Snap: The Sunday Times Bestseller

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There are no fancy frills or poetic moments here (except maybe for poetic justice, if that counts) – and yet my thoughts, feelings, and imagination were all held captive until the very end. Each archipelago has its own accent, some islands have an entirely different dialect than their neighbours.

I think it is an unusual book to be longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, as I understand it, but I like it! Reynolds and Marvel are completely different characters - Reynolds is meticulous in every aspect of his life, not one to push the boundaries. I liked the setting as well; for some reason crime novels set in small town England have a vibe that really works for me and this was no exception. Note that I only review books/items that I’ve personally used and enjoyed, and all reviews are my own opinion. But the most insufferable thing about this book – aside from the exclamation points – was the fact that Bauer just shows her hand too early.For some reason, Bauer doesn’t believe that emphasis or gravitas can be achieved without embellishing her sentences with excessive punctuation, italics, or some combination of the two. I really think it's tough for authors out there to come up with unique and interesting thrillers lately. This has a straightforward story line, good sound characters, and a couple of surprising reveals along the way.

He is wanted as a burglar, and despite efforts to direct the police toward the evidence he feels he has discovered, that doesn’t work out. In the meantime, the quirky police have not been able to solve the hundreds of burglaries in the area: nicknamed *Goldilocks*. That’s why I’m not even interested in solving the crime, sometimes I don’t even care if you know what exactly happens or whodunnit. He is a damaged, brave boy nearing adulthood, a time that holds a fascination for Bauer, which she attributes to Stephen King. In a sea of novels claiming to provide "a twist so shocking you won't see it coming", she quietly places a superior story that doesn't rely on gimmicks or tag lines in front of us and patiently waits with neatly folded hands until we're through reading.I mean, he got her books cos she loved reading even if it wasn’t through the best of means, you know? His mum says to him: ‘You’re in charge, Jack,’ as she walks away from the car, and three years later he’s still in charge, trying to keep all the balls in the air, everybody alive, hidden from the authorities, in this terrible house, which is now full of newspapers which his sister collects obsessively to try and find clues about his mother’s death. I was ready and willing to be wowed by Snap, the crime novel supposedly innovative and subversive enough to make it onto this year’s Man Booker longlist. Snap by Belinda Bauer Quick summary: Jack’s mother disappears and a week later is found dead, and years later Jack is looking after his younger siblings while attempting to get to the bottom of her murder. It then struck me later on that this story wasn’t about figuring out “who done it” but rather the actual mystery was about how Jack, along with the detectives, find a way to link the suspected killer to Eileen Bright’s murder and pull up enough proof for an arrest and conviction.

Jack's life is hard, providing for his sisters, keeping them from the care system, he does whatever he needs to for them to survive. We can understand fragments from the Athenian dialect mostly but there is a special faculty in our universities where we study Ancient Greek, translation and interpretation. I defy anyone to read Jack’s story and not be moved by his plight and fully understand the logic behind his behaviours. Linda’s Book Bag readers should note that they may unsubscribe at any point from following the blog.

Don't get me wrong, it's totally fine for some relaxed holiday reading in the sun, which I did, but I can think of numerous 'Crime' authors who would have filled the job better.

Jack ends up catering and becoming a Carer of his young siblings the only way he learns how to since his dad couldn’t hack things and went. About a medical student with Asperger’s who is out to solve a murder, Rubbernecker won the Theakston’s Old Peculier crime novel of the year prize. It appears to the reader from the start that there are three very different stories being told that are completely unrelated - the murder of a pregnant mother, a sinister Intruder frightening a young woman at night and a sneaky burglar sleeping in kids beds - but before long they very cleverly start to weave together and escalate in a nail biting conclusion that will have you gripped to the pages until the exciting end. I think they teach British English in Italy as well, but whenever I asked Italians about this they said they found the American accent much easier to understand. Three years later, mum-to-be Catherine wakes to find a knife beside her bed, and a note that says: I could have killed you.This novel by Belinda Bauer reminds me of why I started reading thrillers just about three years ago. So having to fend for themselves, Jack, who’s exceptionally resourceful, is taught the art of burglary and ends up being quite adept at breaking and entering, stealing food for family survival. Her mother’s scratchy signature had been roughly crossed out and on the blank side of the card was scrawled a new message. Jack steals food for family survival and small items Louis can sell for profit from the empty houses of families on vacation.