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Darkside
Shipcott in bleak mid-winter: a close knit community where no stranger goes unnoticed. So when an elderly woman is murdered in her bed, village policeman Jonas Holly is doubly shocked. How could someone have killed and left no trace?
Jonas finds himself sidelined as the investigation is snatched away from him by an abrasive senior detective. Is his first murder investigatio...more
Jonas finds himself sidelined as the investigation is snatched away from him by an abrasive senior detective. Is his first murder investigatio...more
Hardcover, 359 pages
Published
2011
by Bantam Press
(first published December 11th 2010)
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WTF. no seriously WTF.
there is something weird going on with the British novels. and I know I consistently get crap for saying that, but this shit is not kosher. who writes a novel about murdering old people who are paralyzed? who does that?
moving on.
I think this book it reminds me of the tone you get in Dark Places and Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls, very dark and creepy but still inviting. But it's an intense book, it definitely gets a little bit "off with their heads" at point...more
there is something weird going on with the British novels. and I know I consistently get crap for saying that, but this shit is not kosher. who writes a novel about murdering old people who are paralyzed? who does that?
moving on.
I think this book it reminds me of the tone you get in Dark Places and Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls, very dark and creepy but still inviting. But it's an intense book, it definitely gets a little bit "off with their heads" at point...more
Ich mag ja diese brutalen Thriller überhaupt nicht, wenn schon les ich gerne ab und zu einen atmosphärischen Krimi. Dieses Buch mit dem schönen Cover von einem englischen Cottage, mit der schneebedeckten Landschaft mit dem grauverhangenem Wolkenhimmel und der blutigen Fussspur passt ungefähr in meine Beuteschema.
Die dunklen Wolken stehen für das Unheil das sich im beschaulichen englischen Dorf Shipcott unaufhaltsam breit macht. Ein Mord an einer kranken, betagten Frau versetzt das ruhige Dorf in...more
Die dunklen Wolken stehen für das Unheil das sich im beschaulichen englischen Dorf Shipcott unaufhaltsam breit macht. Ein Mord an einer kranken, betagten Frau versetzt das ruhige Dorf in...more
Rating: 4.5 - 5, highly recommended page turner
Tip: Read Blacklands first
I thought Blacklands was excellent, was really looking forward to the second in the (so far) trilogy and was definitely not disappointed.
I'd kind of suspected the conclusion early on but it's an unusual one for this genre so a part of my brain rejected it, very glad to see that the author turned things on their head in such an accomplished manner.
I read it in one long, overnight sitting but I'm going to take a break from th...more
Tip: Read Blacklands first
I thought Blacklands was excellent, was really looking forward to the second in the (so far) trilogy and was definitely not disappointed.
I'd kind of suspected the conclusion early on but it's an unusual one for this genre so a part of my brain rejected it, very glad to see that the author turned things on their head in such an accomplished manner.
I read it in one long, overnight sitting but I'm going to take a break from th...more
Margaret Priddy ist gelähmt und unfähig zu sprechen. Wie hätte sie sich da Feinde machen können? Und doch wurde sie in ihrem Bett erstickt. Das nächste Opfer ist Yvonne Marsh, eine verwirrte Frau, im eisigen Bach ertränkt. Menschen, die eine Belastung für ihre Angehörigen sind, werden in diesem Winter im kleinen Dorf Shipcott im Exmoor getötet.
Der Dorfpolizist Jonas Holly möchte nicht nur die Dorfbewohner, für die er verantwortlich ist, sondern vor allem auch seine an Multipler Sklerose in fortg...more
Der Dorfpolizist Jonas Holly möchte nicht nur die Dorfbewohner, für die er verantwortlich ist, sondern vor allem auch seine an Multipler Sklerose in fortg...more
1 like · like · see review
Every so often I'll pick up book in the library completely at random. Sometimes I discover jewels but sometimes I find real duds. Unfortunately, for me, this fell into the second category.
