Having read Snap! by Belinda Bauer last year, and absolutely loved it. I decided to read one of her earlier books, “Rubbernecker” published in 2013.
This book got me hooked straight away. I loved the setting in Wales as I could relate to the places. Especially when she spoke of areas like the Brecon Beacons and Pen Y Fan.
I love the way the author introduces Patrick Fort into the story, making you feel for his character straight away. At first I admit I felt “sorry” for Patrick’s character as it emerged he had Asperger’s syndrome. I realised that he just thought and understood things differently. He was a very articulate and clever character, taking the literal meanings of sayings/words as a child would do, but overanalysing them as an intellectual.
After the death of his father when he was a child. Patrick wanted to understand the meaning of death and what occurs after, if anything. So after years of dissecting animals and birds, he gained access and started studying anatomy in a medical school in Cardiff, hoping to find out details.
Patrick joins other medical students and they start to dissect a cadaver over the course of a term. The others mess around the dead bodies, or feels bad for them, Patrick gets on with the job. When he uncovers a suspected cause of death that doesn’t tally with the official record a trail begins, and Patrick uncovers an unsuspected murder or two.
Rubbernecker is mainly based on the death of Sam Galen and Patrick. The intriguing storyline made it a difficult book to put down and I kept snatching pieces of time to sit and read it as quick as I could.
I think the pieces started to link together for me during the last quarter of the book, but the author kept the storyline interesting until the end – even leaving a little cliff hanger in my opinion. I am still left wondering what happened to Tracy Evans and Mrs Deal.
Because of this book and Snap! I know I will be searching for more and more books by this amazing author.