Caged Little Birds

by Lucy Banks

The public think Ava’s a monster. Ava thinks she’s blameless.

In prison, they called her Butcher Bird – but Ava’s not in prison any more. Released after 25 years to a new identity and a new home, Ava finally has the quiet life she’s always wanted.

But someone knows who she is. The lies she’s told are about to unravel.

Genres: Audiobook, Thriller

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2022

About the author

Lucy Banks grew up in provincial Hertfordshire, before fleeing to the wilds of Devon, where she now lives with her husband and two boys. As a child, she spent a disproportionate amount of time lurking in libraries, and prowling car-boot sales to feed both her hunger for books and her book collection. It's fair to say that she's bypassed being a bookworm, and become a book-python instead. Today, most of the available space in her house is stuffed to the brim with literature, which is just the way she likes it.

Regular forays into fictional realms at a young age created a desire for more, and she soon began to create alternate realities through writing. After teaching English Literature to teens, she set up her own copywriting company and turned her love for the written word into a full-time career. However, the desire to create never went away, so Lucy turned her insomnia into a useful tool--penning her novels in the wee small hours of the night and the stolen moments of the day.

Reviews

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one.

I was closed in together with AVA in her mind twirling and twirling about and believe me, it was claustrophobic. I started out sympathetic to her but then a word dropped here and a word dropped there and I started to wonder, and wonder and wonder.

Very well done.

An ARC gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ava has a new identity after being released from prison. What is her story ? Is she a saint or a sinner??? I was fully immersed in Ava's story and only came up for breath after I had turned the last page. Great story telling and highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Mellisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Released after 25 years, Ava has a new identity...Robin Smith. A new identity was necessary, as the public think Ava is a monster for causing the death of a child. Ava feels she is blameless, that it was his and his father's fault. Robin hopes this new identity will help her escape her past... but someone has found out who Robin is, and they won't stop until they feel she has fully paid for her crime.

What an absolutely thriller of a book! I was gripped from start to finish. Robin is an easily hated character, but that amount of emotion and hatred works perfectly for keeping me gripped in the book.

Disturbing yet stop reading. This is a book that you'll just want to keep reading.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He thinks he knows me, that he's got it all figured out. But really he's only seeing the tip of what lies above the surface. The rest is hidden, and it will always stay that way.”

Ava is trying to adjust to life again after spending twenty-five years in prison. But that isn’t all that’s new, she also has a new identity to protect her from the public who see her as a monster. Ava thinks they’ve got her wrong and what happens wasn’t her fault. But there’s someone who’s sure it was and they want to see her pay. Is her new life about to fall apart?

Dark, harrowing and haunting, this twisted tale is an intimate look inside a fractured mind. There is an immediate sense of unease and an eerie atmosphere that lingers over the pages. Ava’s long sentence and ominous nickname - Butcher Bird - hint at a terrible crime but she believes herself to be blameless. A mere victim of happenstance and other people’s actions. But her subconscious seems to know what she can’t admit to herself and she is haunted by the spectre of those she’s accused of harming. It is exquisitely written, each word infused with heartache, grief and trauma that pulls at your heartstrings even when you doubt that you should be feeling any kind of empathy for Ava. The author drops small breadcrumbs that help the reader piece the puzzle together, slowly revealing the full, awful truth of Ava and her crime. It sent chills down my spine as things built to a shocking and unexpected climax.

Ava is one of the most chilling and unsettling characters I’ve read. Spectacularly written, she is unlikeable and unreliable yet utterly compelling, and there is something about her that makes it impossible not to feel some sympathy for her. She also seems pretty harmless and pathetic, if not a bit arrogant, and I found myself wondering if she wasn’t as bad as everyone seems to think, yet there was that little voice just stopping me from believing what she said. As time goes on we begin to see Ava come apart; she is increasingly paranoid and her inner monologue reveals the true darkness harbouring within her that she tries to hide.

Superbly sinister and tantalisingly twisty, Caged Little Birds is an unnerving thriller that you won’t be able to put down.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caged Little Birds by Lucy Banks is a standalone novel. The story follows Ava, now known as Robin after she is released from prison after serving a lengthy sentence as she settles into her new life in a neighborhood community. But someone is out to disrupt Ava's new start, someone who knows her secrets.

At first we don't know much about Ava/Robin or why she is in prison but we know something terrible happened. At various times in the book, I loved, hated, empathized with, was horrified by and wanted to shake this deeply complex character. I went into this expecting more of a thriller but found instead more of a psychological character study into the experience of a women out of her element, struggling to find her feet and fit into a world that is no longer the same. It made me curious about women's experiences in prison and think deeply about how people treat convicted criminals.

The book was easy to read, and follow the story, and short enough that I could read in one sitting. Overall, I really enjoyed this psychologically intense story and will look out for more by this author.

[Zoe Radley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing, gripping novel about obsession, denial and trying to find a place in a world that has moved on but also is unforgiving to those who have stepped out of line and done somethings which the majority of people would never do. The character Ava is complex and filled with a desire to live and breathe outside away from others but is forced to meet her wardens, also shows little empathy for others and doesn’t realise that maybe her faults lay back with how she behaved in the past. A fascinating insight into psychosis and mental health.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caged Little Birds by Lucy Banks is the first-person account of Ava, who murdered a child, and her life after release from jail.

