Blackbird

By Tom Wright

On the Arkansas-Louisiana-Texas border, Detective Jim Beaudry Bonham has been assigned a bewildering case: a woman has been brutally attacked and nailed to a cross on the outskirts of town the day after a devastating storm unnerves the community. Bonham recognizes her immediately as Dr. Deborah Gold, the town's well-known psychologist. Sensing how many secrets Dr. Gold took to her grave, Bonham's field of suspects grows to include the culture of the town itself—multiplying the questions that might explain how and why such a gruesome murder could be committed.

With the participation of complex, fully realized characters, Blackbird is not only a commanding crime novel: it is also an exploration of small-town life and how it's affected by violence and savagery. Wright's incisive description of the setting and characters perfectly juxtaposes the unknowns surrounding the murder, making Blackbird a memorable addition to the crime canon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Jun 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781609452803

Tom Wright

Tom Wright is Research Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He is the author of more than 80 influential books, including The New Testament for Everyone, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, The Day the Revolution Began, Paul: A biography, The New Testament in its World, On Earth as in Heaven and Into the Heart of Romans (all published by SPCK).

Reviews for Blackbird

[ssimon2000-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

DNF at 64%

Book started out strong, then started rambling, flashbacking, more rambling, more flashbacking, and still more rambling. I was able to follow the convoluted story pretty well, but it went off the rails completely, delving into the really strange tangents of religious extremism (skinheads, Klan, etc.) that did nothing for the plot except take it where it didn't belong. Sad, too, because this book really had a lot of potential!

There were also some really odd edits in this book that made me think the author is British rather than a Texan. For example, the main character was looking for a "draught" rather than a "draft" (from an open window), "programme" instead of "program", things like that throughout the book. These threw me off when I saw them.

[froxgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wright continues with the same main characters as in his debut "What Dies In Summer", an outstanding domestic thriller. Biscuit, last seen in high school, is now a married father of two daughters and a police detective at The Three (a geographical convergence of Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana). Still possessed of "a touch of the Sight", Bis summons his cousin Lee Ann to assist on the puzzling case of a local psychologist who was murdered by crucifixion.This case is as well-written and twisty as in the prior book, with two caveats: some important characters from the first book are missing from "Blackbird", with no traces left behind, and in Wright's world, most of the good and innocent people are stunningly beautiful or handsome, and most of the bad guys are loathsome toads. Mix it up! Real life just isn't like that. Still, a very good sophomore effort.

[groundedforlife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this out of order although I'm not sure if it's an actual series or not but, "Blackbird" is the second book by Tom Wright following "what Dies In Summer" which featured some of the same characters (Jim Bonham and LA) with about a twenty year gap in time. Things will make a bit more sense if you read "What Dies In Summer" first but it's not necessary at all as I enjoyed "Blackbird" all on it's own. It's a dark, definitely twisted story that explores dark people and things. With a cast of characters that are refreshing, unique and intriguing but then followed by characters that just seemed to have been thrown in there to stretch the story out a bit. It's a typical crime/murder thriller with no real surprises story wise, but the characters that shine and stand out make up for this immensely. Wright's writing is very descriptive and haunting in parts which really helps to makes this story really shine. I'd recommend it unless you like your stories to wrap up nice and neatly with a bow on it by books end. Because this one does not. Although it ends at and on an appropriate point it definitely is not nice and neat. Which is ok because I look forward to seeing what else Mr. Wright can do with Jim Bonham and LA.