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ivanssister's review against another edition
4.0
The kindle version of this book has a large number of spelling, grammar, and word choice errors. Despite that, this was a mystery that really grabbed my attention and kept me reading.
ancaanca's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
noveldeelights's review against another edition
3.0
Anna Cole is taking advantage of an offer for a secondment in Belfast to run away from a dead-end relationship in Cardiff, under the guise of trying to find out more about her birth parents.
In Belfast, forensic psychologist Declan Wells is dealing with the aftermath of a car bombing which has left him in a wheelchair. But his life is about to get even worse.
Amidst the turbulence in Belfast, a serial killer is targeting young girls. How are these girls connected?
First let me get this out of my system and issue a fair warning. I can read about the most gruesome details of a murder without batting an eyelid. But when it comes to animals, the urge to leave a book unfinished becomes increasingly overwhelming. Nobody warned me but I think it’s only right I do warn you. There is animal cruelty and there is quite a bit of taxidermy and I have no shame in admitting that I skipped those parts of the story as I preferred keeping my lunch down. 😄
The streets of Belfast are still not quite the place to be for an English cop or detective. I think the author really managed to bring that state of affairs to the fore without it being too dominant. For a city that has had its share of violence throughout the year, how does a generation adapt to the unknown mindset of peace? And in the middle of all of that, a killer is on the loose. Do his ghoulish acts have anything to do with the past? Or is there more at play?
While I found the storyline somewhat repetitive at times, the case the team is working on was an interesting one. You know, except for the icky bits. Little Bird is very well written and has a solid plot with a gripping investigation. I can’t say I particularly warmed to any of the characters but considering their circumstances, I’m not quite sure I was meant to. I mean, lets face it, it’s not like they’re having the best of times. Overall, it does what it says on the tin, or in this case the cover : an enjoyable serial killer thriller.
In Belfast, forensic psychologist Declan Wells is dealing with the aftermath of a car bombing which has left him in a wheelchair. But his life is about to get even worse.
Amidst the turbulence in Belfast, a serial killer is targeting young girls. How are these girls connected?
First let me get this out of my system and issue a fair warning. I can read about the most gruesome details of a murder without batting an eyelid. But when it comes to animals, the urge to leave a book unfinished becomes increasingly overwhelming. Nobody warned me but I think it’s only right I do warn you. There is animal cruelty and there is quite a bit of taxidermy and I have no shame in admitting that I skipped those parts of the story as I preferred keeping my lunch down. 😄
The streets of Belfast are still not quite the place to be for an English cop or detective. I think the author really managed to bring that state of affairs to the fore without it being too dominant. For a city that has had its share of violence throughout the year, how does a generation adapt to the unknown mindset of peace? And in the middle of all of that, a killer is on the loose. Do his ghoulish acts have anything to do with the past? Or is there more at play?
While I found the storyline somewhat repetitive at times, the case the team is working on was an interesting one. You know, except for the icky bits. Little Bird is very well written and has a solid plot with a gripping investigation. I can’t say I particularly warmed to any of the characters but considering their circumstances, I’m not quite sure I was meant to. I mean, lets face it, it’s not like they’re having the best of times. Overall, it does what it says on the tin, or in this case the cover : an enjoyable serial killer thriller.
nightresplendent's review against another edition
5.0
"He placed the little bird on the place where she had laid. The eye sockets now rendered to blind, black holes. It would watch no more."
Little Bird is the debut novel of Sharon Dempsey, an author quite local to me here in Belfast, and it is easily the best crime/thriller novel I've ever read.
It is about a Welsh detective, Anna, who moves to Belfast to get away from personal troubles at home and lands herself in the middle of an investigation to find a serial killer.
I found the story to be incredibly creepy as not only was the writing fantastic and the language authentic, but the locations where the girls were murdered are places I've been to countless times. It made it almost feel as if I were reading non-fiction!
Honestly, I cannot wait to read Sharon's next book and I recommend you pick up a copy of Little Bird if you're a crime fiction fan!
Thank you to the author for sending me a free copy to review.
Little Bird is the debut novel of Sharon Dempsey, an author quite local to me here in Belfast, and it is easily the best crime/thriller novel I've ever read.
It is about a Welsh detective, Anna, who moves to Belfast to get away from personal troubles at home and lands herself in the middle of an investigation to find a serial killer.
