Book Review: Birdman

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Birdman     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Mo Hayder
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural   Forensics
Bantam; 2000; £9.99; 361 pp

Classification: Adult fiction (police procedural)

The Metropolitan police's murder squad is called out to find five young women ritually murdered and dumped near the Millennium Dome. DI Jack Caffery is leading the hunt for the serial killer, but faces problems within the team and from his own past. Can he stop the killer before the body count gets any higher?

For a first novel, Mo Hayder has written a quite startling work. She does not shy away from putting in gore - indeed, she seems to relish it. The book is not for the faint-hearted, as the descriptions are graphic and the killer is certainly a very sick person.

The author throws in numerous twists and turns and on more than one occasion, I was left scratching my head as to what would happen. Even at the ending, shocks were still coming. Her characters are interesting and I thought she deftly described the tortured Jack Caffery. The book could be called gruesome and certainly people who only like cosy mysteries will never be able to pick it up. However, if you like the darker side of crime writing, have a look at 'Birdman'. Dark and nasty - I can imagine a film may soon be on the way.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com