From Publishers Weekly
Grim and intense, this novel gives readers an instant jolt with its stark depiction of evil lurking in the decaying back alleys and crumbling infrastructure of Manchester, England. When 12-year-old Gary disappears from his home, Detective Superintendent Parker quickly recognizes that his disappearance is eerily similar to one that occurred five years earlier, in 1992, when another 12-year-old boy, Joseph, vanished. As Parker and his team try to locate Gary, they are deeply disturbed to discover Joseph's skeleton in a remote woods. The pathology report suggests he was murdered in a ritualistic manner. Parker, with the aid of criminal psychologist Murray Hanson, intensifies the hunt for Gary and soon discovers that the two boys, who were both neglected by their parents, had worked for a pet-shop owner who has ties to two other suspects: a reclusive breeder of exotic finches and a convicted pedophile. The streetwise Parker aims to strengthen the fragile links between the three men before a third victim disappears. Parker is a winning protagonist, shrewd and compassionate, but Hanson's character is not as convincingly developed, for he is nearly smothered in a distracting subplot. Even so, Martin, whose last book, A Likeness in Stone, was nominated for an Edgar Award, has worked a keen note of malevolence into her novel and created a gripping story that has firm psychological underpinnings. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Detective Parker is a fine, upstanding Englishman and the father of two young sonsAwhich means that the discovery of the dismembered body of 12-year-old Joseph profoundly disturbs him. Fearing for the lives of his own boys, Parker sets out on a passionate quest to find the devious killer. In his efforts to catch the criminal, Parker enlists Murray Hanson, an experienced psychological profiler. After a second boy disappears, Parker and Hanson find the "Bird Yard," a ramshackle aviary located in a derelict section of town that seems to entice young boys. Now the race is on to find the missing Gary and the murderer. Martin (A Likeness in Stone) follows in the steps of Minette Walters here, writing about disturbing subject matter in intelligent and interesting prose. Lots of suspense and a surprising conclusion make The Bird Yard a good read. Recommended for all public libraries.AMarianne Fitzgerald, P.L. of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Cty., Charlotte, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
