Birdman: Featuring Jack Caffrey, star of BBC’s Wolf series. A tense and terrifying thriller from the bestselling author (Jack Caffery)

by Mo Hayder

This dark and disturbingly compelling thriller from bestselling and prize-winning author Mo Hayder is not for the faint-hearted. Perfect for fans of Stephen King, Stuart MacBride and Karin Slaughter, it is one read you won't be able to forget easily...

'A first-class shocker . . . a frightening mix of forensics, thrills, analytical police work and poetic images.' -- Guardian
'Wickedly constructed . . . The detail, if you can stomach it, is fascinating.' -- Daily Telegraph
'Hayder's vibrant narrative and crunchy characterisation propel the book along to its denouement with fearsome velocity' -- The Times
'WOW! This is one scary thriller, gripping from the first page to the last' -- ***** Reader review
'I was hooked!' -- ***** Reader review
'An exhilarating, but disturbing, read that has you on the edge of your seat from the get go' -- ***** Reader review

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THE RITUAL HAS TO END. SOON.

Greenwich, south-east London: Detective Inspector Jack Caffery - young, driven, unshockable - is called to one of the most gruesome crime scenes he has ever seen. Five young women have been ritualistically murdered and dumped on wasteland near the Millennium Dome. Subsequent post-mortems reveal a singular, horrific signature linking the victims.

Soon Caffery realises that he is on the trail of that most dangerous offender: a serial killer. Beset by animosity within the police force, haunted by the memory of a very personal death long ago, Caffery employs every weapon forensic science can offer to hunt him down.

Because he knows that it is only a matter of time before this sadistic killer strikes again...

• ISBN10: 055382046X
• ISBN13: 9780553820461
• Publish Date: 8 November 2008 (first published 2 December 1999)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
• Imprint: Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

This was a series recommended to me by my mother-in-law, and this first entry doesn’t disappoint. Hayder writes on the darker side of crime fiction, and this book is full of messed up people. Not the least of which is lead detective Jack Caffrey, who carries around a truckload of guilt stemming from the disappearance of his brother when they were children, and who is punishing himself by staying in an unfulfilling, manipulative relationship and nursing an obsession with his backyard neighbor.

Also quite messed up is our antagonist, whose point of view we see often, letting us into the horror of his thinking. Hayder does a good job of making us think we have it all figured out before pulling the rug out from beneath us.

This was a solid thriller, and I’ll definitely pick up more of the series.

[Mystereity Reviews]

I thought I'd take a break from cozy mysteries and read a real mystery for a change. This one was recommended by a friend, with the caveat that it was gory. And there were moments when it was a little bloody, but after reading Stuart MacBride, I 'd have to say it was lite gory. Like, PG-13 gory, not R gory.

DI Jack Caffrey is called out to an industrial field where a woman is found brutally murdered. Soon, more bodies are found and Jack finds himself caught up in the search for a sexual serial killer that he must stop before it's too late.

I enjoyed the book, it was more than your stereotypical police procedural. Steady pacing kept the plot going through the book with no dragging in the middle when the action thins out. I liked that the mindset of the killer was explored in a little more detail through inner dialogue and memories, giving the character more dimension.

I have to say, the little "cliffhangers" throughout the story kind of annoyed me. From the 5 objects they pulled out during the autopsies that wasn't revealed until a chapter or 2 later to Jack's leaps of intuition that launched him into action that isn't detailed to the reader until after, it's just a messy way of writing. It doesn't add intrigue or suspense, it just pisses me off.


Overall, an enjoyable first in a series, and a creepy, unsettling read. This would make a great Halloween read.

[pamela]

Mo Hayder may have just become my favourite crime writer. I couldn't put this book down. It was grim, gruesome, horrific and very human.

The plot and characters were polished, and even the antagonists had moments in which they elicited sympathy. But be warned, these books will not be for the fainthearted or squeamish.