The story draws you in and make you think it is a typical whodunnit but it is anything but. It tells the story from the perspective of the missing woman/murdered woman's son and his struggle to come to terms with what happened to his mother. He is a flawed character but ultimately the author makes you have great empathy for him and the way he carves a life for himself and his two younger sisters, Joy and Merry. This life is unconventional and criminal but you understand why he does what he does. All the characters are well written and 'real'. I would definitely recommend this book

Belinha Bauer at her best . Thrilling, scary, thought provoking and unputdownable . So good I did not want to finish it but I knew I must. I don't often read a book twice but I will retread the Snap,

A tense and gripping crime thriller that is a blessed relief from a lot of the "samey" thrillers out there at the moment. Characters you care about, humour, fabulously grumpy Detective with a mystery to be solved all of which cumulate into a real page-turner.

It’s a scorching hot day. Eileen Bright is driving along with her three young children when her car runs out of fuel. Eileen is heavily pregnant, and decides to try her luck at getting to the emergency telephone on the roadside, to call for help. As she tells the children to stay where they are, she tells eldest child Jack (11), “I won’t be long, you’re in charge”.

But she is gone a long time. Scared, thirsty and desperate, Jack takes his unwelcome responsibility very seriously, and gets his litte sister Joy (9) and baby Merry (2) from the car. Together they make their way along the road to the emergency phone. When they get to it, they realise the receiver is hanging down uselessly, and worse still, there is no sign of their Mum.

Tragically, Eileen never comes back. Police are swarming all over the house, things are unravelling day by day, and Jack’s dad just cannot cope. Leaving the children to fend for themselves, he disappears. Three years later we catch up with Jack, now fifteen, a petty criminal, and sole (unofficial) carer for his sisters.

Not far away, investigating a spate of robberies in the area by a mysterious burglar called ‘Goldilocks’ (I’ll let you find out why), are DCI Marvel and DS Reynolds. Marvel is permanently outraged at being sent to Somerset to investigate ‘cozy’ crime such as burglaries, when he is used to the hustle and bustle of a good murder case, and Reynolds is desperate to impress his boss, who simply isn’t interested. The two are clumsily thrown together, and don’t exactly hit it off.

Onto our next character: Catherine White. Expecting her first baby, Catherine thinks she hears an intruder in the house while her husband, Adam, is away. After convincing herself it’s nothing more than a trick of her overactive imagination, she returns to her bedroom to find a knife on her bed, next to note that says ‘I could have killed you’. For some reason, she decides to not report this to the police and also to hide this from her husband, an action which results in some unpleasant consequences as events unfold.

As the book progresses, these 3 threads cross, collide and start to twist together. Jack’s dream of finally getting his hands on the person that took his family away from him seems to be getting ever closer. Marvel and Reynolds have almost got their man. Catherine and Adam’s cozy litle life is begininng to unravel.

It’s a well thought out plot with engaging characters, some more realistic than others. I found some of the areas surrounding the police procedures to be unrealistic, which spoiled it a little for me. Also, I didn’t really like most of the characters, so with the exception of Jack and his little family, I didn’t really care much what happened to them.

However I did enjoy this book, and I will look out for others by this author.

3.5 stars

A haunting thriller that evokes childhood brilliantly and leaves a feeling of disquiet behind it long afterwards!

Was gripped at the start but then it just became a bit unlikely. The characters didn’t seem at all believable for me and I gave up half way through it. .When I see the other reviews I'm clearly in the minority, but no point me pretending I liked it when I didn’t.

What a superb thriller. Fast moving, intelligent and completely enthralling. The characters jumped off the page and burrowed in to my heart. I particularly would like to read more of Marvel. Even more enjoyable as this was based in Devon and Somerset.

More please Belinda Bauer.

The only downside and this would have been five stars apart from this was the ending which I found completely implausible.

I really wanted to like this book and the first few chapters had me hooked. But then the author introduced police characters straight out of 1990s police dramas - either incompetent, lazy or maverick; cheeky chappy criminals with a heart of gold and a murderer with no plausible motive and a background that would have had them flagged as a major suspect from day one. The second half of the book became a bit of a chore and if I wasn't reviewing it I doubt I would have finished it. Bauer had a good plot and more ruthless editing would have made it a better book.

Belinda Bauer is pitch-perfect when it comes to presenting children's voices - the more disturbed and troubled the child, the better. Yet you cannot help but feel sorry for the children in this book. There are some annoying late reveals, but overall a book that kept me up all night to read it. Which is high praise indeed.

