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Una lección de vida y muerte
On the beaches and cliffs of North Devon, young women have become victims in a terrifying game where only one player knows the rules. The game is murder. But a madman on the loose feels very far from the crumbling, seaside home of ten-year-old Ruby Trick. Instead she lives in constant fear of school bullies, the dark forest, and the threat of her parents' divorce.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 2014
246 people are currently reading
2516 people want to read
About the author
Belinda Bauer
18 books2,144 followersBelinda 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, an award that was presented to her by Sidney Poitier. She was a runner-up in the Rhys Davies Short Story Competition for "Mysterious Ways," about a girl stranded on a desert island with 30,000 Bibles. Belinda now lives in Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 355 reviews
July 14, 2018
Belinda Bauer writes a dark, gothic, and creepy story of the making of a killer, roaming in North Devon, and Bideford. He wears a balaclava, terrorising young women, making them strip, assaulting them, and making them call their mothers and say goodbye, before long he is murdering them. 10 year old overweight Ruby Trick lives in the tiny community of Limeburn, surrounded by a forest intent on taking it over. It is damp and wet, close to the sea, and their tiny home shows the effects of the infiltrating nature. Ruby is obsessed with wanting a pony, but there seems little chance of her dream coming true. She is indisputably a daddy's girl, his views and attitudes soaking into her. John Trick used to work, in the shipyards and more, but has been unemployed for some time now, much to his wife, Alison's dismay. Alison is the sole breadwinner, relying on seasonal work as a chef.
Ruby's world consists of going to school, being bullied on the bus, and playing with the small group of children around home, particularly Adam, and scaring themselves silly. She writes a diary, keeping track of what she does and what happens, an inspiration from school, although she often goes to great effort to try and avoid school and she worries that her parents are going to divorce as their discord grows. John goes fishing, but lives for his life of pretence as a cowboy, part of a small group who meet weekly at a pub. The group decide to look for the killer, given the police have had little success, and John takes the excited Ruby with him in the car often at night, calling her his deputy as he works his way through the numerous beer cans. An unaware Ruby is to soon find herself in the sights of the killer and all the accompanying danger. DCI Kirsty King, and DC Calvin Bridge, brother of the hairless Louis in Snap, are putting their efforts into identifying the killer, but it is not an easy case. Calvin has become engaged to girlfriend, Shirley, more because he doesn't want to upset the applecart, although all the unwanted intensive wedding planning is stretching his tolerance levels.
Bauer writes in her trademark style, a story bursting at the seams with atmosphere and such a brilliant sense of location. It is intertwined with humour and wit, with marvellous characterisation, even with minor characters such as Donald Moon, the litter picker and Georgia Sharpe, the schoolteacher. I love the way it slowly dawns on Ruby that a killer is close by as she pieces together fragments of knowledge. As usual, I found myself delighted, consumed and entertained by the superior writing gifts of Belinda Bauer. Highly Recommended!
Ruby's world consists of going to school, being bullied on the bus, and playing with the small group of children around home, particularly Adam, and scaring themselves silly. She writes a diary, keeping track of what she does and what happens, an inspiration from school, although she often goes to great effort to try and avoid school and she worries that her parents are going to divorce as their discord grows. John goes fishing, but lives for his life of pretence as a cowboy, part of a small group who meet weekly at a pub. The group decide to look for the killer, given the police have had little success, and John takes the excited Ruby with him in the car often at night, calling her his deputy as he works his way through the numerous beer cans. An unaware Ruby is to soon find herself in the sights of the killer and all the accompanying danger. DCI Kirsty King, and DC Calvin Bridge, brother of the hairless Louis in Snap, are putting their efforts into identifying the killer, but it is not an easy case. Calvin has become engaged to girlfriend, Shirley, more because he doesn't want to upset the applecart, although all the unwanted intensive wedding planning is stretching his tolerance levels.
Bauer writes in her trademark style, a story bursting at the seams with atmosphere and such a brilliant sense of location. It is intertwined with humour and wit, with marvellous characterisation, even with minor characters such as Donald Moon, the litter picker and Georgia Sharpe, the schoolteacher. I love the way it slowly dawns on Ruby that a killer is close by as she pieces together fragments of knowledge. As usual, I found myself delighted, consumed and entertained by the superior writing gifts of Belinda Bauer. Highly Recommended!
August 11, 2018
Lone women are terrorised and their helpless families forced to watch - in a sick game where only one player knows the rules.
Ten year old Ruby Trick lives with her parents in the dank beach community of Limeburn. She is bullied on the school bus about her weight. Her dad lost his job three years ago but he is also Ruby's best friend. Her mum is either nagging Ruby and her dad or at her work. With her parents not getting along, Ruby is worried they will divorce.
A killer has been abducting young women and forcing them to call their mothers before they are killed. Ruby's father belongs to a Friday night Cowboy group where they also dress up like Cowboys. They decide to form a posse and search for the killer. Ruby goes with her dad on these searches.
The book starts a bit slow as it introduces us to its characters and gives us a little of their background. Then around chapter five it starts picking up its pace which it then maintains to the end. My heartstrings were pulled as we learn how Ruby was treated by everyone but I also laughed at some of the things she wrote in her diary. This is an intensely gripping, page turning thriller. You do get hints of who the killer is and it does get a bit obvious who it is but that does not spoil the book in any way.
Ten year old Ruby Trick lives with her parents in the dank beach community of Limeburn. She is bullied on the school bus about her weight. Her dad lost his job three years ago but he is also Ruby's best friend. Her mum is either nagging Ruby and her dad or at her work. With her parents not getting along, Ruby is worried they will divorce.
A killer has been abducting young women and forcing them to call their mothers before they are killed. Ruby's father belongs to a Friday night Cowboy group where they also dress up like Cowboys. They decide to form a posse and search for the killer. Ruby goes with her dad on these searches.
The book starts a bit slow as it introduces us to its characters and gives us a little of their background. Then around chapter five it starts picking up its pace which it then maintains to the end. My heartstrings were pulled as we learn how Ruby was treated by everyone but I also laughed at some of the things she wrote in her diary. This is an intensely gripping, page turning thriller. You do get hints of who the killer is and it does get a bit obvious who it is but that does not spoil the book in any way.
September 8, 2015
The subtitle of this book is "Every killer has to start somewhere." This is an extremely chilling story. Someone is starting at the beginning, learning and growing, until madness completely overcomes.
More than a story about a murderer, this is a story about a young girl learning the facts of life and death firsthand. Ruby is an innocent and inquisitive ten year old. As the book progresses, she gets smarter and more aware of what's happening. I wondered if she was being made into a killer or not. There are signs that give me hope for her.
Bauer states at the end that she wrote this during a personally dark year. If she can write this well when her life is off kilter, imagine what her future books will be when life is kinder to her! I am so looking forward to The Shut Eye.
More than a story about a murderer, this is a story about a young girl learning the facts of life and death firsthand. Ruby is an innocent and inquisitive ten year old. As the book progresses, she gets smarter and more aware of what's happening. I wondered if she was being made into a killer or not. There are signs that give me hope for her.
Bauer states at the end that she wrote this during a personally dark year. If she can write this well when her life is off kilter, imagine what her future books will be when life is kinder to her! I am so looking forward to The Shut Eye.
October 5, 2024
Ten-year old Ruby Trick lives in Devon on the edge of a dangerous sea on one side and the woods that seem to encroach on her family's home on the other. She is bullied on the bus with constant comments about her weight. Her father is her best friend..."Love you hundreds, Dad." He has been out of work for three years since the shipbuilding plant where he used to work has closed. He spends his time fishing, drinking cider and hanging out with Ruby.