Her sentence complete, she is living in the community under a new identity and all she wants is to return to a remote Scottish island to observe the birdlife, as she did in her childhood. Instead, the terms of her probation require her to live in the town, receive weekly visits from her over-worked probation officer, attend regular sessions with her psychiatrist, and try to find a job. Ava has too much spare time and spends much of it dwelling on her ex-lover whose son she accidentally killed (they say 'murdered', she says it was an accident), the boy's cold-hearted, jealous mother, and an ex-cellmate whom she may have encouarged to commit suicide.

Ava becomes friends with her neighbour, an ex-homeless man who asks too many questions about her earlier life. When this neighbour's adult daughter comes to stay with him Ava's world starts to unravel. A letter arrives indicating at least one person out there knows her true identity and Ava is convinced it's from the neighbour's daughter. Ava sees her acting suspicioulsy when out on walks along the river and is further convinced when a brick is thrown through her window. Around this point in the plot, the pace quickens, the tension in Ava's mind increases rapidly, she knows she must act soon before her identity and crime is revealed to everyone, and so she makes the necessary preparations...

This a real psychology novel; the author captures Ava's anxieties remarkably well. The plot is well-crafted and the essential characters are thoroughly developed and feel like they could be people we already know. I like the use of tension and pace, rising and falling as the book progresses. The ending is neatly crafted and satisfying.

Peter
www.books-and-beans.com
(Please follow my books and coffee/cafes blog.)

[Mrs Sarah J Neyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant- I loved this -do yourself a favour and read it - you won’t regret it

[Rachel Sargeant]

Released from prison at the end of a twenty-five year sentence, Ava is housed in a council house in a town she doesn’t know and given the new name Robin. Keeping a lid on her feelings by self–medicating with sleeping pills, she convinces her psychiatrist and her probation officer that all is well. And sometimes all does go well, especially when she spends time with Bill, an ex-homeless man whom the council have housed next door. Although Robin keeps most of her past hidden, it seems that Bill is a kindred spirit, prepared to accept that a person can change despite a flawed background. But Bill has a daughter, Amber, who recognises Robin from somewhere and grows suspicious of her father’s blossoming friendship with her. And then the threatening notes start arriving and the pressure builds for Robin.
Less of a thriller and more of a psychological character study, this well-written novel depicts a descent into paranoia and violence. The narrator was unreliable, unlikeable and utterly compelling.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrowing

[Nicky Mottram · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with this one. The storyline just didn’t have me gripped and was a little slow, it did however highlight the struggles ex offenders deal with when released and how it affects their mental health.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sandstone Press for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Lovetoread2023 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twisty complex read that once I got through the slow start had me gripped and guessing right till the end.
I loved the attention to detail the author truly made you feel you were inside the characters head.
Look forward to reading more by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sandstone Press for the ARC.

[CJ Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is told in two time lines the present Ava living with a new identity after her release from prison with snippets of her troubled and traumatic past..

So Ava is a character you love to hate, misunderstood, chaotic devious, manipulative, unpredictable a real Jackle and Hide.

Caged Little Birds is an enchanted read that although complex you can't help but be immersed in.

[Aria Harlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read that i couldn't put down and read in one sitting. It was perfectly paced with a good amount of tension and it was twosty and unpredictable.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ava is newly released from prison, after receiving a life sentence for a crime serious enough to mean she must now live under a new identity to protect her - even though she believes herself to be innocent of the sins laid at her door.

But settling into life on the outside as Robin Smith is proving to be harder than she thought. Although she longs for a quiet life, the tedious conditions placed on her as part of her release make it necessary for her to live far away from the peace and isolation of the Scottish Islands that she loves, and Ava is not cut out to rub along well with others.

At first Ava tries her best to become what is expected of her new alter-ego Robin, but then someone discovers who she really is, and wants revenge for the crimes they believe she has not been punished for. As her paranoia overwhelms her, the web of lies she has created to hide her true nature starts to unravel. Is Ava really the monster that her fellow inmates dubbed The Butcher Bird, or is she just misunderstood?

Caged Little Birds is a wonderfully dark and twisty tale that offers so much to delve into around the best way to deal with offenders who have received long sentences for very serious crimes - all tied up in unsettling story that, despite becoming increasingly disturbing as it unfurls, is impossible to look away from for a second.

It is hard to convey quite how many really knotty themes Lucy Banks touches on this this incredible book, but I will start by looking at the woman who consumes your attention from the first page to the last - Ava. Her first person narrative flips back and forth between her childhood, her life before prison, her experiences during her sentence, and what is happening in the present now she has been released. We only ever see the world through her eyes, and her account is fractured, becoming less lucid as her paranoia takes over, especially as she succumbs to over use of sleeping tablets and hits the bottle hard, so it takes a while to piece together the truth about her crimes. Everything is coloured by her conviction that whatever she has done in her life has been justified, by her need for male approval, and by the problem she has relating well to women, but as her tale unfurls you become more and more convinced that her version of events is highly unreliable on all fronts - especially given how circumstances spiral horribly out of control.

