REVIEW – Exit by Belinda Bauer

Exit by Belinda Bauer
Published by Transworld on January 21, 2021
ISBN: 9781473562127
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Crime, Family Life, General, Humorous, Black Humor, Medical, Mystery & Detective, Amateur Sleuth, Cozy, Police Procedural, Small Town & Rural, Domestic, Suspense
Pages: 326
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased Book
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Perfect for fans of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club, this is the page-turning, twisty, and often hilarious new crime novel from bestselling author Belinda Bauer.
A Sunday Times 'best paperbacks of 2021' pick and The Times 'best thriller books of 2021' pick'Quirky, charming, intensely human, important . . . and very suspenseful. I loved it.'Lee Child__________________
'This ingenious and darkly comic mystery is an absolute delight and Felix is one of the most loveable fugitives ever created.'Sunday Express
Meet Felix Pink. The most unlikely murderer you'll ever have the good fortune to spend time with.
When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he's there to perform an act of charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath . . .
But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police - after making the biggest mistake of his life.
Now his world is turned upside down as he must find out if he's really to blame, or if something much more sinister is at play. All while staying one shaky step ahead of the law.
__________'Fresh, funny, flawless. The best crime novel you'll read this year.'Clare Mackintosh'Bauer's judgement of tone is perfect throughout a captivating whodunnit that's often hilarious . . . beady-eyed yet tender, it resembles a collaboration between Agatha Christie and Muriel Spark.'Sunday Times
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Readers are loving EXIT and the marvellous Felix Pink:
'Another winner from this outstanding author who has a unique ability to blend crime with humour.'
'Felix Pink - one of the most adorably unexpected murderers in print.''A brilliantly entertaining crime read, with an ordinary pensioner at its heart, a Felix who managed to capture my heart.'
'It may seem a dark topic but Exit is anything but. Pure joy, honestly.'
'Despite being a crime novel, it is a charming book that encompasses themes of compassion, friendship, love and standing up for what you believe is right.'
'This is an exceptionally cleverly crafted novel. A fair amount of black humour, two love stories, quite a lot of gambling and some unlikely friendships.'

Exit by Belinda Bauer was a testament to humour and the conflicting need to do the right thing. Felix, a man that has known his share of hardship in the world with the deaths of both his wife and son longs to do some good in the world. He watched his son depart painfully and doesn’t wish to see others in that position, so after much deliberation, he joins the exiteers. A group that believes stringently in euthanasia and the right to choose. Bauer has created a tightly plotted and dark story that shows investigates the complexities of aided suicide.

Exit is as complex as it is touching. Aided Euthanasia is a hot topic, but Bauer tackles it with black humour and grief. Felix is a retired 75-year-old who is allocated a client to sit with while they take their final breath. They are not allowed to aid them in taking their life, they only sit and watch, provide comfort, and a feeling of not being alone. They only have one guideline – to stay within the confines of the law. It’s always gone to plan until one day he gets a new colleague, Amanda and they attend the suicide of Skipper Cann. 

Felix is in a real sticky position. He doesn’t know what to do. Nothing has ever gone wrong and now he is faced with the unbelievable. He runs, not knowing if it is the right thing to do or not, he panics. He needs to get away and reassess just what has happened and why it’s gone wrong. He needs to take stock, contact his boss, and get advice. Should he hand himself in to the police or should he be lying low? He wishes his wife was still around to help, she would know what to do.

Exit excels in its characterisation. Felix is a wonderful man, who is constantly thinking of others, incredibly mannerly, and with a moral compass that never wavers. His inner voice had me cracking up and I found myself warming to him immediately. The kind of man that everyone would want as a grandparent.

DC Calvin Bridge is a character not as heart-warming as Felix, but he has his charm. He is temporarily in charge of running the investigation (albeit reluctantly) he has his problems, a troubling history but a keen and caring attitude to policing.

Exit was dark, gripping with a healthy injection of black humour. A story that is unswerving in its character-based narrative, its contemporary nature makes the reader face up to the obscene realities of death and grief.