Ruby's mom seems to either be at work or nagging on Ruby, her father, or both. Ruby’s parents aren't getting along and it seems divorce is just around the corner.
A killer has been abducting women and forcing them to call their mothers before they are killed.
Ruby's father and his cowboy Friday group decide to go looking for the killer.
Belinda Bauer is truly a wonder! Every time I read one of her books I think it is the best book I have read for a very long time. I'm a little sick because I now have read all of her brilliant books. This book gets all five dazzling stars! I give this one the "Kevin's Gushing Guarantee Award!”
Ruby's mom seems to either be at work or nagging on Ruby, her father, or both. Ruby’s parents aren't getting along and it seems divorce is just around the corner.
A killer has been abducting women and forcing them to call their mothers before they are killed.
Ruby's father and his cowboy Friday group decide to go looking for the killer.
Belinda Bauer is truly a wonder! Every time I read one of her books I think it is the best book I have read for a very long time. I'm a little sick because I now have read all of her brilliant books. This book gets all five dazzling stars! I give this one the "Kevin's Gushing Guarantee Award!”
March 26, 2014
“In Rock Cottage the living room floor had bulged and finally splintered to reveal a root of oak as thick as a man’s leg.”
The village of Limeburn in Devon, beset by encroaching tides on one side, and the insidious creep of the forest on the other, in constant danger of being crushed to sand by twin forces of nature, is home to the Trick family. Ten year old, red-haired, lonely Ruby shares her father’s impatience with her mother, who always seems to be working or nagging them about sleep and vegetables. Ruby is Daddy’s little girl, especially since he joined the Gunslingers, a group of amateur cowboys who hang out in nearby Clovelly to talk spurs and replica weapons in fake American accents. John Trick buys his overweight child’s affection with tall tales, macho bragging and Mars Bars.
The story begins quietly, unusually for Bauer, with a rather gentle tale of a small, struggling family in a dank Gothic setting. Ruby, of course, grabs a hold of our hearts and has us rooting for her very quickly but others in the small community are intriguing and engaging too. At this stage the book almost seems to be shaping up to be a 21st century Cranford.
Then – oh my goodness – chapter five! One of the most terrifying scenes I’ve ever read. It comes from nowhere, it grabs hold of that Ruby-softened heart with a damp, cold hand and squeezes hard. No spoiler, this is included in the cover blurb, but if you’re a mother, this really is your WORST possible nightmare.
After that, it’s only a matter of time before another of those horrible scenes jumps out at us. We can’t relax, and neither can the residents of Limeburn and Clovelly.
To everyone who’s lived through the wettest British winter in living memory, this book will seem scarily, remarkably topical. When memories of seaside towns disappearing beneath waves, sea-walls being breached and even railways collapsing into the surf remain fresh in our minds, we feel the nervousness of Ruby, her friends and family, as the winds batter the house, the spray strikes the windows and the tides get ever higher. Once we know there’s a madman around, we share their terror.
There is much to praise in this book. I loved the creepy, damp, dripping setting, and the dynamic between the three members of the Trick family. I loved the dopey, daydreaming detective, Calvin Bridge, facing an imminent shot-gun wedding, and drowning beneath a sea of hand-torn invitations, three-ply napkins and pink sugared-almonds. I loved plain, well-meaning, rabbit-keeping Miss Sharpe. One of Bauer’s great strengths is her ability to create funny, engaging characters who are both intriguingly different and completely believable at the same time.
Is The Facts of Life and Death Bauer’s best? Not sure. I did love it, and really enjoyed her being Gothic for a change, but I suspect most readers will still plump for either Blacklands or Rubbernecker as their favourite. This book is quieter, more subtle, and may not get the same attention as it’s two flashier, older brothers. On the other hand, it’s an extremely credible addition to her body of work, and almost certainly one of the best crime novels we’ll see this year.
The village of Limeburn in Devon, beset by encroaching tides on one side, and the insidious creep of the forest on the other, in constant danger of being crushed to sand by twin forces of nature, is home to the Trick family. Ten year old, red-haired, lonely Ruby shares her father’s impatience with her mother, who always seems to be working or nagging them about sleep and vegetables. Ruby is Daddy’s little girl, especially since he joined the Gunslingers, a group of amateur cowboys who hang out in nearby Clovelly to talk spurs and replica weapons in fake American accents. John Trick buys his overweight child’s affection with tall tales, macho bragging and Mars Bars.
The story begins quietly, unusually for Bauer, with a rather gentle tale of a small, struggling family in a dank Gothic setting. Ruby, of course, grabs a hold of our hearts and has us rooting for her very quickly but others in the small community are intriguing and engaging too. At this stage the book almost seems to be shaping up to be a 21st century Cranford.
Then – oh my goodness – chapter five! One of the most terrifying scenes I’ve ever read. It comes from nowhere, it grabs hold of that Ruby-softened heart with a damp, cold hand and squeezes hard. No spoiler, this is included in the cover blurb, but if you’re a mother, this really is your WORST possible nightmare.
After that, it’s only a matter of time before another of those horrible scenes jumps out at us. We can’t relax, and neither can the residents of Limeburn and Clovelly.
To everyone who’s lived through the wettest British winter in living memory, this book will seem scarily, remarkably topical. When memories of seaside towns disappearing beneath waves, sea-walls being breached and even railways collapsing into the surf remain fresh in our minds, we feel the nervousness of Ruby, her friends and family, as the winds batter the house, the spray strikes the windows and the tides get ever higher. Once we know there’s a madman around, we share their terror.
There is much to praise in this book. I loved the creepy, damp, dripping setting, and the dynamic between the three members of the Trick family. I loved the dopey, daydreaming detective, Calvin Bridge, facing an imminent shot-gun wedding, and drowning beneath a sea of hand-torn invitations, three-ply napkins and pink sugared-almonds. I loved plain, well-meaning, rabbit-keeping Miss Sharpe. One of Bauer’s great strengths is her ability to create funny, engaging characters who are both intriguingly different and completely believable at the same time.
Is The Facts of Life and Death Bauer’s best? Not sure. I did love it, and really enjoyed her being Gothic for a change, but I suspect most readers will still plump for either Blacklands or Rubbernecker as their favourite. This book is quieter, more subtle, and may not get the same attention as it’s two flashier, older brothers. On the other hand, it’s an extremely credible addition to her body of work, and almost certainly one of the best crime novels we’ll see this year.
March 3, 2020
An All Round Dazzling Thriller - 5 Stars
I feel a bit like I have hit the jackpot. I was first introduced to Belinda Bauer earlier this year in her delightfully odd novel, Rubbernecker . She followed up that effort with this equally delightful offering. Belinda Bauer displays a keen eye for detail and atmosphere and for the plucky, odd and charming child character. It was an all-round great read.
Plot summary
The majority of the story is told through the eyes of 10 year old Ruby Trick. She is a bit overweight, a tad socially awkward and she loves horses, mars bars, and her father. When her town faces a series of murders in which the victims are forced to call home and tell their mothers they are going to die, Ruby knows she has to help her daddy and his "posse" of wannabe cowboys help solve the crime. As the crime and the killer comes into focus she learns about love, family, pain and maturity and it all comes together in one of the most dramatic and exciting finishes I have read in any book all year.
My Thoughts
Like an Artist
The story is wonderfully atmospheric. You feel the dampness of the ocean mists, hear the rustling of the forest leaves and smell the moss covering the rocky ground. As the story is told through the eyes of a 10 year old girl, the author goes to great lengths to explore the world through the vivid colours of youth. The innocence of youth is superimposed on a backdrop that is ultimately violent, disturbed and not at all child friendly.
