Blacklands – The Review
Written by Nikki-ann on Wednesday, 7 July , 2010 at 9:34 pm
It was the cover that first grabbed me. I know they say you should never judge a book by it’s cover, but I’ve done so on several occasions – I’ve been right on most of them and I was right on this one. The back cover made me even more intrigued, with it’s short handwritten letter and the words “He was only twelve, he reasoned; he couldn’t be expected to get stuff like writing to serial killers right the first time.”.
The inside front cover sealed the deal for me, with it’s description of 12 year old Steven digging holes on Exmoor in the search for the body of his uncle that he never knew, who had disappeared aged 11 and was assumed to have fallen victim to serial child killer Arnold Avery. Steven’s nan isn’t convinced her son is dead and she still waits for him to come home. Steven is trying to heal the cracks in the family that appeared long before he was born and decides to secretly write a letter to Arnold Avery in prison, this starts a dangerous cat & mouse game between the child and the killer.
Blacklands is Belinda Bauer’s first novel and what a good job she’s done with it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found it more and more gripping the closer I got to the end of the book (as the crease-marks on the back cover shows!).
I found it easy to sympathise and identify with the characters, all bar Arnold Avery anyway. Stephen is just a boy who wants to make his family happy again and his solution to it all is finding Uncle Billy’s body. Stephen’s nan never seems to be happy and spends a lot of time waiting by the window. She’s waiting for Billy, but Billy isn’t coming. Imagine how miserable it must be to spend your life waiting for somebody to come back, deep down knowing the truth? There’s also Lewis, the annoying friend (yes, even best friends can be annoying!).
Avery is a creep. He makes your skin crawl, he really does.
Belinda Bauer has done such a good job of writing this book that it really feels like the story could have happened (the bodies buried on the moors certainly has). Belinda Bauer takes you into the minds of the characters, which can be quite disturbing at times, but it has to be. The subject of a child killer is not an easy one, but I felt that Belinda Bauer did it well.
I liked how the short letters that Stephen and Avery wrote each other were printed in handwriting (not a handwriting font, but actual scanned letters). I felt it added to the book and the imaginary feeling that it was actually happening.
I also thought that Belinda Bauer’s style of writing was easy to read. Some crime-type books can be quite hard going, but despite Blacklands difficult subject, I found that I read the book with ease. The book is definitely a page turner too.
I really did enjoy reading this book and I’m so glad it jumped off the shelf at me in Marylebone Station in London back in February. If only I’d got around to reading it sooner! Still, I’ve read it now and it’s certainly a book I’d recommend.
On a light-hearted note… My favourite quote from the book was “Uncle Jude? Did you know hedges are made by hedgehogs?”!
Comments (9)
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Comment by lisaschaos
Made Thursday, 8 of July , 2010 at 8:16 pm
You have piqued my interest. I too judge many books by the covers. 
Comment by Jenners
Made Thursday, 8 of July , 2010 at 9:29 pm
I’ve read a few reviews of this book that made me add it to my wishlist already … if not, your review would have done it! I love hearing that the letter seem like actual scans .. that does add an element of reality to it.
Love the hedgehog quote!
Comment by J. Kaye
Made Friday, 9 of July , 2010 at 12:22 am
I know what you mean and at one time, I didn’t get books based on the cover. Over the years, I’ve grown weak…lol. Like Jenners, I’m adding this one to my wanna read list.
Comment by Heidi V.
Made Tuesday, 13 of July , 2010 at 4:19 am
Sounds like a interesting read, I’ll have to check this one out!
Comment by Carole
Made Sunday, 29 of August , 2010 at 3:37 pm
I’m always swayed by the cover, sometimes I’ve been disappointed, sometimes not. This is such a chilling cover so you know exactly what you’re getting!
I’ve looked at this book several times and been unsure whether I’d like it or not, glad you thought it was good, I may just look at it again.
Pingback by Notes of Life » British Books Challenge 2011
Made Monday, 27 of December , 2010 at 5:36 pm
[...] by Belinder Bauer (Read my review of her debut book here) A book by Christopher Fowler Gone by Mo Hayder (Kindly sent to me by Transworld Publishers earlier [...]
Comment by PK Reeves
Made Monday, 3 of January , 2011 at 3:36 pm
Adding it and I’ll have to add her for authors to watch out for.
Pingback by Notes of Life » Darkside – The Review
Made Sunday, 9 of January , 2011 at 10:29 pm
[...] Read my review of her debut novel, Blacklands, here. [...]
Pingback by Blacklands, by Belinda Bauer | alive with words
Made Thursday, 17 of February , 2011 at 1:38 am
[...] when I read a review of the novel on my friend Nikki-Ann’s blog (you can find her review here). She raved about it, so I felt I had to read it. Blacklands is also one of the crime novels [...]
