Crash - by Belinda Bauer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Belinda Bauer is a genius--she can turn any idea into a solid gold, suspenseful, immersive and intriguing story."--Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series

In this heart-stopping thriller from CWA Gold Dagger Award winner Belinda Bauer, an inexplicable string of plane crashes plunges a disgraced air-crash investigator into an international conspiracy

When the engine of a Boeing 737 tears itself apart at Los Angeles Airport, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Tom Patrick is in the wrong place at the wrong time--playing poker at a nearby casino.

He's been losing at cards and probing pipeline leaks ever since his big mouth led to his fall from grace as the NTSB's top investigator. Now he can't wait to come in from the cold.

Sidelined by the official investigation, Tom starts to dig anyway. And when another 737 crashes for what looks like similar reasons, it's clear that something could be terribly wrong with the world's most popular passenger jet.

But when shocking clues plunge him into a conspiracy that threatens millions, Tom must risk everything to stop planes - and passengers - falling out of the sky like bloody confetti.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Impossible Thing:

"Enthralling."--Becky Meloan, Washington Post

"Suspenseful, charming . . . [Bauer] is a sympathetic, playful writer, and she populates her book with as colorful an array of characters as you could hope for."--Sarah Lyall, New York Times

"A cliffhanger of a tale . . . Around the mystery of the fate of the so-called Metland Egg, Bauer constructs a multigenerational drama as captivating as the fabled object itself . . . Greed, love and obsession shape a plot rich in humor and suspense."--Anna Mundow, Wall Street Journal

"If The Impossible Thing were a song, we'd call it a banger . . . a pure pleasure machine, all the moving parts of which are designed to delight . . . Bauer is a daring and confident writer . . . for this dazzling novelist, the hits just keep coming."--Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune

"A time-slip mystery set in the compulsive, and nowadays illegal, world of bird egg collectors . . . Fans of Bauer know to expect something original from this most ingenious of crime writers, and newcomers will be delighted by a funny, moving and beautifully written tale of misfits and oological obsession."--Laura Wilson, The Guardian

"Belinda Bauer does the near impossible thing, creating a fascinating, original, and charming story about egg trafficking . . . one of the best novels I've read this year."--Ted Hertel, Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine

"[A] well-crafted mystery, featuring intriguing characters . . . thoroughly researched and eye-opening . . . Recommended for anyone seeking an unconventional mystery with a unique and compelling premise."--Carolyn Scott, Mystery & Suspense

"Belinda Bauer is a genius--she can turn any idea into a solid gold, suspenseful, immersive and intriguing story. This could be her best ever."--Lee Child, author of In Too Deep

"It's hard to overstate the absolute charm of The Impossible Thing. Remember the feeling of wonder the first time you fell in love with a book? This."--Val McDermid, author of Silent Bones

"An extraordinary novel. Belinda Bauer writes so beautifully. There's a deceptive simplicity to The Impossible Thing that packs a real punch, and the characters and their stories have really stayed with me. Highly recommended!"--Ann Cleeves, author of The Raging Storm

"Part crime caper, part historical mystery, The Impossible Thing is one of the most enjoyable novels I've read in ages. Meticulously plotted and told with wit and heart, it is utterly distinctive and totally addictive."--Paula Hawkins, author of The Blue Hour

About the Author

Belinda Bauer is the award-winning author of ten novels that have been translated into twenty-one languages. She won the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Crime Novel of the Year for Blacklands, the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award for Rubbernecker, and the CWA Dagger in the Library Award for outstanding body of work. Her novel Snap was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Crash was originally published as High Rollers under the pseudonym Jack Bowman. Belinda Bauer lives in Wales.