2024 McKitterick Prize (shortlist)
A prize-winning, spine-tingling gothic suspense novel based on a real-life murder trial in 1897 West Virginia
A Sunday Times 'Best Historical Fiction Book of 2023'
'A novel that demands you turn the pages' THE TIMES, BEST HISTORICAL FICTION
'A gothic mystery pulsing with suspense' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'An intense, memorable tale' SUNDAY TIMES
'Brilliant' IRISH TIMES
'I was tenterhooked from the very first to the very last page'JO BROWNING WROE, author of A Terrible Kindness
'Compelling' ANNE ENRIGHT
'A glorious tour de force - gorgeous and moving' IRISH AMERICA
'Truly superb' VICTORIA MACKENZIE, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain
West Virginia, 1897. When young Zona Heaster Shue dies only a few months after her wedding, her mother Mary Jane becomes convinced that Zona was murdered - and by none other than her husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town.
But when Trout is put on trial, no one believes he could have done it, apart from Mary Jane and Zona's best friend Lucy, who was always suspicious of Trout. As the trial raises to fever pitch and the men of Greenbrier County stand aligned against them, Mary Jane and Lucy must decide whether to reveal Zona's greatest secret in the service of justice. But it's Zona herself, from beyond the grave, who still has one last revelation to make.
Readers love THE RED BIRD SINGS:
'Amazing' READER REVIEW *****
'This book has so much: feisty feminist characters ahead of their time, ghosts, historical drama, justice,
beautiful writing' READER REVIEW *****
'Very compelling ... not one to be missed! READER REVIEW *****
'A haunting story of love, revenge and grief' READER REVIEW *****
'Difficult to put down' READER REVIEW *****
Genre: Historical
A Sunday Times 'Best Historical Fiction Book of 2023'
'A novel that demands you turn the pages' THE TIMES, BEST HISTORICAL FICTION
'A gothic mystery pulsing with suspense' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'An intense, memorable tale' SUNDAY TIMES
'Brilliant' IRISH TIMES
'I was tenterhooked from the very first to the very last page'JO BROWNING WROE, author of A Terrible Kindness
'Compelling' ANNE ENRIGHT
'A glorious tour de force - gorgeous and moving' IRISH AMERICA
'Truly superb' VICTORIA MACKENZIE, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain
West Virginia, 1897. When young Zona Heaster Shue dies only a few months after her wedding, her mother Mary Jane becomes convinced that Zona was murdered - and by none other than her husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town.
But when Trout is put on trial, no one believes he could have done it, apart from Mary Jane and Zona's best friend Lucy, who was always suspicious of Trout. As the trial raises to fever pitch and the men of Greenbrier County stand aligned against them, Mary Jane and Lucy must decide whether to reveal Zona's greatest secret in the service of justice. But it's Zona herself, from beyond the grave, who still has one last revelation to make.
Readers love THE RED BIRD SINGS:
'Amazing' READER REVIEW *****
'This book has so much: feisty feminist characters ahead of their time, ghosts, historical drama, justice,
beautiful writing' READER REVIEW *****
'Very compelling ... not one to be missed! READER REVIEW *****
'A haunting story of love, revenge and grief' READER REVIEW *****
'Difficult to put down' READER REVIEW *****
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"Written with a compelling, lyrical intensity, The Red Bird Sings is a historical drama whose characters are full of a a suppressed fury, and haunted by a need for justice. A deeply felt and accomplished debut." - Anne Enright
"Exceptional... What a treat. It's that rare beast: beautiful and literary with an extremely compelling and readable plot." - Nicola Garrard
"Beautifully crafted ... wholly convincing in its historical detail and tone." - Sarah Gilmartin
"Truly superb... Compelling and lyrical in equal measure." - Victoria MacKenzie
"An atmospheric debut that keeps you turning pages right until the end. Loved it." - Julie Owen Moylan
"I was tenterhooked from the very first to the very last page." - Jo Browning Wroe
"Exceptional... What a treat. It's that rare beast: beautiful and literary with an extremely compelling and readable plot." - Nicola Garrard
"Beautifully crafted ... wholly convincing in its historical detail and tone." - Sarah Gilmartin
"Truly superb... Compelling and lyrical in equal measure." - Victoria MacKenzie
"An atmospheric debut that keeps you turning pages right until the end. Loved it." - Julie Owen Moylan
"I was tenterhooked from the very first to the very last page." - Jo Browning Wroe
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Used availability for Aoife Fitzpatrick's The Red Bird Sings