Cover Image: The Shadow Bird

The Shadow Bird

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Member Reviews

Slow to get going and wasn't sure I was going to like it but soon I was gripped. Great storytelling and I will look for other titles by this author

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The Shadow Bird is a psychological thriller that explores the dark secrets of a troubled family. The main character, Erin, is a forensic psychologist who returns to her hometown to investigate a murder case involving her childhood friend. She soon discovers that the past is not what it seems, and that someone is willing to kill to keep it buried. The book is well-written, with a gripping plot and realistic characters.

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This book is a slow slow burn.
The pacing is extremely slow. I really liked the character development in this book.
This book needed more substance

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After an initial attempt where I failed to finish this book, my second attempt I pushed through right to the end.

Although I loved the premise of the book, I personally felt like most of the characters lacked depth and so I failed to become invested in the story.

Just as a side note - I was super confused about the sub-plot involving Cassie. Was this originally supposed to have a different ending?

2 stars ⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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This was engaging and compelling and I couldn’t put it down. It was well written and full of twists and turns I did not see coming.

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Well...to be honest, this is not a good mystery. The crime element is not well played, with some flakey sleuthing, very prolonged pace and the "mystery" solved like in 10 seconds when the bad people decide to reveal the facts.
Yet there is something sweet present in the writing, some mood I can not seem to put my finger on, yet which makes this novel enjoyable. I resigned on sleuting and let myself to be drifted away by the slow, pleasing pace...

Thank you goes to Netgalley for the chance to review this novel in exchange for my frank opinion.

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I so wanted to enjoy this but it just didn't do it for me. I can't put my finger on it but it just wasn't right I would give 3.5 stars if I could !

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I usually love a good thriller but this one simply did not do it for me.

It was torturous to read, slow-paced and didn't hold my attention. I found I was skimming sentences by the end just trying to force myself to finish it.

The protagonist, Erin, is a psychiatrist who is hiding a deep secret (...) and throughout the book puts herself in danger and acts stupidly unprofessional. There are characters in this book that are there for no good reason. There are no twists... just really dodgy turns that left me rolling my eyes. The end is so twee I could feel myself recoiling.

I gave this book 2.5 stars because it wasn't all bad and I could see why some readers would like it but ultimately, it just was not for me.

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It's not a bad book but it didn't stand out. It was very clichéd and I just kept losing interest. I would probably give the author another chance. It could just be me.

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I would rate this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This was an enjoyable thriller that, while quite slow to get going and with no big twist to the plot, was nonetheless a pleasant reading experience.

The story has a great premise that I found quite intriguing. I enjoyed the story overall but I do wish it had more twists to the plot and the sub-plot reading Cassie felt somewhat unnecessary to the narrative.

If you enjoy a thriller with the main character trying to solve a mystery from their past, then this one is for you.

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The Shadow Bird by Ann Gosslin is the first psychological thriller `and it was Brilliant! I love it, when I find a new author that has had me gripped from the very first few pages. I want to read more from this new author.
The main character, is Erin. she a psychiatrist at a facility for young women. However, she lied to her employers about her identity and place of birth and she is hiding a big secret that may have you shocked and feel sorry for Erin when you read more about her within this brilliant new book by Ann.

I highly recommend this book and looking forward to read more from this very new author.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Legend Press and the author Ann Gosslin for the advance copy to read.

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Four times I picked this up and tried to read it = four times I lost interest after just a few pages. I normally persevere but on this occasion I tried, and tried, and just... could not keep going. I am sorry, this book just did not hold my interest long enough to me keep reading. I've now officially given up.

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Erin Cartwright, a psychiatrist in her late thirties, is conflicted. Born in small-town Maine, she escaped the clutches of her dysfunctional family and fled to England. Now, back on American soil once again after twenty years, she is posing as an Englishwoman and hiding her true roots and traumatic history from everyone. To keep up her ruse, she tells lie after lie, which in turn causes her even more stress. She works at “The Meadows”, a privately funded psychiatric facility for young women.Now though, she is being tasked with evaluating a man who has been incarcerated in a maximum-security psychiatric facility upstate for almost three decades. He was locked away for the murders of his mother and two sisters. Her input, via her evaluation of his mental state, could be the difference between whether he lingers on in an institution, or, whether he is released to his remaining family.

She learns that this man, Timothy Stern, grew up in the same small Maine town where she grew up. She dare not let this be known in order to protect her own identity, and the case which could make or break her career. She is determined to turn down the case until she meets Stern. Now, walking away from this case is not an option…

“She was no longer just a doctor, but a potential conduit to Tim’s past…”

MY THOUGHTS

As I was reading this novel, one phrase kept repeating itself in my head. “Physician heal thyself”. Erin Cartwright, a psychiatrist, was one tormented and traumatized woman who really needed to see a psychiatrist herself in my opinion.