Set in the part of the world where I live I expected to find the landscape of the novel somewhat familiar but so often felt like shouting out loud "that's wrong". I didn't recognise the village, the villagers, or the portrayal of village life. I don't know of a Spar shop in the country that doesn't have a till...more
Set in the part of the world where I live I expected to find the landscape of the novel somewhat familiar but so often felt like shouting out loud "that's wrong". I didn't recognise the village, the villagers, or the portrayal of village life. I don't know of a Spar shop in the country that doesn't have a till...more
Utterly brilliant.
I read this in one sitting, because I simply couldn't bear to put it down. After reading 'Blacklands', the first book by Belinda Bauer, I knew I had to get this one. She has an unbelievable knack for getting inside the heads of her characters, and making them seem more real than some living people seem to me!
This story revolves around a young policeman, Jonas Holly, after a spate of murders happens in the small village where he lives. From meeting Jonas to the explosive and sh...more
I read this in one sitting, because I simply couldn't bear to put it down. After reading 'Blacklands', the first book by Belinda Bauer, I knew I had to get this one. She has an unbelievable knack for getting inside the heads of her characters, and making them seem more real than some living people seem to me!
This story revolves around a young policeman, Jonas Holly, after a spate of murders happens in the small village where he lives. From meeting Jonas to the explosive and sh...more
Darkside by Belinda Bauer
This is the second book that Ms Bauer has written that is set in the tiny village of Shipcott in Somerset, England. The village sets on Exmoor, somewhere south of Minehead and not too far from Exford. It is small, isolated and trapped in an earlier time when the milkman delivers the milk to your doorstep and threatens you if your monthly bill was even a day late. The local citizens have known each other for generations and look out for each other. Even the English they s...more
This is the second book that Ms Bauer has written that is set in the tiny village of Shipcott in Somerset, England. The village sets on Exmoor, somewhere south of Minehead and not too far from Exford. It is small, isolated and trapped in an earlier time when the milkman delivers the milk to your doorstep and threatens you if your monthly bill was even a day late. The local citizens have known each other for generations and look out for each other. Even the English they s...more
This is a beautifully written, incredibly rich mystery novel set in a quiet country village where a series of murders is taking place. The story has a claustrophobic feel, from the tiny village of tiny cottages, to the long dark nights of midwinter. The village is surrounded by steep hills, and the residents are a collection of depressing individuals. And they seem to be suffering from an unusually high number of tragedies. Serial killers, paralysis-causing accidents, dementia, drunken veterans...more
Sep 19, 2011
Tracey
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
crime fiction fans
Darkside turned out to be a well-written crime/mystery novel. I'd picked it up at the library as a sort of impulse grab, and ended up devouring it in only a few days.
The only thing that really stopped it from getting a five-star rating was that I ended up guessing the killer by the middle of the book, and I feel as though most crime-lovers will likely catch on around the same time I did because the hints were being dropped too noticeably.
That said, it was good enough to keep me guessing until th...more
The only thing that really stopped it from getting a five-star rating was that I ended up guessing the killer by the middle of the book, and I feel as though most crime-lovers will likely catch on around the same time I did because the hints were being dropped too noticeably.
That said, it was good enough to keep me guessing until th...more
When first time novelist Belinda Bauer arrived on the scene with a veritable bang last year, so much so winning the 2010 CWA Gold Dagger with Blacklands, she made the literary world stop, catch its breath and introduce a new audience to the pleasures of a small village named Shipcott - Exmoor.
Bauer undoubtedly had a lot to live up to with her follow up Darkside, her second crime novel set in the same quaint village with all its idiosyncrasies and interesting characters, she certainly moves up a...more
Bauer undoubtedly had a lot to live up to with her follow up Darkside, her second crime novel set in the same quaint village with all its idiosyncrasies and interesting characters, she certainly moves up a...more
Oh my goodness! I was so glad that I had a five hour plane ride to just read because I was hooked until the very last page. I still don't know what hit me at the end.
