The Impossible Thing

How do you find something that doesn't exist? Find out, in the most joyful mystery of 2025...

'A perfect crime caper.' Woman & Home

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

'The gift of The Impossible Thing is the pure joy of reading.' VAL MCDERMID

'Extraordinary. There's a deceptive simplicity to The Impossible Thing that packs a real punch.' ANN CLEEVES

From the exceptionally original mind of CWA Gold Dagger Award winner, Sunday Times bestselling and Booker-longlisted author Belinda Bauer, comes a sweeping tale about a hungry young girl, an impossible discovery, and a crime that remained unsolved for one hundred years... until now.

It was the most daring crime of the century...

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 is 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.

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.

'Solid gold... This could be her best ever.' LEE CHILD

'A captivating novel from one of the UK's most talented storytellers. I loved every page of this unique mystery.' CLARE MACKINTOSH

'Fans of Bauer know to expect something original from this most ingenious of crime writers... A funny, moving and beautifully written tale of misfits and oological obsession.' The Guardian

PRAISE FOR BELINDA BAUER-

'As good as Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time... and with more twists and coils than a hangman's noose.' Sunday Express on Rubbernecker

'Few writers who convey so well the essential sadness of life do so with such warmth and wit.' Sunday Telegraph

'Belinda Bauer's fiction teems with life. She's also an ingenious creator, never afraid to improve on reality.' Daily Telegraph

'Belinda Bauer has shifted the boundaries of what makes a truly gripping, terrifying thriller.' Daily Mirror