Book Review: Black Lands by Belinda Bauer

After devouring Rubbernecker (see previous post), and finding it one of the most enjoyable thrillers I've read in ages, I immediately decided to seek out more work from the same author. And so we have - Black Lands, which was actually author, Belinda Bauer's first novel and very successful it was too, actually winning the CWA Gold Dagger Award. No easy task, particularly for a debut novel.

The book is largely told from the viewpoint of Stephen Lamb, a twelve year old boy who lives with his younger brother, his grandmother and his mother. He craves for affection from his grandmother but she has never gotten over the murder of her son, Billy who was murdered by child killer, Arnold Avery, his body never found. Stephen spends much of his time digging holes on Exmoor, feeling that if he can locate his uncle's body then his grandmother will finally be able to get over her grief, which Stephen believes will heal his family.  It's quite hearbreaking to read the inner thoughts of this young who spends his childhood searching for the body of an uncle he never met and things take a dark turn when Stephen gets the idea of writing to Avery in prison, asking him for help in finding the body of his long dead uncle.

In some ways the book reminded me of early Stephen King  - the way the  author pits the innocent young boy against pure evil is almost vintage King. Though where King's child heroes would be facing off against vampires or shape shifting aliens, Stephen Lamb's nemesis is all too real and far more down to earth - one of those monsters who really exist. There are other Kingsian touches too - the way Stephen's young life is blighted by a gang of bullies for one thing, but I'm not trying to suggest that the author is channelling King, but rather making the point that she creates child characters with the masterful sweep that King displayed in his early and greatest works.

 It's genuinely unsettling to read the correspondence between the young boy and the child killer, and the tension is ramped up as Avery plays a cat and mouse game with the innocent young boy. Soon we start to realise that Stephen Lamb may in fact become Avery's next victim. The climax of the book is incredible and as Avery stands there against the featureless Exmoor landscape, looking down at the young boy he is far more terrifying than any mere vampire or shape shifting alien could ever be.

Another excellent book.