This is a rather strange murder mystery novel, which is one of the reasons that I gave it four stars. Much of the novel reads more like a slow moving British mystery novel. A series of murders rocks a small sleepy British town. The only police officer attempts to help the lead investigator and isn't appreciated for his help. There i...more
This is a rather strange murder mystery novel, which is one of the reasons that I gave it four stars. Much of the novel reads more like a slow moving British mystery novel. A series of murders rocks a small sleepy British town. The only police officer attempts to help the lead investigator and isn't appreciated for his help. There i...more
Jonas Holly is a local police officer whose beat takes in a number of small villages. He is called in when an elderly, paralysed lady is found dead. soon it becomes clear that she has been murdered and reinforcements are called in in the form of DCI Marvel and his team. Marvel is a very rude, brusque individual who does not like Holly, or in fact many people. Soon more dead bodies are found, the link between them all is they were suffering from some life limiting illness. In amongst all of this...more
Jonas Holly is the local policeman in Shipcott on the edge of Exmore. It’s a sleepy, close-knit community that’s about to be shattered by murder, not only the murder of a woman paralysed from the neck down, but a series of murders. Jonas Holly is out of his depth and has to call in Taunton CID to investigate, but there’s no trace of the killer and no strangers have been noticed in the village. Then Jonas beings to get notes from the killer taunting him…….
Darkside is a gripping thriller from the...more
Darkside is a gripping thriller from the...more
I just finished reading this and I feel in a bit of a daze. What a novel to kick off the new year reading!
I had previously read Blacklands and fell in love with the author's style of writing and her characters coming to life. They came to life so well that I found myself becoming horribly defensive of them. Well...certain ones of them ;)
Fun fact about me: After showering, I curl up in my robe on the bathroom floor and read for about a half hour. I read this one for an hour and a half because I c...more
I had previously read Blacklands and fell in love with the author's style of writing and her characters coming to life. They came to life so well that I found myself becoming horribly defensive of them. Well...certain ones of them ;)
Fun fact about me: After showering, I curl up in my robe on the bathroom floor and read for about a half hour. I read this one for an hour and a half because I c...more
Belinda Bauer's 2nd novel is a thrilling tale of suspense and murder set in the frigid Shipcott. It is a very English book, as Bauer distinguishes her style of writing with the more expressive and languid style of American novelists. However, this works for her benefit as the sparse description of the surrounding marshes of Shipcott helps in effective pacing of the plot.
'Darkside' starts with the murder of its elderly resident, Margaret Priddy , who is found smothered to death in bed. DCI Mar...more
I read Belinda Bauer's debut novel Blacklands last year and loved it so I couldn't wait to get started on reading her new book. Set in the same community as Blacklands but a few years on Bauer again weaves a tense thriller that had me gripped from start to finish.
On first look the plot line looks like something you'd find in a typical British murder drama; a small community, a series of shocking murders, people who are hiding secrets and an incoming detective who thinks he knows it all. There is...more
On first look the plot line looks like something you'd find in a typical British murder drama; a small community, a series of shocking murders, people who are hiding secrets and an incoming detective who thinks he knows it all. There is...more
Jun 13, 2012
Anna
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2012,
mystery-thriller
Rating 2.5 stars
This mediocre mystery plodded along...until the reveal shocked me so much, I had to read it several times to make sure I'd understood it. I had. Wow. If only the rest of the book had the impact of this chapter.
This mediocre mystery plodded along...until the reveal shocked me so much, I had to read it several times to make sure I'd understood it. I had. Wow. If only the rest of the book had the impact of this chapter.
