The Facts of Life and Death

From the CWA Gold Dagger Award–winning author of Blacklands: A “gripping, unsettling” thriller about a young British girl coming face-to-face evil (Bella).

On the beaches and cliffs of North Devon, England, vulnerable women have become the victims of a series of shocking crimes. Forced to strip naked and then call their families to say goodbye, they are the losers in a madman’s cruel and deadly game . . .

At the age of ten, Ruby Trick knows little of the horrors of the world. Her fears are much closer to home: school bullies, the dark forest that surrounds her crumbling house, and the threat of her parents’ divorce. When her father joins the hunt for the killer terrorizing their seaside town, Ruby tries to help in the hopes of keeping him close. But she soon learns that real evil is much scarier than the things that go bump in the night.

“Bauer at her best . . . The true heir to the great Ruth Rendell.” —The Mail on Sunday

“The novel lingers in the mind like an unwelcome guest, albeit one with a dark sense of humor . . . Powerful, compelling reading.” —The Spectator

“Belinda Bauer’s thrillers are always compelling, always original, always brilliant. I will rush to read anything she writes.” —Mark Billingham

“Blends a murder mystery with a blackly comic look at the gradual erosion of ‘normal’ family life. You won’t want to put it down.” —Bella