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De vogeltuin
Als de twaalfjarige, eigengereide Joseph Coyne vermist wordt, doet inspecteur Parker een plechtige belofte aan de moeder van de jongen; we zullen hem gezond en wel terugbezorgen.
Maar Parker kan zich niet aan zijn belofte houden want Joseph blijft onvindbaar. Vijf jaar later verdwijnt de even oude Gary Maudsley in soortgelijke omstandigheden. Het spoor leidt Parker naar een mysterieuze vogeltuin in een achterbuurt van Manchester.
De vogeltuin is een enorme volière die tegen een vervallen huis is aangebouwd dat bewoond wordt door de eigenaardige Roland Barnes. Het wekt de argwaan van Parker dat hij in de vogeltuin een jongen aantreft die Barnes totaal is toegewijd.
Met de hulp van een in misdaad gespecialiseerde psycholoog probeert Parker bewijsmateriaal te verzamelen. Maar de dader is zich ervan bewust dat de tijd op raakt en beraamt een nieuwe moord voor Parker tot actie kan overgaan.
Maar Parker kan zich niet aan zijn belofte houden want Joseph blijft onvindbaar. Vijf jaar later verdwijnt de even oude Gary Maudsley in soortgelijke omstandigheden. Het spoor leidt Parker naar een mysterieuze vogeltuin in een achterbuurt van Manchester.
De vogeltuin is een enorme volière die tegen een vervallen huis is aangebouwd dat bewoond wordt door de eigenaardige Roland Barnes. Het wekt de argwaan van Parker dat hij in de vogeltuin een jongen aantreft die Barnes totaal is toegewijd.
Met de hulp van een in misdaad gespecialiseerde psycholoog probeert Parker bewijsmateriaal te verzamelen. Maar de dader is zich ervan bewust dat de tijd op raakt en beraamt een nieuwe moord voor Parker tot actie kan overgaan.
301 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 28, 2009
An abandoned, derelict neighborhood in Manchester, England is slated for demolition. Only a single, crumbling house is still inhabited, by a solitary man and hundreds of exotic finches. The eerie aviary sets the tone for the entire novel, a compelling police procedural centering upon an urgent search for a missing boy. DS Parker recruits a forensic psychologist to assist in what increasingly appears to be a serial killer case, and, as these two men form a grudging working partnership, author Martin takes readers within their minds as they struggle with the horrific details of the case. A haunting journey, surreal and malevolent, with richly developed characters and compelling psychological underpinnings.
July 22, 2012
Spooky, unsettling suspense story that doesn't really race along but drags the reader kicking and screaming into the murky world that we'd all rather didn't exist. The descriptions of people and places ae excellent. If only I could write like that. I think I prefer books where the good guys are a litte more fleshed out though. Plenty of detail but not enough for me to identify with them. But if you don't mind books where pedophilia is the topic - and it's not done in any sort of salacious way - then try this.
May 31, 2020
PROTAGONIST: Detective Inspector Parker
SETTING: Manchester
RATING: 3.5
WHY: Twelve-year-old Joseph Doyle of Manchester disappeared 5 years ago, and now Gary Maudsley is missing under similar circumstances. When Doyle’s body is found, the stakes are raised. Inspector Parker of the Manchester police pulls in an expert criminal psychologiust named Morris Hanson to build a profile of the perpetrator; and he does uncover some helpful information. This is a solid police procedural. There’s an aviary established by a squatter in a home that is to be demolished, and it is a very spooky place indeed. With at least 3 characters who are child sexual predators, the book is unsettling, to say the least.
SETTING: Manchester
RATING: 3.5
WHY: Twelve-year-old Joseph Doyle of Manchester disappeared 5 years ago, and now Gary Maudsley is missing under similar circumstances. When Doyle’s body is found, the stakes are raised. Inspector Parker of the Manchester police pulls in an expert criminal psychologiust named Morris Hanson to build a profile of the perpetrator; and he does uncover some helpful information. This is a solid police procedural. There’s an aviary established by a squatter in a home that is to be demolished, and it is a very spooky place indeed. With at least 3 characters who are child sexual predators, the book is unsettling, to say the least.
February 14, 2020
A very straightforward read. Almost noir in my opinion. Violence and children doesn’t mix but we all know it happens. We fear the pedophiles in this world who hide from plain view but creep you out just with the mumble of a simple sentence. I felt sorry for most of the players in this novel with the exception of a few strange men. This was well written, fast paced and full of suspense.
