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darrenstj's review against another edition
2.0
this one was an incredibly difficult book to drag myself through.
_laurasbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
"The past has a way of staying with us. No matter how hard we try to leave it behind, it lingers, haunting our every step."
Summary
Detective Inspector Jack Caffery has just caught his first murder in his new position, a young girl has been found buried on a construction site. By the next day, four more bodies are found on the site. With the clock ticking and the body count rising, Caffery must confront his own dark past and battle his inner demons to bring the killer to justice.
Thoughts
Birdman by Mo Hayder is a crime thriller that introduces readers to the enigmatic detective Jack Caffery in the first installment of the series. While the book manages to capture the essence of a chilling crime novel, it's also crossed with police procedural aspects when jumping between multiple POVs between the characters.
One of the book's strongest aspects is its dark and somewhat disturbing atmospheric setting. Hayder's vivid descriptions of the gritty streets of London create an eerie and foreboding atmosphere, which adds to the overall tension and suspense. The subject matter within this book isn't exactly for the faint of heart - I've read worse by King or Tremblay, but I still found myself grimacing at some aspects.
The author's attention to detail in depicting crime scenes and the psychological aspects of the characters' adds depth to the narrative, but I personally found some of the female characters poorly written and not as well-rounded out as they could be.
I don't think I will be reading more into the series (unless I come across some second hand copies out-and-about), but I'm sure if you're into crime thrillers with heavy gore this series is right for you.
Trigger warnings include: gore, rape, sexual violence against women, necrophilia, pedophilia.
Summary
Detective Inspector Jack Caffery has just caught his first murder in his new position, a young girl has been found buried on a construction site. By the next day, four more bodies are found on the site. With the clock ticking and the body count rising, Caffery must confront his own dark past and battle his inner demons to bring the killer to justice.
Thoughts
Birdman by Mo Hayder is a crime thriller that introduces readers to the enigmatic detective Jack Caffery in the first installment of the series. While the book manages to capture the essence of a chilling crime novel, it's also crossed with police procedural aspects when jumping between multiple POVs between the characters.
One of the book's strongest aspects is its dark and somewhat disturbing atmospheric setting. Hayder's vivid descriptions of the gritty streets of London create an eerie and foreboding atmosphere, which adds to the overall tension and suspense. The subject matter within this book isn't exactly for the faint of heart - I've read worse by King or Tremblay, but I still found myself grimacing at some aspects.
The author's attention to detail in depicting crime scenes and the psychological aspects of the characters' adds depth to the narrative, but I personally found some of the female characters poorly written and not as well-rounded out as they could be.
I don't think I will be reading more into the series (unless I come across some second hand copies out-and-about), but I'm sure if you're into crime thrillers with heavy gore this series is right for you.
Trigger warnings include: gore, rape, sexual violence against women, necrophilia, pedophilia.
dawnsworldblog's review against another edition
4.0
I love British crime novels and this one was no exception. It took me a while to get into this one but once I did I really enjoyed it. It’s not for the faint hearted though as it’s very dark and twisty. I look forward to reading more from this author.
tlt19's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this start to the series and will continue it although I did have to skim over some scenes as they were very graphic!
bndy28's review against another edition
2.0
Truyện có nhịp độ khá nhanh và tác giả đưa được các kiến thức về giải phẫu của mình vào trong cuốn này, thêm sự ghê rợn trong việc hành xác các nạn nhân có thể khiến fan của trinh thám kinh dị thích thú. Đó là những điểm hiểm hoi mình có thể khen được ở cuốn sách này.
Nó vướng phải 2 điểm khiến mình rất chán, thứ nhất là không có twist, hung thủ được tác giả chỉ ra luôn không có manh mối gì cho độc giả suy luận hay có gì đánh lừa người đọc, cứ kể tuần tự tuyến tính. Thứ hai, tác giả mô tả các nhân vật ngu ngốc ngớ ngẩn một cách phi lý, không giống với thiết lập trước đó, nam chính thì như một anh hùng làm gì cũng hay cũng giỏi còn những cảnh sát đối đầu với anh thì kém cỏi, hèn nhát đến tận cùng, rất là một màu luôn.
Có một nhân vật lao đầu vào chỗ chết mặc dù đã được cảnh báo 7749 lần hết sức khó hiểu dù được mô tả là thông minh nhanh nhạy trước đó. Nó làm cho những trang cuối cùng lẽ ra kịch tính thì lại khiến mình rất nản và đọc lướt cho xong.
Nó vướng phải 2 điểm khiến mình rất chán, thứ nhất là không có twist, hung thủ được tác giả chỉ ra luôn không có manh mối gì cho độc giả suy luận hay có gì đánh lừa người đọc, cứ kể tuần tự tuyến tính. Thứ hai, tác giả mô tả các nhân vật ngu ngốc ngớ ngẩn một cách phi lý, không giống với thiết lập trước đó, nam chính thì như một anh hùng làm gì cũng hay cũng giỏi còn những cảnh sát đối đầu với anh thì kém cỏi, hèn nhát đến tận cùng, rất là một màu luôn.
Có một nhân vật lao đầu vào chỗ chết mặc dù đã được cảnh báo 7749 lần hết sức khó hiểu dù được mô tả là thông minh nhanh nhạy trước đó. Nó làm cho những trang cuối cùng lẽ ra kịch tính thì lại khiến mình rất nản và đọc lướt cho xong.
beytwice's review against another edition
3.0
Birdman is my first experience with Hayder's work; I had a severe itch for a severely screwed-up 'Silence of the Lambs' style serial killer flick with some twisted MOs, and that is exactly what I got! Birdman has the typical corny police interactions, the horrifying motivations of a twisted mind, the gore to curdle the reader's stomach. I did feel this latter part could reach a borderline gratuitous point; some aspects of the killer didn't seem necessary to reinforce just how 'twisted' he was and the violence towards women was sometimes a bit much. I enjoyed the first half the most by far and the slow unraveling of the puzzle - while I wasn't a huge fan of the conclusion I also wasn't mad at it! Also just as a note some unnecessary 'cop comments' that bordered on racist and/or sexist that I'm hoping will have fizzled out in later instalments. Can't wait to follow Caffery further in his journey.
jeffy_spaghetti's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5