Rubbernecker

By: Belinda Bauer

Narrated by: Andrew Wincott

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Winner of the Theakston's Crime Award 2014

The dead can't speak to us,” Professor Madoc had said. But that was a lie. Sometimes, only an outsider can get to the truth. Patrick had been on the outside all his life. Thoughtful, but different, infuriating even to his own mother, his life changes when he follows an obsession with death to study anatomy at university. When he uncovers a crime that everybody else was too close to see, he proves finally that he has been right all along: Nothing is exactly as it seems. And there have been many more lies closer to home....

©2013 Belinda Bauer (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd

Seeing things from a different angle

A good mystery story that has a new perspective, and a different main character that you are never too sure of his intentions.

An interesting plot, good characters, some dark humour and different settings that add to the story.

I am a little bit jaded murder mysteries, so that is the weak part for me, but if you read only a few books per year, this would be perfectly acceptable.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable

I enjoyed this story on the whole, with its main character being an Aspergers man, I felt that most of the time his reactions were as true to life as was probable, but I was a trifle dismayed to hear him being discussed as being 'disabled'. I liked Patrick and his odd ways, the way that he coped with college life was well told.
The mother was also a bit strange, but I suppose that was relevant to the story.
All in all I enjoyed this book and finished it in one day. Will look for more by this author.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Good but -Takes a While to Get Going.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes but with a warning that they'll need a strong stomach to withstand the detailed postmortem passages and there's lots of them! Belinda Bauer novels are, almost by definition, very rich in detailed characterisations and background information and that's what makes them stand out from the rest. In this novel all the action really takes place in the second half but some of it is pretty unexpected and worth waiting for.

Would you be willing to try another book from Belinda Bauer? Why or why not?

I've read a couple of her novels before and yes indeed she has her place on my list.

What about Andrew Wincott’s performance did you like?

Excellent narrator. Entirely competent and very, very engaging to listen to. I'll definitely keep an eye out for more done by him.

Was Rubbernecker worth the listening time?

Yes. It was definitely worth the stomach-churning moments in the 'lab' and the wait for the plot to unwind.

Any additional comments?

A novel with the usual Belinda Bauer seal of 'different from the rest'. This is no run-of-the-mill thriller and as you'll hear.....no run-of-the mill hero either!. This guy is SO refreshingly different and his directness will give you more than a few smiles. Great stuff because he can get away it too!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Very enjoyable<br />

I listened to the book in just a few sittings. It captivated me from the start. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

Excellent read/listen

Great book. Totally unexpected and original story line, excellent writing, completely believable characters and extremely well narrated. All voices convincing and natural. Am tempted to listen to the whole thing again now!

Absolutely brilliant.

Really enjoyed this novel. Excellent plot and the main protagonist has Asperger's syndrome which is sensitively handed but doesn't detract from the novel at all. A really quirky, well written book which held my attention through out. Really sad when it ended.

Absolutely worth a credit. Will look out for more from this author.

Slow start

This seemed to take a long time to get going and to begin with I wasn't going to finish it. I did come back to it after listening to a different book and it did get better. The central character has Aspbergers and I thought that was well observed. Not for the squeamish as there is a lot of autopsy type detail but that was an integral part of the book. I won't be in a hurry to read more from this author so I rate it as 'ok' but not above that.

Original and entertaining

What did you like most about Rubbernecker?

I would thoroughly recommend this refreshing read. The author captures the main character with an ASC in an entertaining but non patronising way. The story is well developed. I would definitely want to hear more from this author. I particularly liked the way the character played on his condition a little.

Great story, shame about the Welsh accents

This is a really well written story and I loved the slow development of the autistic central character. The story had a well drawn supporting cast, some interesting twists and turns and I loved the parts of the story told from the viewpoint of the coma patient. A very satisfying read.
My one issue was the narrator. He read the story well but his Welsh accent was poor. I'm from Cardiff where the story is set, but all attempts to create a genuine sense of place was seriously undermined by the narrator's attempts at a Welsh accent. I'd be happy to listen to him narrate another story, but one better suited to his vocal range.

Excellent in every way.

Beautifully written and narrated with a good pace and interesting characterisation. Kept me entertained throughout. The only problem was finishing it too quickly! I will certainly be investigating more of Belinda Bauer's work and other books read by Andrew D. Thoroughly enjoyed it.