I enjoyed the contrasts in the story. Ruby was a stark contrast to her best friend, her parents were contrasts of each other, her view of her world and the reality of it were very different and the list goes on. The theme was deftly used throughout the novel with great success. It resulted in a compelling coming of age story intertwined with a mystery.
Yes there are children. Yes there is a coming of age story. No, this is not a book for children. Despite the innocent Ruby, there is lack of innocence in her town. While the reader bears the full brunt of the danger, murder and desperation, Ruby sees it as a chance to investigate with Dad and a chance to do grown up things. The story is occasionally disturbing and often suspenseful. Do not read this and think you are getting a "cozy" mystery. There is enough drama and thrills to cause palpations in the light of heart.
While I often enjoy books with a slow pace, this one stated especially slow. Ultimately, my overall enjoyment of the story and the characters as well as the atmospheric setting led me to give it top honours and to highly recommend this to lovers of Thrillers and Suspense. If anything, hang on to the this book for the ending scenes. I did manage to clue into the killer before the big reveal but it was not a let down and I don't think it will disappoint you either.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 2
We are told that the victims are forced to strip. That said, there is no descriptions of anatomy or graphic elements. There is some sexual language noted below.
Language - 3
Mild obscenities are used in a small amount and handful of f-words appears. The majority of adult language is language that was used was derogatory to women, i.e. whore, slag, bitch. The usage was low to moderate.
Violence - 3
There are multiple murder and multiple murder attempts. Realistically, the violence is a backdrop and counterpoint to the character of Ruby. The murders are disturbing in the fact that the women are forced to call their mothers first but they are not graphic. The violence is not pervasive but an ominous presence in the background. There final few scene are tense and filled with potential violence.
I feel a bit like I have hit the jackpot. I was first introduced to Belinda Bauer earlier this year in her delightfully odd novel, Rubbernecker . She followed up that effort with this equally delightful offering. Belinda Bauer displays a keen eye for detail and atmosphere and for the plucky, odd and charming child character. It was an all-round great read.
Plot summary
The majority of the story is told through the eyes of 10 year old Ruby Trick. She is a bit overweight, a tad socially awkward and she loves horses, mars bars, and her father. When her town faces a series of murders in which the victims are forced to call home and tell their mothers they are going to die, Ruby knows she has to help her daddy and his "posse" of wannabe cowboys help solve the crime. As the crime and the killer comes into focus she learns about love, family, pain and maturity and it all comes together in one of the most dramatic and exciting finishes I have read in any book all year.
My Thoughts
Like an Artist
The story is wonderfully atmospheric. You feel the dampness of the ocean mists, hear the rustling of the forest leaves and smell the moss covering the rocky ground. As the story is told through the eyes of a 10 year old girl, the author goes to great lengths to explore the world through the vivid colours of youth. The innocence of youth is superimposed on a backdrop that is ultimately violent, disturbed and not at all child friendly.
I enjoyed the contrasts in the story. Ruby was a stark contrast to her best friend, her parents were contrasts of each other, her view of her world and the reality of it were very different and the list goes on. The theme was deftly used throughout the novel with great success. It resulted in a compelling coming of age story intertwined with a mystery.
Yes there are children. Yes there is a coming of age story. No, this is not a book for children. Despite the innocent Ruby, there is lack of innocence in her town. While the reader bears the full brunt of the danger, murder and desperation, Ruby sees it as a chance to investigate with Dad and a chance to do grown up things. The story is occasionally disturbing and often suspenseful. Do not read this and think you are getting a "cozy" mystery. There is enough drama and thrills to cause palpations in the light of heart.
While I often enjoy books with a slow pace, this one stated especially slow. Ultimately, my overall enjoyment of the story and the characters as well as the atmospheric setting led me to give it top honours and to highly recommend this to lovers of Thrillers and Suspense. If anything, hang on to the this book for the ending scenes. I did manage to clue into the killer before the big reveal but it was not a let down and I don't think it will disappoint you either.
Content Advisories
It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.
Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest
Sex - 2
We are told that the victims are forced to strip. That said, there is no descriptions of anatomy or graphic elements. There is some sexual language noted below.
Language - 3
Mild obscenities are used in a small amount and handful of f-words appears. The majority of adult language is language that was used was derogatory to women, i.e. whore, slag, bitch. The usage was low to moderate.
Violence - 3
There are multiple murder and multiple murder attempts. Realistically, the violence is a backdrop and counterpoint to the character of Ruby. The murders are disturbing in the fact that the women are forced to call their mothers first but they are not graphic. The violence is not pervasive but an ominous presence in the background. There final few scene are tense and filled with potential violence.
April 22, 2019
If you are a regular reader of Belinda Bauer novels you will be used to her dark chilling story lines and this is no different.
The story is largely told from the perspective of Ruby Trick, a ten year old girl who doesn't fit in with the other girls. She dreams of owning a pony and over indulges in food, both of which cause her to be bullied. Her other love is her father, who she idolises and wants to spend as much time as possible with. A series of murders occur in the village in which the victims are forced to call home and tell their mothers they are going to die, Ruby knows she has to help her daddy and his “posse” of wannabe cowboys help solve the crime.
Ruby learns a lot about life during the search for the killer and the book ebbs towards an exciting climax. This is a fairly slow paced thriller but sets the scene and develops the characters along the way expertly.
Unfortunately I have now read all this authors work and have found them all of an exceptionally high standard so I will have to wait for the next new release.
The story is largely told from the perspective of Ruby Trick, a ten year old girl who doesn't fit in with the other girls. She dreams of owning a pony and over indulges in food, both of which cause her to be bullied. Her other love is her father, who she idolises and wants to spend as much time as possible with. A series of murders occur in the village in which the victims are forced to call home and tell their mothers they are going to die, Ruby knows she has to help her daddy and his “posse” of wannabe cowboys help solve the crime.
Ruby learns a lot about life during the search for the killer and the book ebbs towards an exciting climax. This is a fairly slow paced thriller but sets the scene and develops the characters along the way expertly.
Unfortunately I have now read all this authors work and have found them all of an exceptionally high standard so I will have to wait for the next new release.
July 9, 2022
THE FACTS OF LIFE AND DEATH is another great Belinda Bauer novel. Anyone who has followed my reviews knows that I have given most of Bauer’s books five stars — but often I find things in them that are missing, or not quite right. Not this one. With the closing paragraphs, everything came together and I realized it was a gem.
Others, especially Paromjit, have given a top-notch synopsis of the story, and I am not going to make an attempt to repeat what has already been said better than I can. So, instead, I’ll describe my impressions after finishing the book.
The story starts slowly, and initially I thought it might be a 4-star read. It follows the activities and thoughts of 10-year-old Ruby, and Ruby, like most 10-year-olds, is a bit boring. Chapter 5 jolts the reader awake as we briefly enter the mind of the not-quite-yet murderer. The novel’s subtitle is “Every Killer Has To Start Somewhere…” and as we follow Ruby around, and briefly encounter others in her life, we discover what makes this particular killer cross over the edge — a complex mixture of an inadequate childhood upbringing, current unstable economic circumstances, and a volatile personality existent even in childhood (and, consequently, making a flawed childhood upbringing even worse).
