Sing Like a Canary

I really related to this novel – a feisty older woman as its main character, trust unwisely given, a career-ending betrayal, the enduring need for answers, the longing for an apology… the slow burn of the plot tugged at my heart, tightening as the action moved onwards.

Unusually for a crime thriller, this is a book about older people and the endurance of the past in their current experiences. Marjorie, a retired police officer, is haunted by the recent death of her life partner but is displacing that grief into searching for answers to the loss of her career. How and why did someone she trusted betray her? She has waited a long time for the answer and will put her life at risk to find it Opposite her, though hard to find, is her old informant, Billy – his family, his life options, even his real identity – all lost to a witness protection scheme that leaves him living like an elderly ghost in a distant island, with no real friends except for his dog. There could have been a poignant reunion in the sun, but poignancy and sunshine are replaced by risk and lengthening shadows, as other figures from the past – equally hostile to Marjorie and to Billy - are also closing in.

Isobel Blackthorn knows how to tell a story, ramp up the anticipation, build up tension from the apparently tiny, concrete observations. The plot is intricately woven – a double point of view, as the narrative shifts to and fro from Marjorie to Billy, and also a double timeline, as we move between decades from their working lives to their retirement. The reveal is gradual, cumulative, and completely satisfying.

Beautifully read by Gerri Green, who evokes a vivid range of personalities in her reading style, the audible version is a real pleasure. I also read it as an e-book – well worth the second read.