Belinda Bauer is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Her plots are original and her characters are very memorable. The story is dark and gritty and the killer is creepy and sadistic. I loved all the characters. Eve, a TV crime reporter who also cares for her father who has dementia, grew on me as the book progressed and I loved her growing friendship with her sidekick cameraman, Joe. I enjoyed the scenes with her father, which were very bittersweet but accurately portrayed the reality of living with someone suffering from dementia. The final showdown with the killer was heart stopping!

I really enjoyed Andrew Wincott's narration.

If it bleeds, it leads. This is often said about reporters and how they need the sensational scoop, with just enough titillating peeks of murder, or violence, to keep the viewers stuck to their screens and wanting more. That makes it harder I think for the reporters to stick to their morals, especially when their jobs are on the line. I quite liked Eve, who is a good reporter, and tried to rise above the blood and guts while taking care of her dad who has dementia but still has an important role to play. So, I kept rooting for her when the serial killer decided to make her his voice and sending those awful murder videos (which her bosses loved of course) and her conflicted choices she has to make in either reporting on them or try to track him down and stop him before she becomes his next target. Lots os action and a deadly showdown kept me eagerly listening and I really enjoyed the audiobook version of the book.

The narrator did a wonderful job in bringing Eve and her world to life and so many thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this riveting story!

The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer
Narrated by Bianca Bryan
Audiobook release date 8th July 2025
This book was released in 2016, but an audiobook will be available soon.
Thanks to @netgalley and @bolindaaudio for this ALC
What a great book, and a decent narrator. I enjoyed this serial killer story, and how it all unfolded (no spoilers). It covers the topic of Eves dad who has dementia which is sad, but plays a key role in the story. 4 stars

I enjoyed this twisty thriller; set in London and featuring Bauer's trademark black humour, it's a fast paced ride for Eve Singer to hunt down the killer.
Excellent narration on the audiobook.
With grateful thanks to NetGalley, Belinda Bauer and Bolinda Audio for my advance audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bolinda Audio, and Belinda Bauer for the gifted copy of the audiobook.

I'm rating this book 3.75/5. I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it.

I really liked the premise of a TV crime reporter, there’s something inherently morally gray about that line of work, which made it compelling. Eve was a likable character, and I felt for her, especially with the burden of caring for her ill father. The killer clearly knew how to exploit that. Her relationship and friendship with her cameraman, Joe, was also a fun dynamic.

The killer was fascinating, particularly in how he viewed his crimes as a form of art or performancr, very different from the typical, sexually motivated crimes often portrayed in thrillers.

The writing was beautiful, and I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

Andrew Wincott was an excellent choice for the narration, I give his performance a 5/5.

3.5* The Beautiful Dead - Belinda Bauer. A newshound plays cat and mouse with a killer to get the story and ends up in his sights.

Eve is a journalist in the ferociously competitive world of broadcast news, with an editor who insists that to keep her job she needs to plummet to depths which are very uncomfortable. Along with her cameraman Joe, they chase down gruesome details, vying to beat another journalist to gruesome nuggets of detail and evidence. When a murder sees Eve as a way to fuel his infamy, Eve is only to keen to use him as a means to keep her job but with dire consequences.

I've read many of Belinda's books and have enjoyed them all, particularly her irreverent angle on crime fiction and the humour in her novels. The Beautiful Dead is well written and keeps you guessing most of the way through. Yet, it didn't really grip me as others have. I suspect it was because I didn't hugely warm to the main character and I found the plot line in the latter part of the book relating to her father a bit of a stretch. Eve's editor in the newsroom reminded me of the comedy breakfast TV editor character in the Bridget Jones films - barking at Bridget to do ridiculous daring stunts on breakfast news. By the end of the book it felt a bit dark for the sake of being dark.

One of my go-to authors, this is an early book of hers which I missed first time around. I listened to the audio narrated by Andrew Wincott who was thoroughly engaging throughout.

Thanks to Bolinda Audio and Netgalley for an advance copy.

I've always enjoyed Belinda Bauers novels so I was excited to listen to this audiobook as it wasn't a story I had read before and I really wanted to like it but the narrator wasn't the right fit for me and I found myself not really paying attention with it, So as an sudiobook this hasn't worked for me but i will probably find the story and read it for myself.

4.5⭐️

I read the book of this standalone serial ki11er thriller quite a while ago but couldn’t resist the audiobook read by Andrew Wincott who instils a good level of tension and drama adding interest.

Eve is a tv crime reporter, whose career relies on de@th. There’s a serial ki11er who wants to showcase death as art. He contacts Eve who sees a golden opportunity for her career, except he becomes obsessed with her.

It’s a serial ki11er thriller but it’s still got the great Bauer characterisation with depth and detail. A character who really stuck out for me was the protection officer DS Emily Aguda the antithesis of the stereotype in this role.
I loved my return visit to this book, this is a go to author for me who never disappoints.

I first read this book back in 2018 when I binge read all of Belinda Bauer’s books. I enjoyed it then, even though the plot felt a little more conventional than some of her other thrillers.

Revisiting it seven years, a thousand books and countless killer thrillers later has given me a new appreciation.

Eve Singer is a TV crime reporter. There’s a killer on the loose, committing murders in public and advertising them like art exhibitions. The killer wants publicity and Eve wants the scoop. Soon she finds herself inside the biggest murder investigation of the decade.

The narration by Andrew Wincott conjures a Richard Burton gravitas, and emphasises the sheer quality and unique phrasing in Belinda Bauer’s writing. It’s a cold, dark and twisted plot, though there are sprinklings of humour. This time around I fully savoured the writing rather than rushing through for thrills.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio

A good thriller dealing with today obsession with social media and the inherent dangers therein, good characters and the story flowed well, Andrew Wincott is a superb narrator and (for me) lifted this book to another level

TV reporter Eve Singer needs death, and not the natural peaceful variety. She is a crime correspondent. It is her business to be talking to camera, showing images of appalling scenes, all to appease her boss, and the general public in their gory voyeurism. Little does she know that her presence at her latest report, will put her firmly in the crosshairs of the culprit. A dangerous place to be.

The characterisation is strong. In particular, the depiction of Eve’s dad’s Dementia felt so realistic. The experiences with her dad and his Dementia, will strike a chord with anyone who is, or has had a loved one suffering from this cruel, degenerative condition. A number of the characters are quite obnoxious, and I truly disliked them, which is a compliment to the writing.

The narration is provided by Andrew Wincott. At times his voice had the cadence of Richard Burton performing War of the Worlds, to my ears.

The book really effectively reflects current social media behaviours. The insatiable thirst for increasingly shocking material, the general public recording violent incidents, rather than calling 999; and the incessant commenting and sharing. So ghoulish, yet somehow the norm these days.

As the dark story progresses, the tension and pressure builds. The pacing was good, and the ending left nothing outstanding. It is an enjoyable thriller, though not my favourite from the author.

I really tried to listen to the audiobook version of "The Beautiful Dead" but I struggled with the narrator's delivery. I think that the audio version would have benefitted from dual narrators, one male and one female. The content of the book about a serial killer and the crime reporter he becomes obsessed with is obviously dark fare and so to hear it all in a male's voice seemed wrong. I didn't get through the whole book so can't fully give a review, but the thriller aspect itself seemed strong and compelling.