For years people had been telling me just how fantastic Mo Hayder's detectives are, so you might not be surprised to learn that my expectation for this novel were extremely high. Not just was I expecting an enjoyable detective, I expected one that would blow my mind. Unfortunately, but perhaps understandably, I was disappointed.
It starts when five bodies are discovered that seem to be murdered in some kind of ritual. They had a life bird sewn into their chest, hence the name Birdman of course. Jack Caffery and the rest of the teams sets out to try and catch the killer. Hopefully before he can strike again.
It could have been the translation I read (I'd won a Dutch copy of it), but I didn't really like the writing. I think it was supposed to be raw, but it annoyed me. There are a lot of jumps between different POVs and sometimes I was confused as to whose POV I was reading at a certain time. (Once again, this might be due to the translation). I could see the potential but it wasn't working for me. The story had a few issues as well. Besides not having any likeable characters at all, it's apparently okay for detectives to sleep with witnesses (even when they are not suspect, I still think that's not according to protocol, but no one seems to care). And people surviving against 1 in a billion odds, I've read that a time or two too many.
Though I could see what people like about the series, (and I know a lot of fans) it wasn't working for me. I read it because I started reading it (and because it was a gift) not because I wanted to, that's why it took me several months. Right now, I don't feel like continuing with the series, but perhaps someday I will...
Birdman is the first in the Jack Caffery series. Up to date six more novels have been published: The Treatment, Ritual, Skin, Gone, Poppet & Wolf.
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