The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer

£9.99
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781804997888
Published:
06 Nov 2025
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
400 pages
Dimensions:
198x127x35mm
Weight:
0.500kgs
Author:
1926. On the towering cliffs of Yorkshire, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there. The most beautiful are sold for large sums. But when small and hungry Celie Sheppard finds an 'impossible' red egg, it will forever alter the course of her life - and the lives of others. One hundred years later in a remote cottage in Wales, Patrick Fort discovers his friend, Nick, and his mother tied up and robbed. The only thing missing: a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg. Doggedly attempting to retrieve it, Patrick and Nick discover the cruel world of egg trafficking, and soon find themselves on the trail of a priceless collection of eggs lost to history. Until now.

From the Sunday Times bestselling and Booker-longlisted author of Snap, and winner of the CWA Crime Novel of the Year, comes 'An exciting contemporary whodunnit' (Times Literary Supplement)

'An exciting contemporary whodunnit' Times Literary Supplement

'Extraordinary' ANN CLEEVES

'Pure joy' VAL MCDERMID

'Solid gold' LEE CHILD

'Astonishing' New York Times

*****

A gripping, funny and moving whodunnit about a hungry young girl, and a crime that remained unsolved for one hundred years. Until now.

On a summer's evening in 1926, six-year-old Celie Shepherd is not where a 6-year-old should be. Instead she is dangling from a cliff, reaching out to pocket an impossibly red egg. This bold theft will change the course of Celie's life, and the lives of others.

One hundred years later, a house is ransacked. The only thing missing: a dusty case containing an incredible scarlet egg.

Two crimes, committed for very different reasons, will set in train a sequence of events as mysterious as the egg itself . . .

A taut, wonderfully imagined novel brimming with skulduggery at every turn, The Impossible Thing is a blazing testament to Belinda Bauer's status as one of our greatest living crime writers.

Praise for The Impossible Thing

'Enthralling, hilarious, mysterious… I thoroughly enjoyed this book' 5-STAR reader review

'Comic, thrilling and ultimately moving' The Scottish Mail on Sunday

'This could be her best ever' LEE CHILD, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series

'A captivating novel from one of the UK's most talented storytellers. I loved every page of this unique mystery.' CLARE MACKINTOSH, bestselling author of I Let You GO

'One of the most enjoyable novels I've read in ages' PAULA HAWKINS, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

About the Author: Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa and now lives in Wales. She worked as a journalist and a screenwriter before finally writing a book to appease her nagging mother. For her debut, Blacklands, Belinda was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year. She went on to win the CWA Dagger in the Library for her body of work. Her fourth novel, Rubbernecker, was voted Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Her eighth novel, Snap, was a Sunday Times bestseller. It was longlisted for the Man Booker prize and voted Crime & Thriller Book of the Year at the Specsavers National Book Awards. Her books have been translated into twenty-five languages.

More Information
Number of pages 400

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