It was New Years Eve the night that dead blackbirds descended, hours before fourteen year old Alex McCarthy’s sister Olivia went missing from a party.
Committed to finding out what happened to her sister, within the previously safe walls of their subarctic Orkney village, Alex knows that dishevelled, sometimes intoxicated Detective Inspector Birkens is her best shot.
Yet as they uncover the secrets behind Olivia’s last night, Alex starts to find things she may be better off never knowing…
This book was a whirlwind of brilliance; I cried, I laughed, I cried some more. Okay, so there may be a theme to this!
This book was beautifully written with lots of beautiful imagery. Not once was it obvious who the culprit was and the red herrings threw me a lot. The twist was just WOW!! And the flashbacks to Olivia added a lot of suspense and even some dramatic irony.
Alex is an amazing character. I felt sorry for her and loved her braveness. I’m glad her parents come to love her again after the events in the book. I felt the breakdown in their relationship was probably the saddest thing in the book (other than the main bit).
I was annoyed at Alex’s friends who should have understood what she was going through was tough and should have been more empathetic. It makes her a lot breaver that she had to go through what she did effectively alone.
This book is just amazing and the metaphor of the blackbirds just sums up this book perfectly; a brilliant thriller to keep you on your toes whilst flying you straight into the mystery.
Note: I received this as an ARC at YALC and yes I know it’s been a while (cheers uni). Also, all views are my own.
Probability Reading 