I found the story to be incredibly creepy as not only was the writing fantastic and the language authentic, but the locations where the girls were murdered are places I've been to countless times. It made it almost feel as if I were reading non-fiction!
Honestly, I cannot wait to read Sharon's next book and I recommend you pick up a copy of Little Bird if you're a crime fiction fan!
Thank you to the author for sending me a free copy to review.
bgg616's review against another edition
3.0
The book failed to engage me because for the first third there was little that established a strong sense of the Belfast setting, and avoided character development until halfway through the book. We don't know anything about why Anna Cole left Wales to accept a temporary assignment with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). She's in a relationship but who is this guy? A boyfriend or a spouse? Her mother died recently but what more is there to her death? When Dempsey finally starts - in the middle of the book- dumping all these details on the reader about the answers to the multiple why's, it's too much, too late. It made the book unbalanced for me. After waiting for a hundred pages she goes on and on far too long about each of these.
Anna was adopted from Belfast and is looking for her birth mother. Apparently this is simple in Northern Ireland. Then she shows up nearly 3 decades after she was born to demand answers from her birth mother. Really? Why would Anna's birth mother let her into her home when she just shows up one day?
Many crime story detectives are reckless and disobedient. Anna Cole deserves a prize for stupidity. Why would a female police officer deliberately drive into the middle of a sectarian riot alone?
The first half of the book was 2 stars. Then towards the end, things improved. I am not sure this deserves 3 stars but I am giving this first in a series a bit of a pass.
Anna was adopted from Belfast and is looking for her birth mother. Apparently this is simple in Northern Ireland. Then she shows up nearly 3 decades after she was born to demand answers from her birth mother. Really? Why would Anna's birth mother let her into her home when she just shows up one day?
Many crime story detectives are reckless and disobedient. Anna Cole deserves a prize for stupidity. Why would a female police officer deliberately drive into the middle of a sectarian riot alone?
The first half of the book was 2 stars. Then towards the end, things improved. I am not sure this deserves 3 stars but I am giving this first in a series a bit of a pass.
ljwrites85's review against another edition
4.0
Anna is in the middle of a crisis, her adoptive mother has just died, so in an attempt to find her birth mother she takes a transfer to Belfast. She thrown in the deep end when the daughter of Declan Wells, former police psychologist, is found dead, quickly followed by another young girl.
So this story is good old police procedural, which is my favourite within the whole crime/mystery genre. It is written very well, keeping me turning page after page. I like both the main characters, Anna and Declan, who during the course book start an affair which almost costs Anna her job. It was also a nice touch that as well as being a policewoman, Anna is also an artist which is not something I’ve come across in all my years reading detective fiction.
A little word of warning to people with a sensitive stomach, there are few scenes describing taxidermy in detail that made a hardened crime fan, like myself, feel a little queasy.
But it does fall down in a few places, I know this is just me being picky, but there was only one real suspect and the killers motive was never really clear.
Still a good read and one I’d recommend to people who enjoy MJ Arlidge or Jane Casey.
So this story is good old police procedural, which is my favourite within the whole crime/mystery genre. It is written very well, keeping me turning page after page. I like both the main characters, Anna and Declan, who during the course book start an affair which almost costs Anna her job. It was also a nice touch that as well as being a policewoman, Anna is also an artist which is not something I’ve come across in all my years reading detective fiction.
A little word of warning to people with a sensitive stomach, there are few scenes describing taxidermy in detail that made a hardened crime fan, like myself, feel a little queasy.
But it does fall down in a few places, I know this is just me being picky, but there was only one real suspect and the killers motive was never really clear.
Still a good read and one I’d recommend to people who enjoy MJ Arlidge or Jane Casey.
nightresplendent's review
5.0
"He placed the little bird on the place where she had laid. The eye sockets now rendered to blind, black holes. It would watch no more."
Little Bird is the debut novel of Sharon Dempsey, an author quite local to me here in Belfast, and it is easily the best crime/thriller novel I've ever read.
It is about a Welsh detective, Anna, who moves to Belfast to get away from personal troubles at home and lands herself in the middle of an investigation to find a serial killer.
I found the story to be incredibly creepy as not only was the writing fantastic and the language authentic, but the locations where the girls were murdered are places I've been to countless times. It made it almost feel as if I were reading non-fiction!