Until we are well into the story, it is exceptionally dark, without Bauer’s usual trademark humour. The physical setting is gothic; Ruby’s home is surrounded by dark woods and the relentless sea — a relentless sea that is even more relevant now in times of ongoing climate change. Initially, I thought that Bauer was going over the top with the inclusion of a leper parade, a bizarre idea I thought she fabricated. But then I googled “leper parade” and found that it really existed, basically as described in the novel, in North Devon, not far from Ruby’s fictional hometown. A horror element that wasn’t contrived, inserted into a dark story.
It is not until PC Calvin Bridge enters the story that we encounter humour. This is the Calvin Bridge that we later meet in “Exit”. In THE FACTS OF LIFE AND DEATH, he is distraught over his upcoming marriage, a marriage he never thought he had committed to. I wondered if the fact that I knew the outcome of this tale, from having first read “Exit”, affected my enjoyment of the narrative, but I decided, “not much” as it was obvious from the beginning how this was going to turn out.
As well as Calvin Bridge, Bauer brings all her minor characters to life, as she always does. I particularly liked Georgia Sharpe, the schoolteacher.
Most reviewers have rated this novel highly — those who write reviews at any rate, and I ignore those who just give stars without comments. But not many people seem to have read it. I wish I had time to re-read it, but it is a library book, and our library has only one copy, a paperback at that. The publisher has made it difficult to buy copies by retaining high prices for the paperback/kindle versions of a 2015 book.
I think that word-of-mouth has not made this book more popular because it is difficult to classify. It is classified as a crime novel, and indeed crimes do take place, murders in fact, but it is not a typical crime novel. It is not a “who-dun-it” because the murderer is revealed halfway through the story, and before this reveal, the culprit becomes obvious to most readers. It is not a “police procedural” because the police have very little to do with identifying and capturing the murderer. It is not a “thriller” until close to the end, during the last 40 pages, when thrills abound, and even a pet rabbit has a role in the chase. But this heart-stopping conclusion will come too late for many readers, who will have stopped reading by then. I would classify it as a psychological horror story, a conclusion I reached after reading the last few paragraphs. It is a slow-burn horror novel, among the very best, without any supernatural elements.
By the end of the novel, Ruby is living in a much brighter place; eating ice cream; and grooming and riding donkeys. She has reconciled with the past and started to think that ending up as a woman might not be so terrible after all. She even has a “sort-of” boyfriend, maybe.
Every day, she felt a little bit better, a little bit safer. A little bit more grown up.
But at night …
At night the Gut swarmed with dark sharks, and the Gore loomed, black and shiny, out of the deep green sea.
At night she woke in terror from blood-soaked dreams.
At night Ruby Trick wondered where the Devil was now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See my reviews for:
Blacklands
Darkside
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Others, especially Paromjit, have given a top-notch synopsis of the story, and I am not going to make an attempt to repeat what has already been said better than I can. So, instead, I’ll describe my impressions after finishing the book.
The story starts slowly, and initially I thought it might be a 4-star read. It follows the activities and thoughts of 10-year-old Ruby, and Ruby, like most 10-year-olds, is a bit boring. Chapter 5 jolts the reader awake as we briefly enter the mind of the not-quite-yet murderer. The novel’s subtitle is “Every Killer Has To Start Somewhere…” and as we follow Ruby around, and briefly encounter others in her life, we discover what makes this particular killer cross over the edge — a complex mixture of an inadequate childhood upbringing, current unstable economic circumstances, and a volatile personality existent even in childhood (and, consequently, making a flawed childhood upbringing even worse).
Until we are well into the story, it is exceptionally dark, without Bauer’s usual trademark humour. The physical setting is gothic; Ruby’s home is surrounded by dark woods and the relentless sea — a relentless sea that is even more relevant now in times of ongoing climate change. Initially, I thought that Bauer was going over the top with the inclusion of a leper parade, a bizarre idea I thought she fabricated. But then I googled “leper parade” and found that it really existed, basically as described in the novel, in North Devon, not far from Ruby’s fictional hometown. A horror element that wasn’t contrived, inserted into a dark story.
It is not until PC Calvin Bridge enters the story that we encounter humour. This is the Calvin Bridge that we later meet in “Exit”. In THE FACTS OF LIFE AND DEATH, he is distraught over his upcoming marriage, a marriage he never thought he had committed to. I wondered if the fact that I knew the outcome of this tale, from having first read “Exit”, affected my enjoyment of the narrative, but I decided, “not much” as it was obvious from the beginning how this was going to turn out.
As well as Calvin Bridge, Bauer brings all her minor characters to life, as she always does. I particularly liked Georgia Sharpe, the schoolteacher.
Most reviewers have rated this novel highly — those who write reviews at any rate, and I ignore those who just give stars without comments. But not many people seem to have read it. I wish I had time to re-read it, but it is a library book, and our library has only one copy, a paperback at that. The publisher has made it difficult to buy copies by retaining high prices for the paperback/kindle versions of a 2015 book.
I think that word-of-mouth has not made this book more popular because it is difficult to classify. It is classified as a crime novel, and indeed crimes do take place, murders in fact, but it is not a typical crime novel. It is not a “who-dun-it” because the murderer is revealed halfway through the story, and before this reveal, the culprit becomes obvious to most readers. It is not a “police procedural” because the police have very little to do with identifying and capturing the murderer. It is not a “thriller” until close to the end, during the last 40 pages, when thrills abound, and even a pet rabbit has a role in the chase. But this heart-stopping conclusion will come too late for many readers, who will have stopped reading by then. I would classify it as a psychological horror story, a conclusion I reached after reading the last few paragraphs. It is a slow-burn horror novel, among the very best, without any supernatural elements.
By the end of the novel, Ruby is living in a much brighter place; eating ice cream; and grooming and riding donkeys. She has reconciled with the past and started to think that ending up as a woman might not be so terrible after all. She even has a “sort-of” boyfriend, maybe.
Every day, she felt a little bit better, a little bit safer. A little bit more grown up.
But at night …
At night the Gut swarmed with dark sharks, and the Gore loomed, black and shiny, out of the deep green sea.
At night she woke in terror from blood-soaked dreams.
At night Ruby Trick wondered where the Devil was now.
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See my reviews for:
Blacklands
Darkside
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November 12, 2016
Ten year old Ruby Trick loved her Daddy; she adored him and he loved her right back – “Love you hundreds” was their common refrain. But Ruby wasn’t too sure about Mummy. Daddy and Mummy never used to row, they would never raise their voices to each other, but since Daddy had lost his job and Mummy had to work twice as hard to support them all, things had been gradually getting worse. Mummy was always nagging Daddy and upsetting him…
Their house was a ramshackle old dwelling called The Retreat – the cracks and holes in the walls would make whistling sounds with the wind, but Ruby was used to it. Their little village of Limeburn was right on the cliff overlooking the ocean – Ruby was always watching the sea and waiting for it to eat into the forest and then gobble up her house. Plus school was a torment for Ruby with the bullies always picking on her – but she loved her teacher, Miss Sharpe, who always had a kind word for Ruby.
Suddenly young women were going missing from Limeburn – the terror of being told to call their mothers to say goodbye was only the beginning. The ghastly game that was being played by an evil and twisted killer had the local police stumped; so Ruby’s Daddy, John Trick and some of his friends decided to find the killer themselves. And Ruby begged her Daddy to let her go too….
I loved this intense and gripping thriller! The twists and turns were great, the pace was fast and kept me reading well into the night. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all thriller lovers.
With thanks to The Reading Room and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
Their house was a ramshackle old dwelling called The Retreat – the cracks and holes in the walls would make whistling sounds with the wind, but Ruby was used to it. Their little village of Limeburn was right on the cliff overlooking the ocean – Ruby was always watching the sea and waiting for it to eat into the forest and then gobble up her house. Plus school was a torment for Ruby with the bullies always picking on her – but she loved her teacher, Miss Sharpe, who always had a kind word for Ruby.
