabre public performances, where he hopes to show the whole world the beauty of dying.

When he contacts Eve, she welcomes the chance to be first with the news from every gory scene. Until she realizes that the killer has two obsessions.

One is public murder.

And the other one is her . . .

My review…

I have been a HUGE fan of Belinda Bauer for years so there’s always a frisson of excitement when she has a new book out and upon seeing the amazing cover I was keen to get reading what lay within!

Eve Singer lives her life in front of the camera covering crimes for iWitness news with her cameraman Joe. But covering the gory and graphic death of a young office worker is about to bring her into the life of one of the most remarkably creepy and freakishly scary serial killers I’ve come across in a long time! In fact he is pretty much the star of this book with his chapters delving deeper into his warped mind and plans for his “exhibitions”. Eve was his sidekick in a way as she becomes deeper and more personally involved in his crimes.

The first few pages of this book are absolutely terrifying! Belinda Bauer has a way of getting the crimes in her books under your skin very early on. I quite liked Eve! And her relationship with her dad who suffers from Alzheimer’s was a joy to watch and provided some very funny but rather poignant moments along the way.

I have to say that this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting after the wonderful The Shut Eye which is my favourite book by this author. There was a different feel to the writing, a darkness with genius touches of black humour that reminded me more of her earlier books. I found I needed to concentrate more so I didn’t miss a word and therefore it took me a few days to read which isn’t like me. It wasn’t as unputdownable as I had expected but it still gripped me and the ending was just perfect-an explosive and heart racing finale. And I have to say I adored Mr Elias-what a wonderful character creation he was and some of his comments made me laugh out loud but then in the next instant feel a wave of sympathy for him.

This is a great “countdown to Christmas” book for those who fancy something a little different to the saccharine sweet Christmas books around and are feeling a bit “bah humbug” about the whole festive season!

The Beautiful Dead was published by Transworld on 17th November 2016 and is available to buy here at Amazon UK

Meet the author…

Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa. She has worked as a journalist and screenwriter and her script The Locker Room earned her the Carl Foreman/Bafta Award for Young British Screenwriters.

With her first novel, Blacklands, Belinda won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year. Her second and third novels, Darkside and Finders Keepers, were highly acclaimed, and she was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award 2012 for her entire body of work. Rubbernecker is Belinda’s latest novel.

Belinda is a repeat guest on Front Row and regularly appears at Harrogate Crime Festival. She lives in Wales.