Snap

By: Belinda Bauer

Narrated by: Andrew Wincott

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

"Jack's in charge," said his mother, as she disappeared up the road to get help. "I won't be long." So 11-year-old Jack and his two sisters wait on the hard shoulder in their stifling, broken-down car, bickering and whining and playing I-Spy until she comes back. But their mother doesn't come back. She never comes back. And after that long hot summer day, nothing will ever be the same again.

Three years later, Jack's 15 and still in charge. Meanwhile, across town, a young woman called Catherine wakes up to find a knife beside her bed and a note reading, "I could of killed you." The police are tracking a mysterious burglar called Goldilocks for his habit of sleeping in the beds of the houses he robs, but Catherine doesn't see the point of involving the police. And Jack, very suddenly, may be on the verge of finding out who killed his mother.

A twisty, masterfully written novel that will have listeners on the edge of their seats, Snap is Belinda Bauer at the height of her powers.

©2018 Belinda Bauer (P)2018 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Loved this book

I stopped reading for some reason but when I discovered it unfinished in my audible library I started again and then I couldn’t put it down. More than likely a pretty accurate depiction of a young boy’s best efforts keeping safe his fragment of a family that was literally discarded on the highway.

Couldn’t put it down.

What would your 9 year old do if you left him with a toddler and a younger sister to get help for a broken car and you never came back? You can’t put this down because you never know what will happen next. The characters are rich and insightful. The only reason I didn’t give it a total 5 stars is because it is sprinkled with foul language. I don’t see how it added to an already great read.

Awesome book!

There were a couple of things I didn’t see coming and a couple exciting moments, but overall the story moved at a good pace throughout and felt complete. Not a huge “thriller” or mind blower, but a very good book!

Full of unseen twists

I am not a mystery fan but this one was on The Booker prize lost so I thought I would give it a try. It surprised me with multiple intertwining stories that move back and forth in time. It was smart, well written and heartwarming.

Unsatisfactory ending.

The whole story was long and drawn out with a lot of extra unnecessary parts. When you finally start getting to the good part at the end it abruptly stopped with no form of closure or explanation at all.

Wonderful, mesmerizing

Simply stunning- I could not stop listening. The narration is so nuanced and beautifully done- what a talented performer.

The characters are involving, funny and sad. I just loved this book and the writing is so well done. Humor and pathos- and a story that celebrates the heroic efforts of a wonderfully resilient young boy- Bauer is a major talent!

Great story. Fell flat at the end.

The first thing that I really noticed and liked was the peculiar storyline and how it was revealed in the plot. In this way, it is not your typical murder mystery. I found it very engaging. The second thing that really entertained me was the author's humorous descriptive phrasing, as a sardonic side thought to the action. It was very entertaining and enjoyable. The story lost its way toward the end. The entertaining language was still there, but the storyline took a lengthy sidetrack that could have been shortened. The ending just fell flat. I liked the narrator. I will listen to the book again simply for the colorful and vivid imagery.

Fun, quirky characters

I quite enjoyed this book. The characters were developed and fun and very quirky. Lot of laugh out loud moments buried in a interesting story with several twists.

Excellent!

Not much to say so as to not spoil this story. Very very very good!

Not her best

I enjoyed Exit so much that I also got Rubbernecker. That one has taken much longer to get into, but I also enjoyed it. Then I decided to try Snap, but I have finally had to give up, as I just cannot get into it. Bauer seems to like jumping around in time, which can be tricky and confusing in an audio book, at least for me. I finally gave up about 6 chapters in. There is too much focus on inner turmoil of the characters. This is in all the books, but in this one is seems to be all there is. Many such scenes could be edited and still be effective, although did enjoy (spoiler alert) Jack's throwing dishes into the washing machine and putting it on spin....