Suddenly young women were going missing from Limeburn – the terror of being told to call their mothers to say goodbye was only the beginning. The ghastly game that was being played by an evil and twisted killer had the local police stumped; so Ruby’s Daddy, John Trick and some of his friends decided to find the killer themselves. And Ruby begged her Daddy to let her go too….
I loved this intense and gripping thriller! The twists and turns were great, the pace was fast and kept me reading well into the night. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all thriller lovers.
With thanks to The Reading Room and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
March 27, 2014
‘Call your mother.’
‘What do I say?’
‘Say goodbye.’
This is how it begins. Living with her parents in the dank beach community of Limeburn, ten-year-old Ruby Trick has her own fears. Bullies on the school bus, the forest crowding her house into the sea, and the threat of divorce.
Helping her Daddy to catch a killer might be the key to keeping him close.
As long as the killer doesn’t catch her first..
So I recently read “Rubbernecker” from Belinda Bauer, also incidentally the first novel of hers I have read since Blacklands and it was so good that I was kind of worried that this one would fall flat. It absolutely did not do any such thing.
We follow along mostly with ten year old Ruby as she explores her world, puts up with bullies, hangs out with her friends and observes her people – she adores Daddy and is determined that he will be happy despite the fact that her parents are not getting on. Meanwhile young women are going missing, as a fledgling killer becomes more confident.
This was an extremely clever psychological thriller, especially as young Ruby’s viewpoint was so very authentic – she behaves like a ten year old with all the curiosity and wonder that time of life brings – and it was a different take on the way an adult would look at the world or peoples actions. Ruby, whilst helping her Dad try and track the killer, ends up with a lot of information that she doesnt realise is important. Offset that against the beautifully drawn police team (and not cliche at all – I thought Calvin was probably one of the most realistic sounding Police Officers I have ever read in fiction and boss Kirsty King was delightfully normal) and you have a cleverly constructed, character driven tale of the darker side of human nature. A thing that is a particular strength of Ms Bauers if this and Rubbernecker together are anything to go by.
Aptly titled – The Facts of Life and Death are indeed right in here – I thought this was terrifically good. Certainly one of my favourite “crime” novels I have read in 2014 so far.
Very much recommended.
Happy Reading Folks!
‘What do I say?’
‘Say goodbye.’
This is how it begins. Living with her parents in the dank beach community of Limeburn, ten-year-old Ruby Trick has her own fears. Bullies on the school bus, the forest crowding her house into the sea, and the threat of divorce.
Helping her Daddy to catch a killer might be the key to keeping him close.
As long as the killer doesn’t catch her first..
So I recently read “Rubbernecker” from Belinda Bauer, also incidentally the first novel of hers I have read since Blacklands and it was so good that I was kind of worried that this one would fall flat. It absolutely did not do any such thing.
We follow along mostly with ten year old Ruby as she explores her world, puts up with bullies, hangs out with her friends and observes her people – she adores Daddy and is determined that he will be happy despite the fact that her parents are not getting on. Meanwhile young women are going missing, as a fledgling killer becomes more confident.
This was an extremely clever psychological thriller, especially as young Ruby’s viewpoint was so very authentic – she behaves like a ten year old with all the curiosity and wonder that time of life brings – and it was a different take on the way an adult would look at the world or peoples actions. Ruby, whilst helping her Dad try and track the killer, ends up with a lot of information that she doesnt realise is important. Offset that against the beautifully drawn police team (and not cliche at all – I thought Calvin was probably one of the most realistic sounding Police Officers I have ever read in fiction and boss Kirsty King was delightfully normal) and you have a cleverly constructed, character driven tale of the darker side of human nature. A thing that is a particular strength of Ms Bauers if this and Rubbernecker together are anything to go by.
Aptly titled – The Facts of Life and Death are indeed right in here – I thought this was terrifically good. Certainly one of my favourite “crime” novels I have read in 2014 so far.
Very much recommended.
Happy Reading Folks!
May 5, 2017
Absorbing, gritty and exceptionally dark!
This is a compelling story set in North Devon, England and is told from the perspective of Ruby, an innocent 10-year-old girl who finds herself not only struggling with coming-of-age but with a family in turmoil and a village plagued by a serial killer.
The prose is direct and clear. The characterization is well done with a cast of characters that are troubled, raw and distinctive and a setting that is a character itself with its dreariness, history, rugged terrain and isolation.
This truly is an intelligent, atmospheric novel with a clever, meticulous plot filled with tension, danger, suspense, twists, intrigue and murder that delves into the murkiest corners of the human psyche and highlights how much rage and malice can actually exist in those you least expect.
Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at http://whatsbetterthanbooks.com
This is a compelling story set in North Devon, England and is told from the perspective of Ruby, an innocent 10-year-old girl who finds herself not only struggling with coming-of-age but with a family in turmoil and a village plagued by a serial killer.
The prose is direct and clear. The characterization is well done with a cast of characters that are troubled, raw and distinctive and a setting that is a character itself with its dreariness, history, rugged terrain and isolation.
This truly is an intelligent, atmospheric novel with a clever, meticulous plot filled with tension, danger, suspense, twists, intrigue and murder that delves into the murkiest corners of the human psyche and highlights how much rage and malice can actually exist in those you least expect.
Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
All my reviews can be found on my blog at http://whatsbetterthanbooks.com
August 31, 2015
4.5 stars. Another piece of writing brilliance from Belinda Bauer! I just love the tension and atmosphere in her novels. This book is set in a seaside town in Devon, England. It should be a safe, quiet and happy place but something is going horribly wrong, women are dying, being murdered and the local police struggle to know what's going on. From the first murder scene you know this one will have you up reading because you too will want to know who did it.
It's told from the perspective of ten year old Ruby, who dreams if owning her own pony one day. The book is excellent in that it really showcases how tricky it can be for a writer to see and then portray things from a child's perspective. Bauer does it exceptionally well. I loved Ruby for a million reasons.
As the plot rolled out I was turning pages rapidly, I just wanted more. There were dark moments, funny moments and emotional moments too, Bauer is genius in putting that combination in her books and pulling it off well. As the police search for answers, Ruby is on her own journey and we go on it with her.
There are moments in this book where if you are a parent, a mother you will just simply hold your breath. A brilliant atmospheric crime novel that builds up to an outstanding finale.
The book has great characters, very easy to picture what's going on as you read, it has pace, thrills, scary moments, moments where you might hold your breath, revelation moments and is simply a cracking good read. I'm a huge Bauer fan, not one of her books has let me down yet. Read it, love it.
It's told from the perspective of ten year old Ruby, who dreams if owning her own pony one day. The book is excellent in that it really showcases how tricky it can be for a writer to see and then portray things from a child's perspective. Bauer does it exceptionally well. I loved Ruby for a million reasons.
As the plot rolled out I was turning pages rapidly, I just wanted more. There were dark moments, funny moments and emotional moments too, Bauer is genius in putting that combination in her books and pulling it off well. As the police search for answers, Ruby is on her own journey and we go on it with her.
There are moments in this book where if you are a parent, a mother you will just simply hold your breath. A brilliant atmospheric crime novel that builds up to an outstanding finale.
The book has great characters, very easy to picture what's going on as you read, it has pace, thrills, scary moments, moments where you might hold your breath, revelation moments and is simply a cracking good read. I'm a huge Bauer fan, not one of her books has let me down yet. Read it, love it.
