This is a great premise but clumsily executed, in my opinion. I was excited by the blurb for this book and I appreciate the way that Sophie Morton-Thomas builds the sinister and creepy atmosphere but there are just too many things that didn’t gel for me. Saying that, I read the book quickly, keen to find out who the culprit was. There are several twists towards the end, but I just don’t think the relationships between the main characters are credible.

Written from a limited, alternating, first person points of view, with a small cast of characters, this character driven novel is tense, claustrophobic, and dark.

What worked: The setting added to the sense of ominous tension, with the gray, English sea coast as a back drop.The Romany characters added a layer of mystery, and provided the reader a glimpse into Romany life, their struggles, and the prejudice that they face. The author also did an excellent job of drawing us in to the character’s individual personalities. All of the characters were very well written. I especially was intrigued by the nice, Sahara (Sadie). The end was a bit of shocker, and unexpected, however it left me feeling satisfied.


What didn’t work: At times, the book dragged a bit, and the characters’ obsession with the birds was confusing at times. I know that the author was trying to make some sort of allegorical point, however it escaped me. Her use of the dead birds did add a sense of darkness, and a definite ick factor. The plot was slow to develop, however I did want to continue on to find out what was happening. I did not find any of the characters particularly endearing, however their flaws kept me engaged.

I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. If you are looking for a dark, literary work of fiction with some mystery thrown in then this is the book for you. If you are looking for acton packed thriller, this may not be the one for you.

A thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book hard going the plot is interesting and I liked the split POV between Fran and Tad that gave the plot more elements of suspense but at times I found the drawn out writing and all the bird references dragged the pace. There is a real sense of eerie ness though out the book almost gothic in a way, there are plenty of twists and turns which made up for the dragged out bits. I found the setting and how it was depicted in the writing similar to the way Anne Cleeves writes making the setting a character in itself. This was a good read but it didn’t grip me as the pacing was off and the plot was a little bogged down. I suspect there is a deeper meaning to the bird references and the style of writing that maybe am not smart enough to appreciate fully. A deeply disturbing eerie read but very slow paced if you can get passed that it makes a unusual mystery/family saga.

DNF - This was a simple case of this book just not working for me, which is not to say that it was bad; I don't think I'm the target reader so, I am stepping out of the race.

I was drawn to this book because of the title, though I had no real idea of what to expect, and was so surprised by what I found. This is a dark, haunting book, which tells the story not just of a crime but of a complicated family and set of individuals and their lives and relationships to each other. I found it hugely atmospheric and really compelling.

What a corker of a book - I am not quite sure what I was expecting but the title and the setting of a holiday caravan site lead me to think I was in for a cozy summer read. Absolutely not! There are lots of early morning pacings, furtive meetings and red herrings. Just when I thought I had a grip on who had done what, there was another nugget of information which cast everything in a different light.
A very good read.

Quite an unsettling book, the feeling of unease , of things not being quite right running right through it.
There's a feeling of claustrophobia too, such a small setting, and small cast of characters.
I also had a sense of dread, as the two narratives had to meet somewhere for a big part of the story, so for the first part of the book, I was just waiting on that.
Frans interest in thr birds feels more obsession than anything else.
Some surprising turns in the plot, all of it very good.
Unsettling, unease, dread, obsession... these really are key words that make me want yo read a story, and this one is a cracker.
Glad I picked it up.

What an absolute beauty of a book. I felt Fran’s claustrophobia I really enjoyed this book, especially learning about the birds.
I honestly did not see any of the twists coming and that’s what kept me interested. Five stars all around.,