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Oh WOW!
I listened to the audio version of this courtesy of Netgalley and I could not turn it off. I finished it in less than 24 hours as I found the plot so incredibly original and thought provoking as well as gripping as a thriller.
In fact, to start with, this book really upset me. The way in which Bauer writes about death, grief and loneliness is astonishingly perceptive and achingly sad. Just in the choice of a word or two, or a single sentence, I found myself stricken with the plight of Felix Pink and the unusual job he does under the pseudonym of John. He happens to be part of a very small and select group, recruited anonymously by leader Jeffrey/Geoffrey Skeet, to watch over those who have decided to leave the world behind before pain and illness ravages them.
The opening has the reader agog, trying to work out who is who and exactly what is happening. The plot is quirky, profound and as the story progresses actually very funny (Mabel widdling after 6 hours, a stolen tulip costing £50, and a broken pencil at an arrest, to name but a few comic moments).
The plot develops into a crime to be solved because something unexpectedly goes wrong in Abbotsham with new recruit Amanda at the bedside, and Felix is torn between accepting his fate without question and trying to understand how on earth the mistake happened in the first place. He opts for the latter and in the course of his own bumbling investigations we meet next door neighbour Miss Knott, Skipper and his grandson Reggie, the Moon couple and the officers dealing with the case. Calvin/Kelvin Bridge is the acting DC paired with DCI Kirsty King to work out whether the death of Albert Cann is a crime or not. There is a depth to all the characters as we learn about their lives, their relationships, the past which has formed their present day actions, and all of these features are brought to life with brilliant and often very funny dialogue.
I loved the twists and turns, the intrigue and the suspicion, the precarious nature of Felix Pink 's thought processes and the way, very slowly, people become connected to others, who in turn have connections elsewhere, until the story comes full circle and we understand the conclusion.
The ending is as profound and sad as the beginning and simply perfect.
A superbly executed masterpiece of a story, I LOVED it!
You really do have to make sure this is a book you pick up SOON!
With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to listen to the audio version of Exit in exchange for this honest review.
I listened to the audio version of this courtesy of Netgalley and I could not turn it off. I finished it in less than 24 hours as I found the plot so incredibly original and thought provoking as well as gripping as a thriller.
In fact, to start with, this book really upset me. The way in which Bauer writes about death, grief and loneliness is astonishingly perceptive and achingly sad. Just in the choice of a word or two, or a single sentence, I found myself stricken with the plight of Felix Pink and the unusual job he does under the pseudonym of John. He happens to be part of a very small and select group, recruited anonymously by leader Jeffrey/Geoffrey Skeet, to watch over those who have decided to leave the world behind before pain and illness ravages them.
The opening has the reader agog, trying to work out who is who and exactly what is happening. The plot is quirky, profound and as the story progresses actually very funny (Mabel widdling after 6 hours, a stolen tulip costing £50, and a broken pencil at an arrest, to name but a few comic moments).
The plot develops into a crime to be solved because something unexpectedly goes wrong in Abbotsham with new recruit Amanda at the bedside, and Felix is torn between accepting his fate without question and trying to understand how on earth the mistake happened in the first place. He opts for the latter and in the course of his own bumbling investigations we meet next door neighbour Miss Knott, Skipper and his grandson Reggie, the Moon couple and the officers dealing with the case. Calvin/Kelvin Bridge is the acting DC paired with DCI Kirsty King to work out whether the death of Albert Cann is a crime or not. There is a depth to all the characters as we learn about their lives, their relationships, the past which has formed their present day actions, and all of these features are brought to life with brilliant and often very funny dialogue.
I loved the twists and turns, the intrigue and the suspicion, the precarious nature of Felix Pink 's thought processes and the way, very slowly, people become connected to others, who in turn have connections elsewhere, until the story comes full circle and we understand the conclusion.
The ending is as profound and sad as the beginning and simply perfect.
A superbly executed masterpiece of a story, I LOVED it!
You really do have to make sure this is a book you pick up SOON!
With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to listen to the audio version of Exit in exchange for this honest review.