September 29, 2018
I love Belinda Bauer’s mystery stories and have now read them all. I am impatiently looking forward to her next book. Unfortunately I felt this book wasn’t as compelling as the others.
Ten year old Ruby lives in a small, damp seaside village which is being reclaimed by the sea. There was once a thriving shipbuilding business here which closed down along with some smaller business, leaving many of the men unemployed and without prospects. These men relieve their boredom by pretending to be cowboys and hanging out at a local bar in their Western costumes. One such man is Ruby’s father who is unhappy and humiliated as he can no longer support his family. Ruby’s mother is often away from their crumbling house and working. Ruby is aware of arguments and tension between her parents over finances and her father’s suspicion that his wife has a ‘fancy man’ on the side. He is becoming paranoid that his wife is unfaithful.
The story unfolds through the naive viewpoint of young Ruby. She feels neglected by her working mother and hopes that by keeping close to her unemployed father that she can prevent him from leaving home and the marriage. She begins accompanying her dad while he plays his cowboy games with his friends. I thought Ruby’s thoughts were realistic for a sheltered, unworldly child but rather annoying at times.
Murder has come to this little village. Young women are being abducted and taken to a deserted area, forced to strip and to call their mothers on their phones while begging for their lives and being brutally murdered. They do not see their killer’s face which is covered by a balaclava. When Ruby learns from her father that his ‘cowboy’ friends are forming a posse to hunt for the killer she is excited and delighted to ride along with him as his ‘deputy’.
The local police assigned to the case are DCI Kristy King and Calvin Bridge who has personal problems. He consented to become engaged to his girlfriend, but has no interest in a further relationship with her and her frenzied wedding plans. His brother is the hairless petty criminal from Snap. With so few clues the police have made little headway in solving the case.
Ruby gradually becomes aware of the identity of the killer, but the reader figures this out before Ruby does. Up to that point the story moved at a slow pace for me. The ending was a dramatic, frantic conclusion with vivid atmospheric writing making a visual impact on the reader.
Ten year old Ruby lives in a small, damp seaside village which is being reclaimed by the sea. There was once a thriving shipbuilding business here which closed down along with some smaller business, leaving many of the men unemployed and without prospects. These men relieve their boredom by pretending to be cowboys and hanging out at a local bar in their Western costumes. One such man is Ruby’s father who is unhappy and humiliated as he can no longer support his family. Ruby’s mother is often away from their crumbling house and working. Ruby is aware of arguments and tension between her parents over finances and her father’s suspicion that his wife has a ‘fancy man’ on the side. He is becoming paranoid that his wife is unfaithful.
The story unfolds through the naive viewpoint of young Ruby. She feels neglected by her working mother and hopes that by keeping close to her unemployed father that she can prevent him from leaving home and the marriage. She begins accompanying her dad while he plays his cowboy games with his friends. I thought Ruby’s thoughts were realistic for a sheltered, unworldly child but rather annoying at times.
Murder has come to this little village. Young women are being abducted and taken to a deserted area, forced to strip and to call their mothers on their phones while begging for their lives and being brutally murdered. They do not see their killer’s face which is covered by a balaclava. When Ruby learns from her father that his ‘cowboy’ friends are forming a posse to hunt for the killer she is excited and delighted to ride along with him as his ‘deputy’.
The local police assigned to the case are DCI Kristy King and Calvin Bridge who has personal problems. He consented to become engaged to his girlfriend, but has no interest in a further relationship with her and her frenzied wedding plans. His brother is the hairless petty criminal from Snap. With so few clues the police have made little headway in solving the case.
Ruby gradually becomes aware of the identity of the killer, but the reader figures this out before Ruby does. Up to that point the story moved at a slow pace for me. The ending was a dramatic, frantic conclusion with vivid atmospheric writing making a visual impact on the reader.
May 22, 2018
Every killer has to start somewhere.
In a small community of Limeburn the headlines of their Gazette paper, MASKED MAN STRIKES AGAIN GIRL 17, IN BEACH ASSAULT. The police becoming concerned after a second attack, with a man wearing a black balaclava that threatens his victims with violence as he makes his victims phone home to say goodbye.
Ten -year-old Ruby Trick a daddy's girl is taken out by her daddy to look for the man in the mask. As they take their journey around in the rain they pick up some women who are waiting for a bus and see that they get home safely to their front door.
The facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer holds rather nerving events. This is my first book that I have read of Belinda Bauer's and will not be my last.
In a small community of Limeburn the headlines of their Gazette paper, MASKED MAN STRIKES AGAIN GIRL 17, IN BEACH ASSAULT. The police becoming concerned after a second attack, with a man wearing a black balaclava that threatens his victims with violence as he makes his victims phone home to say goodbye.
Ten -year-old Ruby Trick a daddy's girl is taken out by her daddy to look for the man in the mask. As they take their journey around in the rain they pick up some women who are waiting for a bus and see that they get home safely to their front door.
The facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer holds rather nerving events. This is my first book that I have read of Belinda Bauer's and will not be my last.
March 28, 2016
What I love about Belinda Bauer's books is that they are so much more than the story. The quality of the writing seems to encapsulate so many different facets. There's a bizarre macabre humour, a quirky, original view of the world, innocence and tenderness - all within a dark and cracking-good crime thriller!
In The facts of Life and Death, there are two strands - a serial killer in a small seaside village, snatching late-night foolish hitch-hikers and a family that centres around a girl of ten, Ruby, learning to cope with bullying at school and discord at home between her parents. The police are on the trail of the twisted killer who forces the women to strip, then call their mothers to say 'goodbye'. Creepy indeed. Ruby starts writing a diary and what she sees and who she's with begins to hold significance for both threads of the novel.
Ruby is portrayed with humanity and there's a 'coming of age', transformational element to her story. She is so well drawn in 3D, she jumps off the page. I did not know where the story was heading, which I always love and the unpredictability is coupled with unusual, clever, true to life, even laugh out loud moments.
I thoroughly recommend this book - I was sad to reach the end.
In The facts of Life and Death, there are two strands - a serial killer in a small seaside village, snatching late-night foolish hitch-hikers and a family that centres around a girl of ten, Ruby, learning to cope with bullying at school and discord at home between her parents. The police are on the trail of the twisted killer who forces the women to strip, then call their mothers to say 'goodbye'. Creepy indeed. Ruby starts writing a diary and what she sees and who she's with begins to hold significance for both threads of the novel.
Ruby is portrayed with humanity and there's a 'coming of age', transformational element to her story. She is so well drawn in 3D, she jumps off the page. I did not know where the story was heading, which I always love and the unpredictability is coupled with unusual, clever, true to life, even laugh out loud moments.
I thoroughly recommend this book - I was sad to reach the end.
June 23, 2021
I gave it 3 stars but its more like 2.5 stars for me, to be honest. I've read a few books by Belinda Bauer that I really enjoyed but this didn't get my couriousness going one bit. Feelt rather deattached from the story but it seems like in a minority with this book. It was well written but didn't work for me.
February 24, 2025
This is another wonderful story from the pen of Belinda Bauer.
Set, a little along the coast from Clovelly, in Limeburn a tiny village that once had a prosperous past, but never a pull for tourists to save its own economy. Slowly, the population and their homes seem to be surrendering to the economic reality, further squeezed by the advancing sea and the encroaching countryside. The hamlet has just 5 children who are forced to play together, one of whom is Ruby Trick. This is her story, during a changing time as she moves from small child into a young girl on the cusp of puberty. However, it is a wider threat to the whole of North Devon that will change her life forever and take her more rapidly into the world of adulthood. A serial killer is at work; no young woman appears safe and Ruby is determined to help her Daddy try to catch the murderer.
