‘The dead can’t speak to us,’ Professor Madoc had said.

That was a lie.

Because the body Patrick Fort is examining in anatomy class is trying to tell him all kinds of things.

Life is already strange enough for the obsessive Patrick without having to solve a possible murder. Especially when no one else believes that a crime has even taken place. Now he must stay out of danger long enough to unravel the mystery – while he dissects his own evidence.

But as Patrick learns one truth from a dead man, he discovers there have been many other lies rather closer to home…

 ‘You know when you read a book and wish you’d written it? That. This is definitely one of the best things I’ve read all year.’ – Val McDermid

‘Belinda Bauer provides a different sort of reality check…an intelligent, disturbing read.’ Laura Wilson, The Best Crime and Thrillers of 2013, The Guardian

‘a sensitive work that breaches the crime novel’s usual formulae  . . . Riveting and thought-provoking.’ – Marcel Berlins, ‘Books of the Year’, The Times

‘“Rubbernecker,” by Welsh author Belinda Bauer, released in cloth cover last August by Atlantic Monthly Press, sends all other crime fiction authors and publishers home for a timeout to think about what they’ve not accomplished. This is a book in the murder mystery genre that will go into the time capsule of evolving literature – should there be one – to be preserved for later generations to marvel. Among the many outstanding crime fiction books Murder Ink has featured, “Rubbernecker” is inarguably the most ingenious and fascinating – and every book featured in this column has been extraordinary.’ – The Durango Herald

“I think it’s an excellent novel but more importantly an unusual and unexpected one… Really enjoyed it, one of the best things I’ve read this year.” Stav Sherez (crime novelist published by Faber, books editor for the Catholic Herald)

“Bauer weaves her mystery adroitly, moving among several points of view without losing the reader’s attention or interest.” – the Dallas Morning News

‘Bauer takes astonishing risks but – like a brilliant ski-jumper arcs down to the perfect landing.’Independent

‘Surprise, of course, is the most potent aspect of suspense. And Belinda Bauer knows exactly how to manipulate that element, right until the very end.’ Daily Mail

‘One of the best crime series of recent years. Belinda Bauer moves away from Exmoor in Rubbernecker… This is a wonderful study of an isolated young man, the horrors of the coma ward and the dangers of euthanasia, but it packs a wry, satirical punch.’ Ruth Hunter, BookTime editor at Bertrams, The Bookseller, 19.10.12

‘January is the ideal time to settle down with a gripping psychological thriller and Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer is an ideal choice… Bauer is certainly one to watch, her writing is just the right amount of real and scary.’ Sarah Clarke, Co-owner, The Torbay Bookshop, The Bookseller, 19.10.12

‘I’ve made no secret of the fact that I greatly admire Belinda Bauer. Her prose is exceptional, her stories strikingly original and she has an enviable ability to veer from grimly bleak to darkly hilarious in the turn of a page. All her books are good, but I won’t be surprised if Rubbernecker is generally considered her best so far.’ S.J Bolton, goodreads.com, 14.01.13

‘Hotly tipped as the next very big thing in UK crime writing, with her fourth novel, Belinda Bauer shows exactly why. Bauer has written a superior thriller, with the kind of suspenseful ending that made me want to read it from behind the back of the sofa. Mark Timlin, crimetime.co.uk, Jan 2013

‘A great book that kept me up reading till late, and which I thoroughly recommend.’ Michelle Peckham, eurocrime.co.uk, Jan 2013

‘Nerve-janglingly good.’ Fanny Blake, Woman & Home, Feb 2013

‘darker with more twists and coils than a hangman’s noose, it deserves to do well.’ David Connett, Sunday Express, 27.01.13

‘Rubbernecker really gets under your skin. It’s a book about death, autopsies, weird and wonderful characters, but with an easy read tone to it. It’s so beautifully written that it’s eerie and scary at the same time. Belinda is one of my favourite authors.’ Mel Sherratt (author of Taunting the Dead)

‘A brilliant read, a cracking and inventive mystery, cleverly written and darkly funny, and a standout book of the year so far.’ The Little Reader Library, 22.01.13

‘For any crime fiction fan whose palette is still chronically jaded, the most effective cure will be a dose of Belinda Bauer’s Rubbernecker, a novel that combines cunning construction with a high seriousness that is totally unsolemn, in a way reminiscent of the best of the Golden Age classics.’ Jack Kerridge, Telegraph Review, 30.01.13

‘…The exciting result reads like a collaboration between Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) and Barbara Vine’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Bauer has once again succeeded in creating an innovative path into detection’ The Times

‘A brilliant description of autism from the inside’ Literary Review

‘This is not a novel for the squeamish but it contains one of the most startling plots in contemporary crime fiction.’ Joan Smith, Sunday Times

“Bauer’s best book” Janine Cook, The 50 Best Spring Reads, The Independent.

“Exciting…reads like a collaboration between Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) and Barbara Vine.” Mark Sanderson, Sunday Telegraph, 10.02.13

“Bauer’s fourth novel confirms her taste for the macabre… This is not a novel for the squeamish but it contains one of the most startling plots in contemporary crime fiction.” – Joan Smith, Sunday Times ‘pick of the paperbacks’

“This could be the most astonishing whodunit you are ever likely to read.” – Read Magazine online.

“Rubbernecker isn’t your average crime novel, it’s far better than that.” – We Love This Book

“This excellent thought provoking novel will hold your attention from the very first page.” – Bella

 ‘Bauer is such a gifted writer that we believe every plot twist served up by her vivid outlook on life.’ – The Toronto Star

Twitter comments:

David Headley (literary agent and MD of Goldsboro Books): @DavidHHeadley: For fans of Belinda Bauer, her new book, Rubbernecker, is her best yet. It is clever, smart, complex and thrilling. Highsmith meets Vine.

Mark Edwards, bestselling co-author with Louise Voss of Catch Your Death and Killing Cupid(HarperCollins): @mredwards: Finished Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer. I reckon it will win the Golden Dagger next year. V dark and funny. @mredwards: In fact I’ve never read anything like Rubbernecker. It’s like The Curious Incident rewritten by Tess Gerritsen.

Erin Kelly, author of The Poison Tree and The Sick Rose (Hodder): @mserinkelly: Really enjoying #rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer but regretting reading the dissection scene at the breakfast table

I am halfway through and seriously loving RUBBERNECKER! Yet again Belinda Bauer astounds me #suchawickedmind  @writermels: I do so love her writing – queen of brilliance is Belinda

Cath Staincliffe, author and creator of ITV prime-time crime series Blue Murder:@cathstaincliffe: I’m half-way through and enjoying it a lot. Love her writing. Always unusual.