September 2, 2022
First book I’ve picked up since getting back into reading and I was unable to put it down. I found it slow at times when describing environments but it was great imagery and I was able to envision everything. I got very invested with the characters and I loved the narration style.
March 27, 2012
This is the first book by J.Wallis Martin that I have read and believe that this book was shortlisted for some prestigious literary award. Now while I would not profess to be an expert in this particular genre, I felt it showed that she has potential but is not yet the finished product.
On the up side.The storyline ran at a lively pace making you want to turn over the next page to see what was coming up next, in fact it was easy to forget that only a month had passed from Gary's disappearance and the eventual conclusion of the story.There were some good atmospheric descriptions of the surroundings for the crime and the central characters were fairly well drawn. I also rather liked the prologue as it had me guessing quite where it fitted into the overall plot until quite near the end.
However, on the down side. For me the lead investigator Parker would probably have been better as a Private Investigator rather than a high-flying Policeman, he seemed to do everything himself with little feedback from the men around him. Something of a maverick rather than a leader of men. Also quite what the profiler Hanson added to the investiagion is open to some debate, he seemed to be more distracted by his own personal relationship hang-ups and had only minimal imput into actually solving the crime. In fact wanting to go and stay in his old matrimonial home rather than a hotel seemed rather freaky to me.Perhaps it was just fashionable to have his presence there?
In summary I felt that the story gave a somewhat original twist on both the mindset of paedophiles and in particular how they are able to target, befriend and ultimately betray vulnerable victims, boys in this case and also into why boys are taken in by them. It was a very readable book but it just lacking in that little something that would have made it a special read. As I said at the top the author shows promise and if this is just another step along the evolutionary trail then with more experience and in-depth knowledge she could become a very good one.
On the up side.The storyline ran at a lively pace making you want to turn over the next page to see what was coming up next, in fact it was easy to forget that only a month had passed from Gary's disappearance and the eventual conclusion of the story.There were some good atmospheric descriptions of the surroundings for the crime and the central characters were fairly well drawn. I also rather liked the prologue as it had me guessing quite where it fitted into the overall plot until quite near the end.
However, on the down side. For me the lead investigator Parker would probably have been better as a Private Investigator rather than a high-flying Policeman, he seemed to do everything himself with little feedback from the men around him. Something of a maverick rather than a leader of men. Also quite what the profiler Hanson added to the investiagion is open to some debate, he seemed to be more distracted by his own personal relationship hang-ups and had only minimal imput into actually solving the crime. In fact wanting to go and stay in his old matrimonial home rather than a hotel seemed rather freaky to me.Perhaps it was just fashionable to have his presence there?
In summary I felt that the story gave a somewhat original twist on both the mindset of paedophiles and in particular how they are able to target, befriend and ultimately betray vulnerable victims, boys in this case and also into why boys are taken in by them. It was a very readable book but it just lacking in that little something that would have made it a special read. As I said at the top the author shows promise and if this is just another step along the evolutionary trail then with more experience and in-depth knowledge she could become a very good one.
February 10, 2008
This book was very disturbing. It is a story about a detective in search for the sick, perverted crimminal that kidnapps little boys of about the age of 12, molests them and then kills them.
I found myself feeling so disturbed in regards to the concept of this book that I had to stop reading it quite a few times and pick up another book to get my mind off it all.
I give this book 3 1/w stars. I would recommend it but with fair warning of it's deviance.
I found myself feeling so disturbed in regards to the concept of this book that I had to stop reading it quite a few times and pick up another book to get my mind off it all.
I give this book 3 1/w stars. I would recommend it but with fair warning of it's deviance.
July 6, 2022
Jag gillade den! Lite svår att förstå i början då det var många karaktärer som introducerades. Det är en thriller som väcker starkt obehag vilket gör den spännande att läsa vidare. Den enda kritiken jag har är att jag hade önskat fler detaljer om vad pojkarna utsatts för, då jag aldrig riktigt förstod allvaret i deras försvinnande. Den kunde helt enkelt bli mer invecklad för att väcka starkare känslor.
August 31, 2023
Twelve-year-old boys have been going missing and DCI Parker fears the worst. He thinks he knows who is responsible, but he cannot prove it. He calls in a criminal psychologist to help him catch the murder before any more boys vanish. So far, so conventional, but this is a case with a gothic twist and a subplot that keep you guessing. Another boy is in danger: can the duo find the evidence they need in time to save him?