The descriptions within the novel were well wrought, yet the writing was less than smooth in places. This is a debut novel, but one which held my interest throughout.

Erin’s character was deeply damaged by her childhood experiences – in that aspect she had a LOT in common with Timothy Stern. In fact, I’d have to say that the parents in this novel were some of the worst I’ve ever read or heard about. If there are such atrocious parents out there, they should be sterilized.

My favourite character had to be Timothy Stern. He seemed such a pitiable character – especially in the flashback scenes to when he was a teenager.

The plot was compelling, but seemed laborious in parts. The ending was satisfying, though the plot twist didn’t really come as a surprise. In summation, I would recommend this novel with a few reservations. I would definitely like to read more of this author to see how her skills develop.

3.5 stars rounded UP for NetGalley and Amazon

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The Shadow Bird is an accomplished book, beautifully written and observed, with a rich emotional tapestry. Forget the sample and go straight for the whole book... the final chapters are breathtaking.

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Set against the backdrop of a high security psychiatric institute, Dr Erin Cartwright has been asked to review the case of Timothy Stern, a long term patient due up for release, who has been incarcerated for the brutal murder of this mother and 2 sisters 27 years previously. During the review of his case, Erin discovers she also has a link to Timothy and his past, and starts to suspect that Timothy is in fact innocent of the crimes.

There are so many books of this genre available at the moment, many of them very badly written. While this was in general an impressive debut novel, the writing style and characterisation at times veered into the cliched which jarred with me somewhat. As a voracious reader of the psychological genre, it really disappoints me when I work out "who-dunnit" and unfortunately this was patently obvious from early on in the novel. As a sub plot, I failed to understand the significance of the troubled teenager Cassie, who was a book end character. The ending was also a bit "off". In an apparent effort to tie up loose ends, the final chapters are clunky and strained, and at odds with the rest of the book. I'd had a somewhat different ending in mind and wondered if the author should have gone in a different direction with the character Ray (who also has links to Tim's past) whose depths were not fully plumbed. As a reader this would have been a much more satisfactory ending. Give me a novel any day that ends with some ragged edges, as opposed to a plot nearly tied up with a bow!

If you are looking for an easy weekend read, with a better than average narrative style, then this is the book for you. A 3 star read from me.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @legendpress for this ARC in return for my honest review. Thank you also to author, Ann Gosslin.

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I've been reading so many thrillers lately, that I was hoping for something really shocking and dark to get me out of "thriller slump". The Shadow Bird was a decent thriller, but did not necessarily stand out to me as I had hoped.
It was somewhat predictable at times, but I didn't hate it. It was decent, and enjoyable enough, but left me wanting "more".

Thank you NetGalley, Legend Press and Ann Gosslin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review.

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#TheShadowBird#NetGalley#
By: Ann Gosslin
Reviewed By: I Love To Read

This is a contemporary story of the far reaching effects of extreme and cruel child abuse. Set in New England and New York, the author's occasional use of English spellings for some words became a distraction though the main character spent some years in England. She fled to Europe as a teen and became a psychiatrist treating the criminally insane. Her return to the United States to treat a case she recalls from childhood sets the stage for traumatic flashbacks to her troubled background. The main story line centers around her involvement with a young man convicted of three murders. Extraneous characters appear brought in to answer the author's plot questions. The writing moves smoothly. The style is easy to read. I would read another book by this author.
I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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This was one of those whodunnit’s that had my mind a total mess! Unfortunately, it did start out very slow and almost lost me completely, but glad I didn’t give up, because once it grabbed me I was absolutely hooked. Very thrilling, chilling, and shocking! I highly recommend to those who love the whodunnit types, especially those that do really keep you guessing! Well written, slow start, but unputdownable once you get through that part! Highly, highly recommend! Don’t give up early on!

Will buzz to around platforms and use lower Amazon reviewer number on release date!

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Very intriguing book from start to finish it with many twists and turns. The book gripped from from the first chapter I was sad to see it end! Very enthralling. A must read!

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This was an engrossing story that definitely held my attention! Uncovering Timothy and Erin’s The background story behind Timothy & Erin was chilling and unsettling, made more so through the choice of words used and the mood set through the writing. Erin's struggles with her emotions were evident and worked to build tension and also humanize her in a way that made her more relatable in my opinion.

I enjoyed the investigative parts of the book the most. There are lots of twists and turns with some of them being pretty predictable, but I really don't think it spoiled the reading experience. Some of the twists were surprising to me and the author's clever use of misdirection was well done.

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