The author has always to my great pleasure shown great skills in voicing young people and writing from a child's perspective. That strength is demonstrated here with compassion and wit, through Ruby's coming of age, in her relationships at home, at school and as a new appointed deputy in her Dad's gunslingers' posse. Her relationship with her Father is crucial to this story and is beautifully explored, especially in their dialogue and interactions.
The sense of place is also beautifully drawn. I had visions of the author bribing local Welsh fisher folk to cross the Bristol Channel in secret to spy/research the geography and gather a sense of time and place. My partner suggested she probably used the Severn Bridge a couple of times. Whatever, Belinda Bauer has captured the locale and written so well that you can smell the sea, sense the damp and have to pause for breath as you climb one of the paths out of Limeburn.
This is an easy book to read and you can quickly progress through the book on the back of this discerning storyteller.
As with all her books, this novel has a dark side. The author's most clever attribute is her ability to look at stories from a fresh perspective. Here it is through the eyes of Ruby; the horrors of these crimes will change her life forever and live long for the reader long after you finish this excellent novel.
Set, a little along the coast from Clovelly, in Limeburn a tiny village that once had a prosperous past, but never a pull for tourists to save its own economy. Slowly, the population and their homes seem to be surrendering to the economic reality, further squeezed by the advancing sea and the encroaching countryside. The hamlet has just 5 children who are forced to play together, one of whom is Ruby Trick. This is her story, during a changing time as she moves from small child into a young girl on the cusp of puberty. However, it is a wider threat to the whole of North Devon that will change her life forever and take her more rapidly into the world of adulthood. A serial killer is at work; no young woman appears safe and Ruby is determined to help her Daddy try to catch the murderer.
The author has always to my great pleasure shown great skills in voicing young people and writing from a child's perspective. That strength is demonstrated here with compassion and wit, through Ruby's coming of age, in her relationships at home, at school and as a new appointed deputy in her Dad's gunslingers' posse. Her relationship with her Father is crucial to this story and is beautifully explored, especially in their dialogue and interactions.
The sense of place is also beautifully drawn. I had visions of the author bribing local Welsh fisher folk to cross the Bristol Channel in secret to spy/research the geography and gather a sense of time and place. My partner suggested she probably used the Severn Bridge a couple of times. Whatever, Belinda Bauer has captured the locale and written so well that you can smell the sea, sense the damp and have to pause for breath as you climb one of the paths out of Limeburn.
This is an easy book to read and you can quickly progress through the book on the back of this discerning storyteller.
As with all her books, this novel has a dark side. The author's most clever attribute is her ability to look at stories from a fresh perspective. Here it is through the eyes of Ruby; the horrors of these crimes will change her life forever and live long for the reader long after you finish this excellent novel.
June 16, 2017
From the cover: On the beaches and cliffs of North Devon, lone women have become victims in a terrifying game where only one player knows the rules. And when those rules change, the new game is murder. But a madman on the loose feels very far from the crumbling, seaside home of ten-year-old Ruby Trick. Instead she lives in constant fear of school bullies, the dark forest crowding her house into the sea, and the threat of her parents’ divorce. Helping her father to catch the killer seems like the only way to keep him close. As long as the killer doesn’t catch her first.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I loved this book all the way from its damp/wet setting, to the dysfunctional Trick family. I loved the main characters-the Trick family and the two detectives. All the characters seemed so real-even the very bad one. The plot with all its twists and turns was engaging. At first it was a slow moving book, but the pace picked up and kept me reading-it was hard to put down the book. I would recommend this book to people who like thrillers/mysteries.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I loved this book all the way from its damp/wet setting, to the dysfunctional Trick family. I loved the main characters-the Trick family and the two detectives. All the characters seemed so real-even the very bad one. The plot with all its twists and turns was engaging. At first it was a slow moving book, but the pace picked up and kept me reading-it was hard to put down the book. I would recommend this book to people who like thrillers/mysteries.
September 24, 2022
Geschreven vanuit het perspectief van een tienjarig kind dat haar vader adoreert en moeder haat. Je leest over de pesterijen waar ze mee wordt geconfronteerd, het armoedige huis waar ze woont, de voortdurende ruzies tussen haar werkloze vader en haar vittende moeder. Het ‘dagboke’ waarin ze elke dag nauwkeurig, naïef en onwetend opschrijft wat ze allemaal meemaakt en hoort. Haar liefde voor pony’s, eerste zoen met Adam, borstjes die beginnen pijn te doen, eerste menstruatie ... Het verslag van de gruwelijke moorden die de streek onveilig maken staat in schril contrast met al die onschuld. De moordenaar doodt zijn slachtoffers terwijl hij ze laat bellen met hun moeder. Goede thriller, alleen het einde vind ik er een beetje over. En ik heb nog één extra bedenking: had Steven King dit boek geschreven, met zijn groots inlevingsvermogen in kinderen (zie Later*****), dan was het wellicht nog beter geweest.
September 4, 2022
Dit boek is me enigszins tegengevallen. Het had een erg trage start en al vrij snel had ik in de gaten wie de slechterik cq moordenaar was.
Ik had echt meer van het verhaal verwacht.
Daarom ook maar 2,5 *
Ik had echt meer van het verhaal verwacht.
Daarom ook maar 2,5 *
February 14, 2017
Thrilling and tense. Loved Ruby. What an amazing girl!
March 13, 2025
Rather slow and not nearly as good as her later novels.
December 31, 2016
The book is told by the viewpoint of ten-year old Ruby Trick who lives in Limeburn, Devon where she lives with her Mummy who works at the posh hotel and her Daddy a lover of all things Cowboy. He no longer has a job since the industry he was trained for has dissolved. The summer that the killer came to the area was one of those wet, dank summers that we do so well in the UK. Occasionally the sun managed to make a half-hearted appearance but for the rest of the time, it was damp and dismal.
Limeburn is sandwiched between the forest on one side, Ruby is to go no further than the stile, and the sea on the other, the sea where Ruby’s father fishes for their dinner and occasionally to sell. The few children in the village stick together, they have to if they want any companions at all, because it is a way to the larger town and so Ruby spends time in the ‘haunted house’ with her friend Adam throwing sticks into the sea and the rest of her time living for her weekly copy of Pony & Rider and her Mars bar that take up the entirety of her pocket money which she takes back home to The Retreat.
'It was owned by a family in London who had bought it and named it and then found ti was too distant, too dreary, too damp to retreat to – even just once a summer – and had rented it out until they could sell at a profit.'
Meanwhile a twisted man is taking young women off the streets and getting them to strip and call their mothers to say goodbye. The mothers then get to watch and listen as the life is snuffed out of their daughters. Absolutely horrific, need I say more?
The absolute beauty of this book is that although much of what is happening is seen through Ruby’s eyes, with a childhood that is recognisable to many I should imagine, with petty jealousies, nasty boys, priggish girls and a fair smattering of boredom, Ruby is also worried about her Daddy leaving. Daddy is so much more fun than Mummy who is boring but there are rows which Ruby tries to remove herself from:
'Whenever the row started, it always ended up at the job. It got there without her.'
Then there is school where Ruby’s problems are magnified, not the most attractive of children with red hair and a fondness for sweets, which Daddy often indulges, she has a teacher Miss Sharpe who tells them all to write a diary daily. As any self-respecting child would, this meant that Ruby spent one day a week filling in her entries in her ‘Dairy’ Seriously I could have been Ruby and I adored Miss Sharpe’s character:
'A couple of the other teachers tittered nervously. Not Miss Sharpe. If Miss Sharpe ever caught herself tittering, she’d give herself a good smack.'
So it is a story of childhood, a world interpreted without the context to fully understand, it is also funny which makes it a real joy to read… and scary – I don’t want to think about the terror of those women, particularly those caught later on, who knew all about the murderer, or their poor mothers. The juxtaposition of childhood innocence with depravity makes for an incredibly powerful story and the outstanding plotting, the steady pace where there is not one scene too many, nor a single word seemingly without importance.
An outstanding read which was truly exceptional. If you haven’t read any of Belinda Bauer’s books, all of which I highly recommend, The Facts of Life and Death is up there with my favourite crime novels of all time, because it is about so much more than just crime; it is a reflection of a type of household, a type of community, a type of school and a type of man – all of which could be just around the corner from you or me
Limeburn is sandwiched between the forest on one side, Ruby is to go no further than the stile, and the sea on the other, the sea where Ruby’s father fishes for their dinner and occasionally to sell. The few children in the village stick together, they have to if they want any companions at all, because it is a way to the larger town and so Ruby spends time in the ‘haunted house’ with her friend Adam throwing sticks into the sea and the rest of her time living for her weekly copy of Pony & Rider and her Mars bar that take up the entirety of her pocket money which she takes back home to The Retreat.
'It was owned by a family in London who had bought it and named it and then found ti was too distant, too dreary, too damp to retreat to – even just once a summer – and had rented it out until they could sell at a profit.'
Meanwhile a twisted man is taking young women off the streets and getting them to strip and call their mothers to say goodbye. The mothers then get to watch and listen as the life is snuffed out of their daughters. Absolutely horrific, need I say more?
The absolute beauty of this book is that although much of what is happening is seen through Ruby’s eyes, with a childhood that is recognisable to many I should imagine, with petty jealousies, nasty boys, priggish girls and a fair smattering of boredom, Ruby is also worried about her Daddy leaving. Daddy is so much more fun than Mummy who is boring but there are rows which Ruby tries to remove herself from:
'Whenever the row started, it always ended up at the job. It got there without her.'
Then there is school where Ruby’s problems are magnified, not the most attractive of children with red hair and a fondness for sweets, which Daddy often indulges, she has a teacher Miss Sharpe who tells them all to write a diary daily. As any self-respecting child would, this meant that Ruby spent one day a week filling in her entries in her ‘Dairy’ Seriously I could have been Ruby and I adored Miss Sharpe’s character:
'A couple of the other teachers tittered nervously. Not Miss Sharpe. If Miss Sharpe ever caught herself tittering, she’d give herself a good smack.'
So it is a story of childhood, a world interpreted without the context to fully understand, it is also funny which makes it a real joy to read… and scary – I don’t want to think about the terror of those women, particularly those caught later on, who knew all about the murderer, or their poor mothers. The juxtaposition of childhood innocence with depravity makes for an incredibly powerful story and the outstanding plotting, the steady pace where there is not one scene too many, nor a single word seemingly without importance.
An outstanding read which was truly exceptional. If you haven’t read any of Belinda Bauer’s books, all of which I highly recommend, The Facts of Life and Death is up there with my favourite crime novels of all time, because it is about so much more than just crime; it is a reflection of a type of household, a type of community, a type of school and a type of man – all of which could be just around the corner from you or me
July 22, 2018
A dark,grey,cloying,atmospheric tale wonderfully woven into a tapestry of
surprising twists,turns and red herrings!!
Highly recommended!
surprising twists,turns and red herrings!!
Highly recommended!
May 11, 2014
I very much enjoyed a previous book by this author, Blacklands, and was delighted to be given the opportunity by Dead Good on Goodreads to read the latest release. The two books that I have so far read both appear to have the same very distinctive style – the location and plotline may differ but there is always that sense of atmospheric darkness to the story.
The story is partly written in the voice of 10 year old Ruby Trick. Sad little Ruby captured my heart straight away. She lives with her parents, John and Alison in a ramshackle two bedroomed cottage in Limeburn, a small village community in Devon, sandwiched between the sea and the forest. Ruby doesn’t have many friends, she is bullied by other children and is the girl who is always left on her own in the school playground. For me it was her vulnerability and innocence that made her character so realistic. Her parents are having problems and are constantly arguing however Ruby adores her feckless father and will do anything to have his love and attention. She is overjoyed when he makes her his “Gunslinger Deputy” and takes her with him on late night drives looking for the attacker.
The bleakness of the location, the stormy weather and the sense of isolation all add to the darkness of the story and when the attacks on young women escalate you can feel the fear and a sense of foreboding that worse is yet to come.
This is not a fast paced story and is very much character driven with a superb cast who were all so believable. The scene is set very slowly and carefully for both character definition and location and then gradually the tension increases as does the body count. In the build up to the dramatic conclusion my heart was in my mouth and I certainly couldn’t put the book down until the end. Another success for Ms Bauer and I shall now be hunting out my copy of Darkside from my bookshelves to read.
My thanks to Dead Good for the hardback copy to review.
The story is partly written in the voice of 10 year old Ruby Trick. Sad little Ruby captured my heart straight away. She lives with her parents, John and Alison in a ramshackle two bedroomed cottage in Limeburn, a small village community in Devon, sandwiched between the sea and the forest. Ruby doesn’t have many friends, she is bullied by other children and is the girl who is always left on her own in the school playground. For me it was her vulnerability and innocence that made her character so realistic. Her parents are having problems and are constantly arguing however Ruby adores her feckless father and will do anything to have his love and attention. She is overjoyed when he makes her his “Gunslinger Deputy” and takes her with him on late night drives looking for the attacker.
The bleakness of the location, the stormy weather and the sense of isolation all add to the darkness of the story and when the attacks on young women escalate you can feel the fear and a sense of foreboding that worse is yet to come.
This is not a fast paced story and is very much character driven with a superb cast who were all so believable. The scene is set very slowly and carefully for both character definition and location and then gradually the tension increases as does the body count. In the build up to the dramatic conclusion my heart was in my mouth and I certainly couldn’t put the book down until the end. Another success for Ms Bauer and I shall now be hunting out my copy of Darkside from my bookshelves to read.
My thanks to Dead Good for the hardback copy to review.
May 6, 2014
A new book by Belinda Bauer and I am a fan of her writings. This storyline started out slow introducing the Trick family and the issues they are having since John Trick lost his job and times are tough on all of them. Also, other characters in the town of Limeburn are introduced, including the police investigators. Huh, where's the mystery/suspense/thriller part of this book? And that slow reveal becomes the brillance of this book. I began to 'feel' that something wasn't quite right but didn't know for sure and since this is told through Ruby Trick, a 10 year old, not all becomes clear until about half way through. And then you have a terrific mystery/suspense/thriller.
September 6, 2018
I think I have a new favourite author, this is the first book I have read by Belinda Bauer, it will be the first of many, I enjoyed it so much, a lot of this story was written through the eyes of ten year old Ruby making it quite different from the usual thriller, but the clever storyline and unexpected twists keeping it exciting and thoroughly enjoyable, looking forward to my next adventure with this author.
December 6, 2015
Belinda Bauer is writing some of the smartest, most original thriller mysteries around. She's brilliant at character and emotion (often horribly so) - this book, just like all of her others, is incredibly dark and well-imagined, and does something really quite different with the genre. More people should be talking about her.
July 30, 2014
I really like her writing style, for some reason it took me awhile to really get into this one but it ended very strong. One notch down from Rubbernecker for me but that is still a high rating because I loved Rubbernecker.
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