Review: Exit

Exit by Belinda Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have heard a lot of good things about Belinda Bauer and have bought several of her books on these recommendations, but I hadn't got round to reading any of them until EXIT when given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. I have to say it was not at all what I expected, which I think was some form of physiological thriller, perhaps a domestic noir. EXIT is actually a gentle, funny, sometimes darkly so, mystery about 'assisted' suicide gone wrong.

Felix Pink is a 75 year-old widower, an 'Exiteer', part of a group who attend to those who want to take their own lives, to end their own suffering, to be with them at the end but, crucially, do nothing to cause the actual death. When Felix, and his new, inexperienced, young partner, attend to their latest 'client' something goes terribly wrong and Felix believes he has made the biggest mistake of his life. But later, as he tries to atone for his mistake, Felix begins to believe he may have been setup. Meanwhile, a young detective, Calvin begins to investigate the death and the role that two strangers seen on CCTV may have had in it.

The book is beautifully written and the audiobook narration by Tim McInnerney is sympathetic and entertaining. The main characters are realistic and charming, as are many of the supporting cast. Despite the subject matter, some of the scenes are truly comical and, although I felt those from Felix's viewpoint worked significantly better than those from Calvin's, I really enjoyed the book to its poignant conclusion and will be going back to read those other Belinda Bauer book on my TBR pile.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Audio for access to the audiobook.

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Review: The Survivors

The Survivors by Jane Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have always been a sucker for 'returning home' novels and, in recent years, perhaps any year, Jane Harper's THE DRY was one of the best. THE SURVIVORS is a close second. Like her debut, this novel concerns a man returning home after a tragedy. Kieran returns to Tasmania, to a small coastal town where, several years ago his brother, Finn, died in circumstances for which Kieran has always felt guilt. Finn did not die alone and others blame Kieran too. Not long after Kieran, his girlfriend and their baby daughter arrive back in Evelyn Bay another suspicious death occurs...

Jane Harper has spun another tale of going home, to suspicion, to gossip, to retribution? THE SURVIVORS is tightly plotted and suspenseful, but it is the author's ability to draw realistic, fully-rounded and flawed characters, and her sense of place which makes the book stand out. You can feel the sand blowing against your shins, hear the waves crashing around the feet of the statues which stand in the surf and which give the novel its title. But, of course, the real survivors are those whose lives have been impacted by decisions made in the past. The book is a tour de force which builds to a climax as storms, both physical and metaphorical, rise and threaten to devastate everything in their path.

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