Reviews - Exit | The StoryGraph

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436 reviews for:

Exit

Belinda Bauer

3.94 AVERAGE

pepperpots's review

5.0

Not your run of the mill cosy crime novel. This is the third book by this author that I’ve read and it’s my favourite.

kris_mccracken's review against another edition

4.0

It's rare to read a crime novel with such an original approach and structure. Indeed, this is one in which I had little clue as to what was going on for a large part of it as the cast of characters expands and the plot twists widen.

For a book that is essentially a comedy of errors about death and dying, it is terribly funny, albeit very, very dry. This humour is balanced with a genuine tenderness towards its characters.

I confess that I didn't pick the ending, which was particularly delightful. I loved it!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

guyc's review

4.0

A thoroughly enjoyable light read with a twist I didn’t see coming at the end. Belinda Bauer has a nice turn of phrase and it’s by turns amusing and occasionally shocking - at no stage does she forget this is a book involving people dying but she doesn’t lose sight of the fact that these are people and amusing things will happen, intentionally or otherwise.

I’ll certainly be reading more from her.

jnl_dayton's review against another edition

5.0

This was just terrific. For the beginning few pages I was thinking it wasn't for me, but I read a GR review that said (basically) "slow start, then great" so I kept reading and was glad I did. Great, sweet story (not many murder mysteries are sweet). Great writing.

eshulok's review against another edition

5.0

The first two Bauer books I read had teenage male protagonists dealing with traumatic childhoods. Exit is very different.

I think Exit could be categorized as a cozy mystery. The protagonist is an amateur sleuth, there is no real graphic content either sexual or violent, and Bauer injects subtle humor into the story that I didn't find in the previous novels I've read by her. But I enjoyed this more than other cozy mysteries.

The main character is Felix Pink who volunteers to sit with terminally ill patients who've chosen to end their lives, which is legal where he lives. So long as he doesn't provide the implement of death or help the client in any way to end their life.

However, things go wrong on a job and it's not clear if it's a horrible mistake, murder or a set up. Felix sets out to learn the truth.

Meanwhile, PC Calvin Bridge is part of the team investigating the incident and some of the story is told from his perspective. And some of the story is told from the perspective of Reggie, the son of the man who dies.

The story unfolds through chapters alternating from different points of view and includes a cast of supporting characters. You can guess the solution to the mystery as you read, but not the how, and not the why at first.

Having recently lost my mother several months after she suffered a devastating stroke, the premise of the book gave me a lot to think about in terms of autonomy, suffering, and dying on one's own terms.

steve_32's review against another edition

5.0

If you’re going to read a book about a group of people that aid the terminally ill to end their life then this is the one to read. (Probably wasn’t on your list of subjects to read; was it?) More plot twists than a slinky, funnier and more twee than this subject ought to be. Marvellous characters with Felix (John) straight out of an Ealing comedy. Elderly amiable gentleman travelling round the country by train and bus to assist people with their suicide until something goes wrong.
Brilliant, hilarious, touching, page turning crime novel; what more could you want?

the_reader_mommy's review against another edition

5.0

This book was one of the first good books I read this year.

So, the story goes that the Exiteers are (mostly) pensioners who sit beside dying people and hold their hands and talk to them and make them feel loved as they are going. Felix is an Exiteer. He is 75 and sits besides dying people to give them a dignified exit.

Once he has an unexpected companion - 23-year-old Amanda as a fellow Exiteer.. But something happens and things begin to go horribly wrong. Felix, a widower and a harmless pensioner, is suddenly on the police radar and on the run. DCI Kirsty King and PC Calvin Bridge are on the case.

The story is so hilarious that you cannot help laughing out loud in places you should be maintaining a straight face. Felix is totally amazing. I never thought I would be rooting so hard for a 75-year-old protagonist. The way he thinks of his wife and his interactions with his dog, Mabel, are so endearing that you will fall in love with him. At least, I did.

The other characters are also well-written. Geoffrey Skeet, Amanda, Calvin, and Kirsty all stand well. And the villain comes as a surprise.

For a perfect blend of mystery and humour, 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.