September 24, 2018
Really unsettling, creepy read, but hard to put down
March 3, 2022
It was a decent read. For some reason it took me far longer than most books. The storyline was fluid, no huge twists.
May 26, 2023
The Bird Yard is a creepy and uncomfortable read. A crime story that moves at a thoughtful pace, it’s not flashy or action packed but considered and unsettling. Good holiday stuff.
Read
October 27, 2023DNF
November 14, 2023
A random find in a secondhand bookstore that I judged purely by the cover. Easy to read and an interesting enough story. Nothing that will stick with me particularly though.
November 8, 2024
A very hard, but important, read.
August 3, 2025
Uncomfortable but very good book
January 14, 2026
Prima boek, niet heel spannend🤷
April 10, 2012
I picked this book up at the Nottingham BookCrossing meet, and started reading it a while ago but got distracted so brought it with me to read on a short break. This has obviously done the trick as I've finished it in quick time.
A great thriller incorporating psychology and very human elements of crime, it's a book I enjoyed as much as I didn't want to know what came next. Great characterisation, it really will have your skin crawling as you unwittingly look over your shoulder to find out who and why. There were times I felt the writing needed a little more polish, however I would definitely look out for more from this author who is new to me.
A great thriller incorporating psychology and very human elements of crime, it's a book I enjoyed as much as I didn't want to know what came next. Great characterisation, it really will have your skin crawling as you unwittingly look over your shoulder to find out who and why. There were times I felt the writing needed a little more polish, however I would definitely look out for more from this author who is new to me.
December 28, 2007
THE BIRD YARD - VG
Martin, J. (Julia) Willis - Standalone
Roly's Yard is an aviary in Manchester, and boy after boy has been to visit the finches Roland raises there. Then two boys disappear, and one is found dead. Detective Superintendent Parker and psychological profiler Murray Hanson are closing in on Roly, but can they save his next victim?
Although you know who did it, there are plenty of twists and turns along the way through the investigation and a great "oh my" ending.
Martin, J. (Julia) Willis - Standalone
Roly's Yard is an aviary in Manchester, and boy after boy has been to visit the finches Roland raises there. Then two boys disappear, and one is found dead. Detective Superintendent Parker and psychological profiler Murray Hanson are closing in on Roly, but can they save his next victim?
Although you know who did it, there are plenty of twists and turns along the way through the investigation and a great "oh my" ending.
March 28, 2009
This dark and has an interesting pace. It does not race, it moves in its own rhythm. I liked it for what it was, but I don't think I could read a steady diet of this.
It's a bit along the lines of Criminal Minds in many ways. The most disturbing part is the little boy at the end. That's the part that most scares me. Has the die been cast?
It's a bit along the lines of Criminal Minds in many ways. The most disturbing part is the little boy at the end. That's the part that most scares me. Has the die been cast?
February 12, 2012
I must say that I was pretty impressed with this book. It wasn't that it was a fantastic read, but the characters and the storyline were enough to keep me entertained and guessing. I think this is her only mystery featuring this character, so I am pretty much done with this author, but the book was a nice distraction!
October 19, 2015
i eagerly sped through the first half of this story, in anticipation of a great thriller but ended up resenting all the ghoulish bird details. I also did not care for the depressing sidebar relationship between Hanson, his ex-wife and current lover. I actually found his character sorta useless, and could neither appreciate or sympathize with him at any time.
July 17, 2013
My finches bring all the boys to the yard
And they're like, they're better than yours
Damn right they're better than yours
I'd teach you...but
And they're like, they're better than yours
Damn right they're better than yours
I'd teach you...but
November 12, 2020
Interesting book, with a intriguing theme. The ending felt a bit rushed with the last two chapters revealing everything all at once.
I would recommend this book if you are looking for a thrilling although short mystery to follow.
I would recommend this book if you are looking for a thrilling although short mystery to follow.
April 27, 2012
Awesome, normally don't read crime novels but this one had me glued to it every lunchtime.
June 9, 2011
Awesome, normally don't read crime novels but this one had me glued to it every lunchtime.
August 4, 2011
Terrific! I still remember all the plot. This book make me realize that child world not always easy.. But i will not reread this book again. :D
March 23, 2012
This book was better than I thought it would be. Definitely a dark and twisty mystery--even though you know "who dunnit" fairly early on.
August 18, 2012
Nancy 4 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews