An intriguing murder investigation with subplots. Carla works with forensic facial reconstruction which provides interesting insights but I didn’t really engage with the main characters. The book has the bonus of a beautiful Irish setting.

Carla Steele works with skulls. Her speciality is reconstructing faces. When she is asked to work on a skull found in a lough she is unaware of the chain of events that will follow.
I loved this book. and couldn't put it down. Very, very readable.

This is an intriguing story focused on three key characters, and set in Ireland - Dublin and County Mayo, to be precise. The main character is a forensic facial reconstruction expert named Dr. Carla Steele, whom I really liked.

I was surprised to find out that this was the first book in what is likely to be a series, because it felt as though I needed to catch up with the various characters introduced early on, and this took me a bit of time and was slightly distracting.

There are also a number of references to Carla's best friend Lizzie who went missing many years ago, and whose disappearance was one of the factors influencing Carla's career choice. The loss of Lizzie is very much a live issue for Carla in her day to day existence.

When a skull is found in Lough Coyne, Carla and her partner go to spend a short break in Coyne Cross, primarily for Carla to be able to understand the case better. This is part of her personal process when it comes to the facial reconstruction work.

Unfortunately, working alongside DS Jack Maguire, Carla encounters the slain body of a local woman after coming to Coyne Cross. The storytelling that follows is not particularly fast-paced, but it is absorbing, and it delivers satisfactorily on the reader's expectations.

Two key strengths of this story are the engaging characters and the unusual hook with respect to forensic facial reconstruction. So, if you are looking for a high quality police procedural, look no further.

This is a good stand alone from the author, featuring Dublin based forensic anthropologist Carla Steele. Told from various points of view, I felt it slowed a bit in the middle, but I did like the character of Carla. It did keep me interested until the end but I felt it was just a bit too long. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Three Little Birds is a well-written police procedural, and the main character - Dr Carla Steele, is a facial reconstruction expert, which creates a different storytelling angle. I very much enjoyed the chapters explaining how Carla goes about reconstructing a face from a skull that was found in a lough by DS Jack Maguire and his team. I also liked the three main characters: Carla, Jack and Carla’s partner Grace, the characters work well together and their working relationship blossoms during the case, which having read several books where teams have in-fighting this was a refreshing take.

The plot is not particularly fast moving - the reader is given a steady run of hints and historical information which allowed me to correctly identify the culprit, but for me, their motive remained concealed until the end. There are periods when I felt I was reading a book in the middle of a series, mainly due to the backstory involving the disappearance of Carla’s best friend, Lizzie some years previous, but this is the first book in what I assume will become a series, I also assume that Lizzie’s disappearance will be a pivotal factor going forward.

First book I’ve read by Sam Blake but it won’t be the last.
Really liked the main character of Carla and I am hoping to see more of her in future books.
Carla’s work reconstructing faces from skulls brings her into the middle of an active murder case. Is it linked to the skull she has been working to identify or is it just a coincidence?
There is also a back story of Carla’s friend Lizzie going missing several years earlier which is weaved throughout the book and explains why Carla has gone into her chosen profession. I thought it was interesting using the forensic specialism of facial reconstruction and something slightly different.

The first time I have read this Author but I enjoyed the style of writing. A solid four star read. Great premise. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing Would definitely read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting, and the plot was good. It was a little too slow for me, but I am an impatient reader, overall great start to a new series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of Three Little Birds, a stand-alone police procedural featuring forensic anthropologist and facial reconstruction specialist Dr Carla Steele, set in Dublin and Co. Mayo.

DS Jack Maguire asks Carla to reconstruct a skull found at the bottom of Lough Coyne. When she goes to Coyne Cross, the local town, for context she and Jack find the brutally murdered body of a local woman. They join forces with Carla’s partner, criminal psychologist Grace Franciosi to work out what’s going on.

I thoroughly enjoyed Three Little Birds, which is an engrossing tale of past misdeeds and current mayhem. There are times when it reads as if it’s midway through a series with references to past events, some more elliptical than others, when, in fact, it is probably the start of a new series.

The novel is told from several points of view when required to amplify certain actions or events, but mostly it’s Carla’s show. This has good and bad points. It gives the novel continuity and a through point, but she is still distressed about the disappearance of her friend, Lizzie, many years previously. The level of her upset is hardly credible and takes away some of the focus from the case. Do we really need another troubled protagonist?

The plot jogs along, it’s not particularly fast moving, but a steady stream of reveals and hints keeps the reader turning the pages. Who knew that a small backwater town could have so much going on? Other crimes are discovered and solved along the way, which I find very satisfying, whereas the main events, the skull and the murder, are more stupidity and loss and a sense of “if only”. I liked that the murderer’s identity and motive are well concealed for much of the novel as it allows the reader to guess. I didn’t do particularly well at this, so I just went with the flow and was suitably surprised.

I like the characters of Carla, Grace and Jack. Grace is the standout, managing to combine her outer princess with common sense and practicality.

