Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Kate Moretti's latest novel, The Blackbird Season. It was published in paperback and e-copy on September 26th. Let me tell you a little more about it.
In a quiet town, a thousand dead starlings fall onto a school playing field. As journalists flock to the scene, one of them catches a teacher, Nate Winters, embracing a female student. The student claims that she and Nate are having an affair, sending shockwaves through the closeknit community. Then the student disappears, and the police have only one suspect: Nate.
Nate’s wife, Alicia, is left wondering if she ever really knew her
seemingly loving husband. Nate’s co-worker, Bridget, is determined to prove his innocence and find the missing student. But both women will have to ask themselves—do they really know what Nate is capable of?
My Thoughts
This is a psychological thriller with a difference. It takes us into the thinking of the main characters but also is an examination of small town attitudes and values. It builds the suspense slowly and reels you in, with twists and turns in the story. I particularly like the way it presents the story from four different perspectives: Nate, Alicia, Lucia and Bridget. It also shifts back and forth in time. This all makes for an interesting and intriguing read. I did get a little impatient with the pace half way through but it picked up and carried me through to the end. I think this was due to the slow creeping feeling of suspense which Kate Moretti is able to create.
The relationship between Nate and his wife, Alecia, is a strong feature of the book, with the complication of their autistic son. You see their different attitudes towards his condition and how difficult it is to communicate over this. Nate seems to have a side of his life which Alecia is shut off from and this adds to the feeling you get that you are unsure of the truth. The
setting always seems shadowy and run down, with an abandoned mill. It
seems to be a place that is dying and the striking opening where dead
blackbirds fall from the sky sets the tone perfectly. It is a town full of poverty and social issues- definitely in decline.
Always in the background is the shadow of the dead blackbirds and what this means. There are hints at unexplained powers, of witchcraft and tarot cards but you never really know how much of this is superstition or if it might be real. It is another way that the author catches you off balance and undermines your opinions on what is the truth.
In short: a haunting story full of suspense and atmosphere.
About the Author
Kate Moretti is the New York Times Bestselling author of four novels and a novella, including Thought I Knew You, While You Were Gone, Binds That Tie, The Vanishing Year, and Blackbird Season. Her first novel Thought I Knew You, was a New York Times bestseller. The Vanishing Year was a nominee in the Goodreads Choice Awards Mystery/Thriller category for 2016 and was called "chillingly satisfying." (Publisher's Weekly) with "superb" closing twists (New York Times Book Review).
Kate has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for twenty years as a scientist and enjoys traveling and cooking. She lives
in Pennsylvania in an old farmhouse with her husband, two children and
no known ghosts. Her lifelong dream is to find a secret passageway.
Thanks to Philippa Ward of Titan Books and Kate Moretti for a copy of the book and a place on the Tour.
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