When I first requested this book I didn’t realize it was the second in a series, thankfully this fact doesn’t seem to hinder the reading much. Most of what I assume you need to know from the first book is told in this one, as either flashbacks or thoughts about what happened.

The Butcher Bird is a fast read, the mystery thrown into a historical fiction is a great blend of story. Our main character, Oswald, though at times a little naive, is a good man. Which makes him easy to like and to cheer for. He’s always seeming to get the short end of the stick as well, which is frustrating and made me want to continue reading in hopes he’d finally get a rest by the end.

I thought I would be pretty sure of the ending, but the more I read the more I was surprised by twists and turns. And the ending was not what I expected, in a good way. The Butcher Bird is about a 3.5 read, and I’m definitely interested in reading the rest of the series.