Blacklands: A NovelA taut and chillingly atmospheric debut that signals the arrival of a bright new voice in psychological suspense and "a brilliant analysis of an exceedingly twisted mind" (Chicago Tribune). Eighteen years ago, Billy Peters disappeared. Everyone in town believes Billy was murdered—after all, serial killer Arnold Avery later admitted killing six other children and burying them on the same desolate moor that surrounds their small English village. Only Billy’s mother is convinced he is alive. She still stands lonely guard at the front window of her home, waiting for her son to return, while her remaining family fragments around her. But her twelve-year-old grandson Steven is determined to heal the cracks that gape between his nan, his mother, his brother, and himself. Steven desperately wants to bring his family closure, and if that means personally finding his uncle’s corpse, he’ll do it. Spending his spare time digging holes all over the moor in the hope of turning up a body is a long shot, but at least it gives his life purpose. Then at school, when the lesson turns to letter writing, Steven has a flash of inspiration... Careful to hide his identity, he secretly pens a letter to Avery in jail asking for help in finding the body of "W.P."—William "Billy" Peters. So begins a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. Just as Steven tries to use Avery to pinpoint the gravesite, so Avery misdirects and teases his mysterious correspondent in order to relive his heinous crimes. And when Avery finally realizes that the letters he’s receiving are from a twelve-year-old boy, suddenly his life has purpose too. Although his is far more dangerous... |
Contents
Section 24 | 129 |
Section 25 | 131 |
Section 26 | 133 |
Section 27 | 139 |
Section 28 | 148 |
Section 29 | 151 |
Section 30 | 159 |
Section 31 | 162 |
Section 9 | 47 |
Section 10 | 57 |
Section 11 | 60 |
Section 12 | 63 |
Section 13 | 69 |
Section 14 | 76 |
Section 15 | 79 |
Section 16 | 81 |
Section 17 | 84 |
Section 18 | 92 |
Section 19 | 100 |
Section 20 | 108 |
Section 21 | 109 |
Section 22 | 115 |
Section 23 | 119 |
Section 32 | 163 |
Section 33 | 172 |
Section 34 | 176 |
Section 35 | 179 |
Section 36 | 184 |
Section 37 | 189 |
Section 38 | 194 |
Section 39 | 203 |
Section 40 | 213 |
Section 41 | 214 |
Section 42 | 217 |
Section 43 | 218 |
Section 44 | 223 |
Section 45 | 225 |
Other editions - View all
Blacklands: The addictive debut novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Belinda Bauer No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
anorak arms Arnold Avery Avery knew Avery’s Barnstaple Billy’s Blacklands blood blue boy’s breath cardigan Chapter cold couldn’t Curly Wurly dark Dartmoor Davey Davey’s door Dunkery Beacon ears Exmoor eyes face feel feet fingers fucking Gary Lumsden glanced gorse gripped hair hand head heather hoodies inside jerked keys kitchen laughed Leaver Lego space legs letter Lettie Lewis Lewis’s dad lips Longmoor man’s Mars bar Mason Dingle moor mother mouth never nodded O’Leary pale patch picked police prison pulled Ryan Finlay sandwich Sean Ellis serial killer she’d Shipcott shit shrugged sighed SL’s smiled socks someone spade stared started Steven felt Steven Gerrard Steven knew Steven looked stood stopped stupid suddenly thing thought throat tomato took tried trolley turned Uncle Billy Uncle Jude waiting walked wanted wasn’t watched who’d window Yasmin Yeah