Honestly, I cannot wait to read Sharon's next book and I recommend you pick up a copy of Little Bird if you're a crime fiction fan!
Thank you to the author for sending me a free copy to review.
Little Bird is the debut novel of Sharon Dempsey, an author quite local to me here in Belfast, and it is easily the best crime/thriller novel I've ever read.
It is about a Welsh detective, Anna, who moves to Belfast to get away from personal troubles at home and lands herself in the middle of an investigation to find a serial killer.
I found the story to be incredibly creepy as not only was the writing fantastic and the language authentic, but the locations where the girls were murdered are places I've been to countless times. It made it almost feel as if I were reading non-fiction!
Honestly, I cannot wait to read Sharon's next book and I recommend you pick up a copy of Little Bird if you're a crime fiction fan!
Thank you to the author for sending me a free copy to review.
jessicamap's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the advanced ebook thriller in exchange for my honest review and for the blog tour spot!
Talk about a crazy debut serial killer thriller! I find it hard to believe that LITTLE BIRD is Sharon Dempsey's first crime thriller. Here's a great police procedural that alternates between the detective and the killer. Will they be able to catch the killer before more bodies turn up?
Belfast is no longer safe, there's a serial killer on a rampage with a very unique calling card - birds. Not just any kind of birds but ones that are eyeless, stuffed in mouths, very macabre and taunting to the detectives. Enter in Detective Anna Cole. She's on the case and she is out to prove herself to her partner and then to Delcan (the father of the first victim).
Delcan is a very unique character. Typically in these kinds of police procedurals and murder mysteries the families of the victims don't always have a huge role in the book - unless it's just at an emotional capacity. Well, Delcan has a history as a forensic psychologist and he brings his skills to the table in trying to help solve his daughter's murder. However, Anna seems to be the only one that wants to listen to him and what he wants to contribute. Is this crossing a line having the victim's father involved and Anna is a whole other story when it comes to the baggage she brings to the table.
We alternate between Anna's perspective and that of the serial killer. I will always love a serial killer thriller if we can go into the dark and twisted minds of the killers themselves. Dempsey spares no details in how he became the sadistic killer that he now is - as well as the planning of the murders that awaits these young women. Dempsey did an incredible job developing these characters and then throwing the readers into the mix with them. We also get to experience the procedures of Ireland's police throughout this investigation.
This was a great debut and I'm definitely going to be looking for more from Sharon Dempsey! If you want a good and well-detailed serial killer thriller and police procedural, then do yourself a favor and pick up LITTLE BIRD.
I give this 4.5/5 stars! (rounded up for rating)
Talk about a crazy debut serial killer thriller! I find it hard to believe that LITTLE BIRD is Sharon Dempsey's first crime thriller. Here's a great police procedural that alternates between the detective and the killer. Will they be able to catch the killer before more bodies turn up?
Belfast is no longer safe, there's a serial killer on a rampage with a very unique calling card - birds. Not just any kind of birds but ones that are eyeless, stuffed in mouths, very macabre and taunting to the detectives. Enter in Detective Anna Cole. She's on the case and she is out to prove herself to her partner and then to Delcan (the father of the first victim).
Delcan is a very unique character. Typically in these kinds of police procedurals and murder mysteries the families of the victims don't always have a huge role in the book - unless it's just at an emotional capacity. Well, Delcan has a history as a forensic psychologist and he brings his skills to the table in trying to help solve his daughter's murder. However, Anna seems to be the only one that wants to listen to him and what he wants to contribute. Is this crossing a line having the victim's father involved and Anna is a whole other story when it comes to the baggage she brings to the table.
We alternate between Anna's perspective and that of the serial killer. I will always love a serial killer thriller if we can go into the dark and twisted minds of the killers themselves. Dempsey spares no details in how he became the sadistic killer that he now is - as well as the planning of the murders that awaits these young women. Dempsey did an incredible job developing these characters and then throwing the readers into the mix with them. We also get to experience the procedures of Ireland's police throughout this investigation.
This was a great debut and I'm definitely going to be looking for more from Sharon Dempsey! If you want a good and well-detailed serial killer thriller and police procedural, then do yourself a favor and pick up LITTLE BIRD.
I give this 4.5/5 stars! (rounded up for rating)
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