2 likes · like · see review
In Dark Side, de tweede roman van Belinda Bauer, keren we terug naar het dorpje Shipcott, enkele jaren na de ontknoping van Blacklands. Op een avond wordt een verlamde vrouw in haar bed om het leven gebracht door haar met een kussen te stikken. Jonas Holly, de dorpsagent, haalt er de Londense recherche bij. Marvel, de baas van dit Londense team, is een ongelofelijke chagrijn en een zuiplap (hij deed me een beetje denken aan Gene Hunt uit Life on Mars en Ashes to Ashes, maar dan minder grappig)....more
1 like · like · see review
I know when I pick up a crime thriller that I'm buying into a story with a detective or few, a hero or antihero, a killer with or without remorse, and twists. There are archetypes in folies a justice just as there are in any genre, and so yes, sometimes you can see foibles and behaviors a mile away. If violent originality were all that were expected of an author we would be an impoverished readership indeed. Bauer's novels are extremely well-written, her characters are fun and tangible, and her...more
A serial killer story set in a small village in England, Darkside
has all the elements of a psychological thriller. There are several
interesting characters and the book is well-written, but the plot is contrived.
SPOILER:
I felt let down, almost
messed with when, half way through the novel, the author revealed things
about a main character--who was himself narrating most of the tale--that this
same character could very well be the killer. This sudden revelation wouldn't
have seemed so artificial if so...more
has all the elements of a psychological thriller. There are several
interesting characters and the book is well-written, but the plot is contrived.
SPOILER:
I felt let down, almost
messed with when, half way through the novel, the author revealed things
about a main character--who was himself narrating most of the tale--that this
same character could very well be the killer. This sudden revelation wouldn't
have seemed so artificial if so...more
*Won in a goodreads giveaway*
Surprisingly fantastic thriller! Someone in a small English village is killing those with disabilities, illnesses, or the elderly. Jonas Holly is the young town constable, and the killings affect him personally - both because he knows all the victims and also because his wife Lucy has progressive MS. His feelings and investigation are a counterpoint to the group of homicide detectives sent in from the city to investigate what appears to be a serial killer/spree kille...more
Surprisingly fantastic thriller! Someone in a small English village is killing those with disabilities, illnesses, or the elderly. Jonas Holly is the young town constable, and the killings affect him personally - both because he knows all the victims and also because his wife Lucy has progressive MS. His feelings and investigation are a counterpoint to the group of homicide detectives sent in from the city to investigate what appears to be a serial killer/spree kille...more
1 like · like · see review
This story is centered around a local policeman Jonas Holly who is trying to catch a killer and is worried about his wife, Lucy. Jonas is a good guy who wants to do the right thing. Someone in the village begins to write him notes and seems to blame him for not catching the killer. I can't say anything more about this book, it's a secret. :). It was well written, and gives the reader a good sense of the village and the people in it. (hahahah that's kind of like one of my grandchildren saying, "I...more
Opgesloten is mijn eerste boek van Belinda Bauer, Rusteloos Land heb ik nog niet gelezen. In Opgesloten word het verhaal vertelt over het Engelse dorpje Shipcott, er word een oude zieke vrouw vermoord en deze moord word onderzocht door ingeschakelde rechercheurs uit Londen, de plaatselijke politieman Jonas Holly word er maar zijdelings bij betrokken, haast als voetveeg gebruikt.
Belinda Bauer heeft een heel beeldende gedetailleerde manier van schrijven, door haar manier van schrijven zie je het...more
Belinda Bauer heeft een heel beeldende gedetailleerde manier van schrijven, door haar manier van schrijven zie je het...more
As a layperson I find it difficult to review a book I didn't like. Especially when citicising, objectivity so often goes out the window first. After having liked Belinda Bauer's first novel "Blacklands" very much, I wanted to read this second one.
