49. Birdman

Birdman by Mo Hayder
Jack Caffery Thriller, #1


Pages: 327
Finished: Mar. 6, 2008
Reason for Reading: I've seen this one around on blogs and it sounded good.
First Published: 1999
Genre: thriller, mystery
Rating: 3.5/5

First Sentence:


North Greenwich. Late May. Three hours before sunup and the river was deserted.


Comments: Detective Jack Caffery is on his first homicide case with London's special homicide team. The body that has been found is one of the most brutally degraded they have ever seen. The plot is slowly revealed over the course of the entire book and there is a major twist in the middle which turns the whole case around. This is probably one of the most unsettlingly gruesome thrillers I have ever read. From about page 100, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. However, the first third of the book was quite slow. I had a hard time getting to know the main characters or finding them believable at first. I don't think I ever truly warmed up to the main character but the case had me riveted. This is a high level thriller, graphically written and at times uncomfortably so, certainly not for the faint of heart. As the author's first book it isn't flawless but it does have me eager to try another.

Comments

  1. I saw your comment on Raidergirl's
    "It's Tuesday - Where are you?" post that you're reading The Treatment. I have that on my 'read soon' list. I read Birdman a while ago and thought it was gruesome, but great. Seriously twisted stuff and Jack is not exactly a likeable hero, but I could not put it down. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of The Treatment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping by, suzi! I totally agree with you. I'm at the halfway mark with The Treatment now and it's even better than Birdman!

    ReplyDelete

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