Snap is quite unlike any book I've read before, swerving between a deeply distressing tale or murdered pregnant women/child abandonment and a slyly humorous cop caper. While Bauer doesn't always strike quite the right balance between the two, one suspects that she might be deliberately trying tot discombobulate her readers via tone. The characters, almost without fail, jump of the page from the anal DS Reynolds to the dismissive yet rather ingenious DCI Marvel. Chiefly, there are the brilliantly written Bright children (not to mention their dubiously kind mentor, Louis) who are stunningly written and both heartbreaking and admirable. The story itself twists and turns its way around a note and a knife to it's somewhat ambiguous yet satisfying ending. This is the first book I've read by this author but it won't be the last. Highly recommended for those looking for deft and entertaining storytelling that wraps around a chilling core.

I enjoyed this book although the murderer is recognised quite early on. I think the real point of the story is the effect a murder has on the remaining family. A good idea and worth a read.

The story starts when a car breaks down. A heavily pregnant woman leaves 11yr old Jack in charge of his two sisters - Joy 9 & Merry 2-as she goes off to find an emergency phone. The children wait & wait & wait. Then eventually start walking after her but their mother has disappeared without trace.

Forward four years and Jack is struggling to keep everyone believing the family is 'normal' when he is stealing to keep them fed, the house is overrun with newspapers that Joy insists of keeping- desperately looking for news about her mother and precocious Merry voraciously reads anything she can get her hands on- preferably about vampires!

The talk of this area of rural Somerset is the 'Goldilocks' thief, who breaks into houses, sleeps in their beds & destroys pictures & belongings as well as stealing. Grumpy DCI John Marvel arrives in the area having been reassigned due to his un-PC methods & attitudes. DS Reynolds is the complete opposite. Marvel is disgusted to be dealing with something so mundane as B & E until he gets a sniff of a murder.

The two stories collide when Marvel meets Jack. Jack is sure he knows what happened to his mother and in spite of how preposterous it sounds Marvel thinks it's worth following.

This is a great book! I loved the style. I loved the humour, the pathos & the characters.I really hope we'll meet Marvel & Reynolds again- they are a great double act!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- I loved it!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This is the first book I have read by this author and I thought it was absolutely brilliant and a real cliff hanger

This cinematic and more-ish novel has some very unusual, complex and intriguing characters. Much of the story is a heart wrenching account of three children left to fend for themselves after the disappearance of their mother but it's worth reading until the end to see how the characters are developed in a believable way with an ending that hits all the right notes.

A cracking read which I thoroughly enjoyed. There are a few different storylines running through this but they all tie up very well. A police procedural novel with a twist. There was also some great humour in this book as well. Definite 5 stars from me

I loved this book and I was pleasantly surprised. I do like a story that has me guessing and wondering. Normally I’m put off by having cops as main characters, I prefer them on the side-lines but the team in this book cracked me up. Having said that, the story is pretty heart rending and my heart hurt for the children, bet yours does too. I haven’t read any of Belinda’s books before and this one has me wanting to look for more. I don’t really understand people who get upset over things like police procedures not being followed correctly, it’s a work of fiction so why do they even care? Do yourself a favour and read this, you won’t be disappointed.

I received a copy of this book for my independent honest review.
I read this exciting thriller in two sittings. Three children stay in a broken down car waiting for their Mum to return with help. Although she never comes back. Straight away I am feeling for these three children, especially Jack who has been left in charge and is only 11. The characters of the children are really well developed and you just want to look after them.
This is split into two time narratives, the past being the voice of Jack and three years later we are in Catherine's house and theirs some weird stuff going on!
Although in essence this is a thriller it's main plot line, what made this book for me was the feel of love,protection and survival amongst the siblings.The amount of responsibility put in one poor eleven year old was tragic. The writing style and pace of this was great. The only reason I didn't rate it a full Five stars is that the ending wasn't dynamic enough for me. We had a small twist and then it petered out. It is concluded though, not left on a cliff hanger.
Really enjoyed it.

Belinda Bauer has done it again. Quite simply a stunning book with likeable characters and a great ending.

I really enjoyed this crime thriller, it was well written and suspenseful, very sad in places but ingenious with the original plot ideas.
Although Jack is a naughty boy, you can’t help but feel for him and his circumstances after he and his siblings are left in a car by the roadside as their mother goes to look for a breakdown phone but never returns.
The characters are well written and likeable if not frustrating at times and the storyline is satisfying.
Overall a well paced thriller, written by a gifted author, will definitely read more by Belinda Bauer.

4.5*
OMW, I am Belinda Bauer’s newest fan, why have I not discovered this great authors books before now.
Snap is a fast paced and gripping page turner of a thriller that was pretty emotional.
Eleven year old Jack and his two younger sisters are told by their pregnant Mom to wait in the car while she gets help after the car broke down ..... and she never returns!!
Three years later, and Jack has become the carer of his younger sisters without the authorities finding out such a young boy is doing so. So much is packed into this book and I whizzed through it without a dull moment. I simply adored Jack and was close to tears at times and was rooting for him throughout.
Fantastic read that I highly recommend and would have given a 5* instead of 4.5* because I would have preferred a bit more closure at the end and felt there could have been an extra chapter.