Someone in the small village of Shipcott is murdering old and helpless people. Sounded promising. Could have been, if it hadn't been for a whole cast of unbelievable characters. There's Holly, the village bobby. He's just too good-natured to be believa...more
Someone in the small village of Shipcott is murdering old and helpless people. Sounded promising. Could have been, if it hadn't been for a whole cast of unbelievable characters. There's Holly, the village bobby. He's just too good-natured to be believa...more
Belinda Bauer's second novel, Darkside, is once again set on Exmoor, and is a fast-paced thriller/crime story. A serial killer is murdering old, defenceless residents of a nursing home in an isolated village. One by one, more people die at the hands of this seemingly indiscriminate killer. The investigation is hampered by the fact that it's winter and the village is cut-off from the outside world. Jonas Holly is the local community police officer, who's wife has MS and provides the 'home-life' a...more
Firstly let me say how much I enjoy Belinda Bauer's writing style, especially the layer of humour just under the surface of, at times, a very bleak and unsettling narrative.
Set in Shipcott within sight of Exmoor this clever story focuses on the village bobby - it is a stand-alone novel but with some skill and imagination builds from her earlier novel, the brilliant Blacklands.
It is no 'Heartbeat'; it may miss a beat or two, but in actual fact that vital organ is ripped out of the community in th...more
Set in Shipcott within sight of Exmoor this clever story focuses on the village bobby - it is a stand-alone novel but with some skill and imagination builds from her earlier novel, the brilliant Blacklands.
It is no 'Heartbeat'; it may miss a beat or two, but in actual fact that vital organ is ripped out of the community in th...more
A few years back I read Blacklands, by Belinda Bauer and really thought the author did a great job with her first novel. Her more recent novel (2011), Dark Side actually takes place in the same little Exmoor village of Shipcott. This time the story begins with the murder of an elderly woman, a who was confined to her bed and unable to fend off her attacker. But who would want Mrs. Priddy dead and why? Jonas Holly the local law enforcement official is initially active at the scene to investigate...more
This it seems was Belinda Bauer's debut novel, I had read Blacklands previously and thought that one was the debut. It was probably better to read them in that order, as in Darkside, I had a better understanding of Stephen Lamb, who appears in both books. Darkside was a gem of a book. Set in the same village of Shipcott as Blacklands, with some of the same characters, the story is about a young P.C. called Jonas Holly, who is called to the scene of the death of an elderly disabled neighbour, thi...more
Bauer's brilliant book is about a local policeman. He has a pretty boring job, and gets on well with the local community until someone is murdered. And they don't stop ... they keep coming. He also has a wife with MS and his job to look after her becomes more and more difficult.
As the book continues you see just how much hardship Holly has suffered and the bond between him and his wife become more and more obvious. The bond though is not what you might expect though and suprises the reader as he...more
As the book continues you see just how much hardship Holly has suffered and the bond between him and his wife become more and more obvious. The bond though is not what you might expect though and suprises the reader as he...more
PROTAGONIST: Jonas Holly, village bobby
SETTING: UK
RATING: 4.5
WHY:
Jonas Holly is a simple cop who takes pride in watching over the various villages for which he is responsible. He had the opportunity to move on to bigger and better things, but gave it up in order to support his wife, Lucy, whose health is declining as a result of multiple sclerosis. Ordinarily, life is pretty quiet in the area; however, when an elderly woman, Margaret Priddy, is murdered, the “big city” cops move in to take on...more
SETTING: UK
RATING: 4.5
WHY:
Jonas Holly is a simple cop who takes pride in watching over the various villages for which he is responsible. He had the opportunity to move on to bigger and better things, but gave it up in order to support his wife, Lucy, whose health is declining as a result of multiple sclerosis. Ordinarily, life is pretty quiet in the area; however, when an elderly woman, Margaret Priddy, is murdered, the “big city” cops move in to take on...more
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Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa. She has worked as a journalist and screenwriter, and her script THE LOCKER ROOM earned her the Carl Foreman/Bafta Award for Young British Screenwriters, an award that was presented to her by Sidney Poitier. She was a runner-up in the Rhys Davies Short Story Competition for "Mysterious Ways," about a girl stranded on a desert island with 30,000 Bib...more
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"but it was still so good even with the yelling."
Totally. One to buy for my keeper shelf.
Jan 06, 2012 12:25pm
Jun 06, 2012 10:28am