Three Little Birds is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Three Little Birds by Sam Blake is an intriguing and fascinating story about Dr Carla Steele, who is an expert in forensic facial reconstruction and Detective Sergeant Jack Maguire and Carla’s partner Dr Grace Franicosi who all work together when a skull is discovered in an Irish Lough.
The storyline is fascinating and what starts as a cold case being investigated, then includes murder, kidnapping and drugs.
The story is very clever and all the twists and turns make it an interesting thriller. It would be excellent if the three main characters could be part of a series.
Highly recommended

I enjoyed this thriller set in Ireland. I liked the three main characters, let’s hope we get a new series from this.

This was an fascinating mystery set in the idyllic location of Lough Coyne in Ireland. A skull is discovered in the Lough and forensic reconstruction expert Dr Carla Steele is asked if she can do a reconstruction to help with identification. Carla is keen to see the actual location and so she and her partner Grace who is a criminal psychologist, travel to Coyne’s Cross on a scorchingly hot bank weekend. While they are there, a young woman is gruesomely murdered and the two women become involved in the current investigation as well as the identification of the skull. As the events play out, it becomes increasingly clear that the two events are linked.
Sam Blake does a great job of creating believable characters and I loved both Carla and Grace. There is quite a lot of information on how Carla goes about reconstructing someone’s face which added an interesting extra layer to this story without it becoming dull. The other characters are also interesting and I quickly became absorbed in their storylines, especially Danielle who runs the café.
I love novels that have a strong setting and this one is brilliant. The holiday resort of Coyne’s Cross and the Lough itself are integral to the plot and the author makes them seem very real.
I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what Carla, Grace and DS Jack Maguire get involved with next. Thank you to Net Galley and publishers, Atlantic Books, for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Three Little Birds is presumably the first book in what will become a series. It introduces the complex topic of forensic facial reconstruction which is very well handled. A skull is discovered in an Irish Lough and forensic reconstruction expert Dr Cara Steele is brought in to add her expertise. As the case is stone cold, her perspective may shine some light on the identity of the victim and the reason why they were killed. We are also introduced to the local garda, Detective Sergeant Jack Maguire, and Carla’s partner, criminal psychologist Dr Grace Franicosi. One of the high points of the book is the relationship between the three of them. Working together, they discover the skull may be linked to other cases and then before too long, further bodies are discovered.

I like Carla’s character. She is very intellectual and passionate. I was, however, a little disappointed that she was haunted by the disappearance of her best friend many years earlier and it influences her thinking now. This trope of the haunted professional is starting to become a little overused in my opinion.

Three Little Birds is a competent enough read. It is definitely too long as it flags in the middle and there are several subplots that seem to be added just to pad the book out. It will be interesting to see how this series develops and there is certainly enough there to keep me reading.
Thanks to NetGalley, Sam Blake and Atlantic Books for an ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

This was a refreshingly good read with the topic of Forensic Reconstruction very well written,which I found very interesting.
It was a gritty read with a trio of very likable characters-Carla,Grace and Jack each with their own different strengths which made this a good start to what I hope will be a series of books featuring them.
There is an underlying mystery connected to Carla that definitely needs to be explored.
Recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for the ARC.

A smooth read taking you through a tense unravelling of events. Clearly-depicted and believable characters help immerse you in the story with the added bonus of understanding a little bit more about specialist police procedures. It reads like a sequel will -hopefully - follow.

I really enjoyed this crime thriller with a difference ,I liked the three main characters Carla ,Grace and Jack .Set in Ireland ,the discovery of a skull has Forensic Expert Dr Carla Steele putting her facial reconstruction skills to the test but then a body is found .A very good read here's hoping Carla and Grace and Jack will be the start of a new series .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

This is a great read. Brilliant characters both good and bad, and a great fast paced storyline. I am hoping that this is just the first outing for Carla, Jack and Grace. I like the dynamic between the three characters all coming from different backgrounds that gel perfectly together to make a great team, What really makes this story quite unique is the facial reconstruction element of the investigation that helps give the storyline a different dimension.

I really enjoyed the main character of Carla, with forensic reconstruction taking the lead in solving the initial cold case and leading her into the investigation of a current crime.
Grace and Jack are also excellent and well rounded characters who spring to life off the pages. There were a few subplots thrown in that added little to the story but perhaps are setting up for further Carla and Grace investigations in the future?
Either way a good read with enough red herrings to keep the armchair detectives turning the pages!

This is the first book I've read by Sam Blake, but if her previous books are as good as Three Little Birds then I have lots of happy reading ahead. A skull is found in an Irish lough and forensic expert Dr Carla Steele uses her facial reconstruction skills to identify it. Good characters, good plot, good book. Thank you to NetGalley, author and publisher for an arc of what will hopefully be the start of a new series.

A really good story with a different angle on a crime novel. The characters are easy to like and the story captures you into its midst.