Review of "Exit: A Novel of Suspense" by Belinda Bauer

Felix Pink is a 75-year-old widower who lost his beloved wife Margaret to a lingering illness.



Now Felix lives in Devon with his dog Mabel, who shoots withering looks and piddles in the house if Felix is delayed at walk time.



This sometimes happens because Felix is an 'Exiteer', a volunteer who supports terminally ill persons committing suicide with nitrous oxide - a process that can't be hurried.



To remain on the right side of the law, an Exiteer must do NOTHING to assist a patient's demise. The sick individuals must assemble the materials and administer the gas themselves, while the Exiteers - who work in pairs - merely sit by the bedside.

After Felix's long-time partner quits the Exiteers, Felix is paired with a twentysomething newbie called Amanda, who's very anxious about her first support job.



Felix and Amanda are sent to the home of Charles Cann, an old man riddled with cancer. The patient fumbles the gas cylinder and Amanda instinctively retrieves it - thus committing a crime. Things get even worse when Felix and Amanda realize they killed the wrong man. Wanting to protect Amanda, Felix sends her away, determined to take the blame himself.



Felix hears police sirens approaching the Cann house - and is waiting to explain the situation - when he remembers Mabel, who needs to be walked and fed. Felix makes a clever getaway, and thinking the whole incident over later on, fears he and Amanda were set up. Felix decides to play detective, and makes some unexpected friends along the way.



Meanwhile, the police also mount an investigation into the Cann homicide. DCI Kirsty King leads the case, and she recruits PC Calvin Bridge to assist her. Bridge was a plainclothes detective for a brief time, but felt overwhelmed, and went back to being a uniformed cop. Still Bridge is glad to be in the big leagues again, if only temporarily.



When he's not working, Bridge hangs out at the local betting shop, where he likes a flutter on the horses.....and Bridge's interaction with his fellow gamblers is a hoot.

Many things are not as they seem in this novel, which is very funny, with quirky characters and unexpected situations. This is an ingenious mystery, highly recommended to fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, Belinda Bauer, and Atlantic Monthly Press for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars