Birds of Prey

Serial

by Blake Crouch

Annie Wilkes from Misery...
John Doe from Se7en...
Hannibal Lecter...

For everyone who thinks the bad guys are so much more fun to read than the good guys, we’ve written a book just for you.

In the annuls of modern thriller fiction, the villains always steal the show. We love to read and watch great villains. In many cases, they’re the best, most entertaining parts of our books, so it only made sense to write a book featuring every major villain we’ve ever written.

They’re all here...Lucy and Donaldson from Serial, Orson and Luther from Desert Places, Locked Doors, and Break You, Mr. K from Shaken, Alex and Charles Kork from Whiskey Sour and Rusty Nail, Isaiah from Abandon, Javier from Snowbound, and many, many more from the Crouch and Konrath/Kilborn books including Trapped, Run, Bloody Mary, Afraid, Endurance, and Shot of Tequila.

If you liked Serial Uncut and Killers, Birds of Prey is going to blow your mind, scar your soul, and scare you to death.

If you haven’t read anything by Crouch, Kilborn, or Konrath, Birds of Prey is the perfect introduction to the dark side of their universe.

And if you enjoy a good bad guy (or bad girl), you’re going to love this.

Because there are TWENTY-ONE of them featured in this book.

Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, Birds of Prey also takes the collaborative literary experiment begun in Serial and Killers to the next level, with most of the novel having been written in a Google Doc, where the authors could simultaneously write in real time. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win.

Birds of Prey is a 40,000-word stand-alone novella.

NOTE: The three novellas in this series are: Serial Uncut, Killers, and Birds of Prey.

These novellas are also available in a variety of compilations.

Killers Uncut = Killers + Birds of Prey.

Serial Killers Uncut = Serial Uncut + Killers + Break You + Birds of Prey.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 20, 2011

About the author

Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the forthcoming novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015’s #1 show. With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the TNT television show starring Michelle Dockery based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He has written more than a dozen novels that have been translated into over thirty languages and his short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Crouch lives in Colorado with his family.

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Konrath/Crouch and felt somewhat let down by this disjointed collection of short pieces highlighting some of his sociopathic killers. It all seemed a bit predictable and the warnings of gore and mayhem struck me as a PR ploy rather than really cautionary. I found nothing particularly scary (some of today's headlines are really much more terrifying.) Jack Daniels makes an appearance; why, I have no clue.

[Sena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. I know I've said it before, but Kilborn is a genius! I find myself falling in love with anything and everything this man writes. This novella was slightly different because it involves all the bad guys. ....i loved how all of the characters connected at some point in time. ....and i'll think twice before ever stepping foot into a firing range.

[Kevin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first two books in the series, but still a very good book. No one does horror like Jack Kilborn/ J. A . Konrath and Blake Crouch. One of the Joys of the ereader is finding some of these authors that you would have never found.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series of novellas. I look forward to meeting some of these characters in the books that they originated from.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

21 psychopathic killers in one book? Sign me up! Kilborn (Konrath) and Crouch have speedily entered my small "favorite of favorites" list with their awesome reads.

[Unnamed Cryptid · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am formally requesting these authors to never write female characters again. Just don't.
Aside from that this book really asks you to suspend your disbelief too often, from ridiculous situations to bad cringe inducing dialogue to generally bad anatomy, kind of cartoonish at times, kind of genuinely disgusting here and there.
They were this close to just making a serial killer convention.
Oh, also please don't write people of color again. Stick to writing white people.

[Lori Holtz-Fennel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your normal, average, everyday serial killer book😉

[Brian Krause · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure a story that brings all the villains into it is truly a satisfying read. The characters are interesting, the plot was nonexistent.

[Shorty6904 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book as it was so in depth and gruesome and like nothing I've ever read before. Will be reading more of this author.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the character of Luther Kite so this book was a perfect read for me. It rewinds back to Luthers childhood and hints to how he became this ruthless killer

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun set of stories by some of my favorite authors and even featuring a few characters from some of their other books! I really enjoyed reading them:)

[Waleed Khalid · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars .

[CDWB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birds of Prey

I absolutely loved this book. It was a compilation of several books of my favorite author. Some of the chapters were an exact copy of some of his books. The writing style was tight and the plots in each of the chapters left you wanting more. It kept me up all night, just reading and enjoying Mr. Crouch. I gave it 5 stars because I've come to just love his books. If you like this type of blood and gore, you'll love this book!!!

[Glenn Conley · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you have read Serial Killers Uncut, which is buy the same authors, don't bother reading this. Birds of Prey is pretty much just a copy of that book.

This book is a collection of short stories about serial killers, same as Serial Killers Uncut. It is not a novella. As far as I can tell, there are only 2 very short stories in Birds of of Prey which are not included in Serial Killers Uncut. And both of those stories are exposition pieces about the killers' youth.

If I had known this was the only difference in these two books I most certainly would not have read Birds of Prey. It's utterly pointless. It was a total and complete fucking waste of time.

Seriously, this book pissed me off. I think I even threw it across the room, at one point. Because it's just bullshit. I wanted to read more about the fucked-up duo Lucy and Donaldson, goddamnit. Because they're fucking awesome.

But no! All I got was the same shit I'd already read. And a little exposition that I'm not even interested in. I don't give a fuck how Luther Kite grew up. I just want to read about him torturing people. Is that so wrong?

Obviously not, because there are plenty of these books out there. At least some of them are somewhat original. But not this fucking book. It's just a carbon copy of another book, with a different name.

If I could, I'd give this book 0.00000000001/5 stars. Or fuck it, give it 0 goddamn stars. Because that's what it deserves. It wasted my fucking time, and for that it deserves the worst possible rating.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have read a lot of Blake Crouch and JA Konrath/Jack Kilborn's books, you will love this one! Birds of Prey goes into the early lives of some of the serial killer character is previous book - Donaldson, Luther Kite, Alex & Charles Kork, and even includes an appearance by Jack Daniels. It is a short, quick read and most of the chapters read like short stories, and knowing the characters already, I loved the additional details background, and the "meet up" towards the end. If you are looking for a book with a plot and story the whole way through, this definitely isn't the book for you. I would also recommend reading some of the earlier books / stories first otherwise you may be a little lost and confused... Loved it!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scary? Nope. Not when you have a mishmash of semi-related stories involving what can only be called a host of serial killers swarming around on the hunt. So over the top that it's more like a manga or maybe a trashy B-movie without, unfortunately, any 3rd degree humor.
Kind of like observing a spider tend to a trapped fly in its web; you feel compelled to watch the process, but once the spider's finished, you go on your way. Do you really want to watch it a dozen or more times? OK, with different spiders and bugs, but it's pretty much the same isn't it?
Free download, quick read, curiosity satisfied.

[Felts · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story(?) is basically just a convoluted mix of Crouch and Kilborn's most gruesome characters. There really isn't a plot to follow, rather it is more like a bunch of random, not-so-believable encounters between several serial killers. I would only recommend this to extreme fans of both writers who have read all of their previous works and want a little filler while waiting for the next actual novel by one of these guys to come out. Occasional collaborations are o.k., but when you go to the well one too many times it can get a little tiresome.

[Shadow Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think, after looking here on Goodreads, that since I read KILLERS UNCUT instead of SERIAL KILLERS UNCUT, I still need to read Break You to complete this entire series.
I thought I had reviewed this already!
I'm going back trying to find which novels to read, I want to read about Lucy.
Any suggestions?

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The FBI estimated that there could be as many as five hundred active serial killers in the U.S.”
Whew! Heavy! Inside the thoughts of Serial killers. Birds of a feather flock together in these stories. Too real for me. This is all kinds of darkness rolled into one. I had to stop reading this for awhile and pick it back up. We are all much safer that Blake Crouch (Jack Kilborn) are writers. lol.
P.S. loved my new word: BUMBLEFUCK. LOL!

[Dave Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous series works (Serial Uncut and Killers) but a very good read all the same. As with the previous works this is funny, gory and just insane in parts. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy their horror laced with the extreme and not for those who enjoy tame or mild reads who are put off by heavy, descriptive violence.

[Emmi Mokhtar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some pretty sick s@#! in this book, I thought I was going to be turned off after the first chapter but it's surprisingly entertaining...bonus points for appearances by Jack Daniels, and Clay from Draculas..(hands down one of my favorite books this year.)

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frightening circumstances can change a normal loving family in ways one could never suspect. Another good read from the masters.

[Crista Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the serial killers series I couldn't help but read this one also.
I was not disappointed at all.
Another home run for crouch and killborn.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

One psychokiller is scary, two interesting (Serial). But an endless stream of boogie men is just numbing.

[Chris Mclean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad it was free, cause the plot was holey.

[Michele Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically a collection of serial killers thrown together for shock value. I wasn't shocked nor did I care at all about what happened to anyone in this book.