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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best crime novels I have read in a long time, 8 Jan 2000
By A Customer
I could not disagree more with the reader from Leeds. I too had seen the review by Maxim Jakubowski, and had also seen it recommended by Val McDermid in The Sunday Express. There's generally been quite a lot of hype about it, and, to be honest, I expected that the book might be a disappointment, as hyped books often are. But Birdman is a fantastic piece of writing: it's gripping, fascinating, the hero is totally believable, and the story a real page turner. From the moment we meet Jack Caffrey, Hayder's DI, he is instantly attractive. Like all the best cops, he is intensely private, hard on the outside and soft on the inside, and with a wonderfully wry sense of humour. But he's not just a tired washed up cop, like so many other literary DIs; he has a life and a set of problems that a lot of people in their 30s could identify with, and as a character, you just want to know more and more about him. I've read somewhere that Hayder wrote him because she was lonely at the time and wanted someone to fancy - and I think a lot of women will be able to identify with this as he is very attractive! The story itself is anything but predictable, and the much talked-about scenes of violence and gore brilliantly done. Its darkness reminded me of the film SEVEN, and it is just as compelling. The story twists and turns, and the final scene, and the images in it, will stay with me for a long time. Basiclly, this is a supremely intelligent crime novel that would appeal to fans of crime fiction, but also to people who just enjoy good writing. I really think that she will be a major star.
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