Blacklands: The addictive debut novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author

Belinda Bauer

Jan 2010 · Random House

About this ebook

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNAP

'Extraordinarily powerful and evocative . . . will leave you breathless.' Daily Mirror

VOTED CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR when it was first released, and still the most gripping, powerful thriller debut you will read this year.

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Steven Lamb is 12 when he writes his first letter . . . to a serial killer

Every day after school, whilst his classmates swap football stickers, twelve-year-old Steven digs holes on Exmoor, hoping to find a body. His uncle disappeared aged eleven and is assumed to have fallen victim to the notorious serial killer Arnold Avery - but his body has never been found.

Steven's Nan does not believe her son is dead. She still waits for him to come home, standing bitter guard at the front window while her family fragments around her. Steven is determined to heal the widening cracks between them before it's too late - even if that means presenting his grandmother with the bones of her murdered son.

But when Steven realises this is an impossible task, he crafts a careful letter to Arnold Avery in prison. And there begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game between a desperate child and a bored psychopath . . .

Readers love Blacklands:

'A dark, gripping story . . . full of tension' *****
'A truly chilling and disturbing read' *****
'An intelligent crime thriller that seeps with atmosphere' *****

*Belinda Bauer's pulse-pounding new thriller, EXIT, is out now*

Ratings and reviews

I enjoyed the book so much I bought all the others she has written. Can't wait to get cracking on the next.

Interesting take on the effects of murder. Gripping end.

Absolutely loved it! Captured from the first page and couldnt put it down.

About the author

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. With 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 in 2013. Her fourth novel Rubbernecker was voted 2014 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2018 her eighth novel, Snap, was longlisted for the Man Booker prize. Her books have been translated into 21 languages.