Review: The Blackbird (David Raker #11) by Tim Weaver

I've read a few of Tim Weaver's books and thoroughly enjoyed them, so I was keen to read The Blackbird, especially after reading the blurb, which sounded very intriguing!

David Raker is a private investigator, specialising in missing persons. His latest case involves trying to trace Cate and Aiden Gascoigne, who disappeared after their car fell into a ravine and burst into flames. It's hard to say more, without giving away any spoilers, but David Raker painstaking traces every lead to try to solve the case, unwittingly starting a chain of events that - no, no spoilers! 

I'll just say that The Blackbird is a perfectly written crime thriller that completely engaged me. I read the second half in one sitting and you'll understand why when you get to that midway point yourself! It's real edge-of-your seat stuff, with the villain of the story, realising David is partway to solving the mystery, begins a cat-and-mouse chase. There are lots of threads to the story, that seem to be unconnected until they all come together in a completely brilliant way. I am in awe!

If you are the kind of reader who tries to solve the mystery alongside the detective, you will love this. I hadn't a clue whodunnit until the big reveal. You don't need to have read the other books in the series. There is an arc linking the series but it is a small part of the story. The only negative for me is that I've never been keen on books where the villain gives a detailed explanation of their crimes at the end of a story. I might have been tempted to skip that bit but there is a final jaw-dropping twist - so read carefully!

I have no idea why this series hasn't been snapped up for TV. The Blackbird is fabulous - twisty and extremely clever - one of my favourite reads this year!

Thank you to Tim Weaver and Michael Joseph (Penguin UK) for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Related Post:

No One Home (David Raker #10) by Tim Weaver

Review: No One Home by Tim Weaver (David Raker Missing Persons #10)

Where has Tim Weaver been all my life? Not sure how (because I love the kind of mystery/thriller that he writes), but I'd never heard of him until now. I requested this book because the premise appealed to me: an entire village goes missing? How does that work? Well, the village in question is more of a hamlet but the story is a clever one and I really enjoyed it.

David Raker specialises in finding missing persons. He has been contacted by the relatives of nine missing villagers, who gathered together for a Halloween dinner party and then vanished. Their houses are immaculate, there is no evidence that anything happened and no clues to solve the mystery. Running alongside this is a story set in Los Angeles in 1985, about an American detective trying to solve a suicide that might be a murder. Are the two events connected?

No One Home is a completely gripping read, full of twists and genuine surprises. I particularly loved the character of Joline 'Jo' Kader, who has to battle against 1980s sexism and misogyny to solve her case. It did take me a few chapters to get into this story, because I hadn't appreciated that this is #10 in a series and I hadn't read any of the others! The only thing I didn't like was the long explanation at the end of the book as it seemed repetitive, but don't be tempted to skip it because there is a rather excellent twist following it!

I really enjoyed No One Home and plan to go back and read some of the earlier stories in this series. It's fast-paced, with lots of nail-biting moments, and I can see it appealing to fans of authors such as Harlan Coben and Lee Child.

No One Home is due to be published in the UK on the 16th May 2019

Thank you to Tim Weaver and Michael Joseph for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.