In the sterile white environment of a university dissection room, Patrick Fort is about to embark on an obsessive quest that will lead him through the darkest corners of the human body and mind. Belinda Bauer’s Rubbernecker (2013) is a masterfully crafted crime novel that draws readers into an unforgettable exploration of life, death, and the murky space between.
Rubbernecker stands as the first installment in what will soon be a two-book series, with The Impossible Thing set to be released in 2025. While fans have waited over a decade for a sequel, Bauer’s unforgettable protagonist Patrick Fort has remained etched in readers’ minds, making the wait worthwhile for those who fell in love with his unique perspective on the world.
A Dissection of Plot
Patrick Fort isn’t your typical protagonist. A young man with Asperger’s Syndrome, he approaches the world with literal-minded precision, unable to interpret social cues but possessing a razor-sharp focus on details others miss. After being accepted to study anatomy at Cardiff University, Patrick’s obsession with understanding death—sparked by witnessing his father’s fatal accident as a child—finds the perfect outlet in the dissection room.
When Patrick discovers a peanut in the throat of cadaver Number 19 (a man who, due to a severe nut allergy, should never have had such a fatal item in his system), he begins to suspect that the official cause of death—heart failure—might be covering up something more sinister. Nobody believes him, not his fellow students, not his professors, and certainly not the lab technician whose locked files Patrick breaks into to learn the cadaver’s true identity: Samuel Galen.
Meanwhile, in alternating chapters, we experience the conscious imprisonment of a coma patient who can hear and understand everything happening around him but cannot communicate. As he gradually regains minimal function, he remembers seeing a doctor deliberately murder another patient in the bed next to him. When the same doctor discovers he’s witnessed the crime, the patient becomes the next target.
These two narrative threads twist together with methodical precision until Patrick’s investigation brings him face to face with a killer who won’t hesitate to silence him permanently.
Character Dissection: The Beating Heart of the Story
Bauer has created in Patrick a character who is both frustrating and endearing. His blunt observations and inability to lie create moments of unexpected humor.
Yet beneath his clinical exterior lies a deeply wounded child still trying to understand the nature of death after his father’s tragic accident. His relentless pursuit of truth, unhindered by social conventions, makes him both the perfect investigator and a walking target.
The supporting cast is equally compelling. Lexi Galen—the troubled, angry daughter of cadaver Number 19—provides an emotional counterpoint to Patrick’s detachment. Their awkward friendship becomes one of the novel’s most touching elements. Tracy Evans, a callous nurse with ambitions of social climbing through marriage, exemplifies Bauer’s talent for creating morally complex characters whose choices feel disturbingly plausible.
Technical Analysis: Narrative Structure
Bauer employs a multi-perspective approach that demands close attention but rewards readers handsomely. The novel alternates between:
- Patrick’s third-person narrative as he studies anatomy and uncovers clues
- First-person sections from the coma patient’s perspective
- Third-person glimpses into various supporting characters’ lives
This structure creates a reading experience that mirrors Patrick’s own careful dissection of evidence—layer by layer, the truth is revealed with surgical precision. The pacing accelerates steadily, with early chapters establishing the characters and setting before the investigation gains momentum, culminating in a heart-stopping climax that brings all narrative threads together.
Thematic Exploration
Rubbernecker delves into several profound themes:
- Death and its meaning: Patrick’s obsession with understanding what happens when people die drives the narrative, while Bauer forces readers to confront uncomfortable questions about mortality.
- Communication barriers: From Patrick’s social difficulties to the coma patient’s desperate attempts to make himself understood, the novel explores how isolation occurs when communication fails.
- Ethical boundaries in healthcare: The portrayal of “mercy killings” raises disturbing questions about who decides when a life is worth living.
- Truth versus perception: What we believe to be true often differs dramatically from reality—a concept Patrick struggles with throughout his investigation.
Stylistic Approach: Clinical Yet Compassionate
Bauer’s prose is crisp and unflinching, particularly in her descriptions of the dissection room. She neither sensationalizes nor sanitizes the anatomical details:
“The head lolled from side to side with every stroke, as if begging him not to continue the outrage; frayed flesh spattered from the metal teeth and settled on the waxy cloth of the body bag; the thick neck muscles and the gristle of the larynx made him sick with the brutality of it all.”
This clinical precision is balanced by moments of unexpected tenderness, often through Patrick’s literal interpretation of the world. His inability to lie or sugarcoat observations creates both humorous and poignant moments throughout the narrative.
Critical Assessment: Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
- Unique protagonist: Patrick’s neurodivergent perspective provides a fresh approach to the crime genre.
- Medical authenticity: Bauer’s research into anatomy, dissection practices, and neurological conditions shines through without becoming pedantic.
- Psychological depth: The exploration of Patrick’s trauma and its connection to his obsession with death gives emotional weight to the mystery.
- Structural innovation: The multiple perspectives create tension while gradually revealing connections between seemingly unrelated narratives.
Weaknesses:
- Pacing issues: The first third of the novel moves somewhat slowly, which may test the patience of readers expecting immediate action.
- Complexity: Some readers might find the multiple narrative threads initially confusing.
- Character development: While Patrick and several main characters are well-rounded, some secondary characters remain relatively undeveloped.
- Resolution: A few plot threads receive hasty resolutions in comparison to the careful buildup.
Literary Context and Comparison
Rubbernecker marked a departure from Bauer’s earlier works like Blacklands (which won the CWA Gold Dagger), Darkside, and Finders Keepers. While maintaining her exceptional ability to create atmospheric tension, Rubbernecker demonstrates her versatility through its unique protagonist and medical setting.
The novel shares DNA with other medically-informed crime fiction such as Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series, but Patrick’s perspective brings to mind Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Fans of Patricia Cornwell’s forensic detail or Kathy Reichs’ scientific approach will appreciate Bauer’s anatomical precision, though her focus remains more on character than procedure.
Final Diagnosis
Rubbernecker is a remarkable achievement that transcends genre categorization. It offers the meticulous detail of a procedural mystery, the psychological complexity of literary fiction, and moments of dark humor that provide necessary relief from the intensity of the investigation.
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its ability to make readers care deeply about Patrick—a character who struggles to understand human connection yet pursues truth with unwavering dedication. His journey becomes our own as we navigate the twin mysteries of who killed Samuel Galen and what happened to Patrick’s father.
With the upcoming release of The Impossible Thing in 2025, readers have the opportunity to revisit Bauer’s distinctive world and perhaps discover what new mysteries await Patrick Fort. If the sequel maintains the original’s blend of medical authenticity, psychological depth, and narrative innovation, it will be well worth the twelve-year wait.
Rubbernecker is a compelling, unique contribution to crime fiction that lingers in the mind long after the final page. Like Patrick himself, it refuses to look away from difficult truths, and in doing so, reveals something profound about what makes us human.
Prescription for Readers
- Recommended for: Fans of character-driven crime fiction, readers who appreciate medical settings, and anyone looking for a protagonist unlike any they’ve encountered before.
- Not recommended for: Those squeamish about anatomical details or readers who prefer straightforward, single-perspective narratives.
In Rubbernecker, Belinda Bauer proves that sometimes, the dead do speak—and what they have to say can be both terrifying and illuminating. All you need is someone willing to listen.