It sounds like it might be easy to paint Ava as the monster she has been branded as, but Banks very cleverly manipulates your perception throughout the story, making you second guess yourself. Even though you come to see that Ava's account of events is badly skewed, sifting through her ravings you get the impression that the things that have happened to her are likely to have had some part in shaping the person she has become. Or have they? You are never quite sure if she is telling the truth at any point along the way, which makes it doubly delicious. Is Ava the Butcher Bird after all despite her belief that she is blameless? Is there some good in her? Was she born evil, or made that way? Banks leaves it open for you to decide in the end, which I really enjoyed.

But this is not just a tale about a character we would probably not want to be living next door to. Among the gripping spiral into chaos, Banks asks some very meaty questions, and these leave you with a head that is absolutely buzzing when you reach the end of the story. What is the best way for society to deal with the perpetrators of the most serious crimes when they are eventually released from prison? Can they ever settle into normal lives when they have been completely institutionalised? Does prison offer a chance to rehabilitate offenders like Ava? Indeed, can someone who never acknowledges their guilt even be rehabilitated? And my personal favourite, given my own background in psychology, how much of an impact does it have on someone to be given a whole new identity that they have no concept of how to live up to? Lots to delve into here!

There are no easy answers to any of these questions, whatever the rights and wrongs of the matter, but what Banks does highlight beautifully is that there certainly are failings in the way long incarcerated offenders are integrated back into the world, that do not protect them, or the public, from harm. Ava's probation officer is clearly stretched far beyond her capacity to do her job at a competent level, and the same goes for the basic level of psychological support she is given too.

This is a book that will put you in a spin, which is highly impressive for a work of under 250 pages. Ava is a character you will love to hate: arrogant, manipulative, cunning, and convinced that she is smarter that everyone else, but she is oh so compelling at the same time. Ava's mind is an uncomfortable place to be, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is the perfect choice for book clubs, because there is so much to talk about too!

[Lison CARPENTIER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ava vient de passer vingt cinq années de sa vie derrière les barreaux. A sa sortie de prison, elle bénéficie d’une nouvelle identité, d’une aide financière et d’un appartement dans la banlieue de Bristol mis à disposition par le gouvernement anglais. A cela s’ajoute le contrôle régulier par une assistante sociale qui a pour but sa réintégration sociale par l’obtention d’un emploi. Elle doit également s’astreindre à un suivi psychiatrique pour que l’on s’assure que tout va bien dans sa tête. Devenue Robin, prénom qu’elle déteste car il signifie « rouge-gorge », symbôle de l’ironie pour cette fille d’ornithologue qui a passé son enfance rêveuse à regarder voler les oiseaux et qui se retrouve à consumer sa vie en prison. Robin, donc,fait la rencontre de Bill, son nouveau voisin, avec qui elle sympathise et noue une relation. Tout irait pour le mieux si Robin n’était pas la proie d’une mystérieuse harceleuse qui semble l’avoir reconnue. Elle sait ce qu’elle a fait par le passé. Est-ce Amber, la fille de Bill, qui aurait reconnue en elle cette femme accusée du meurtre d’un petit garçon ? Dès lors les fantômes de Robin reviennent la hanter : ce petit garçon, fils d’un amant qui l’a bafouée, la jeune Ditz, sa voisine de cellule qui s’est suicidée, la maîtresse de son père qui lorsqu’elle était enfant cherchait à se débarasser d’elle…

Ava a un lourd passé que l’on découvre au compte-goutte, elle se raconte à la première personne et confie ses sentiments par rapport à sa nouvelle vie. Cette forme de liberté qu’on lui octroie tourne vite au cauchemar: Robin se révèle extrêmement anxieuse d’être reconnue, elle est en proie à des crises de paranoïa et soupçonne Amber, la fille de son ami, de lui en vouloir, de collaborer avec Henry son ancien amant, père de l’enfant qu’on l’accuse d’avoir tué…

Lucy Banks dresse le portrait saisissant d’une psychopathe à qui l’on offre une seconde chance mais qui ne parvient pas à la saisir tant elle est dominée par ses problèmes psychologiques. Elle se surveille elle-même de peur de révéler son passé, or si elle veut reconstruire sa vie, notamment avoir une relation amoureuse, elle se doit d’être honnête et d’avouer ce pour quoi elle a été incarcérée. Elle ne parvient pas à avouer car selon elle, elle n’est pas responsable du meurtre qu’elle a commis. Dès lors, elle se noie dans des mensonges, des dissimulations et sa relation avec Bill part rapidement à vau-l’eau. Elle est sans cesse pourchassée par ses réminiscences qui l’empêchent de vivre sa vie actuelle, elle dissimule à son psychologue son état mental et ment à l’assistante sociale sur ses capacités à renouer avec la société. Après vingt cinq ans passées en prison, Ava n’a pas surmonté les humiliations passées, la haine ressentie est plus que jamais présente. Elle a plus besoin d’aide que de sanction, mais personne n’est là pour s’en aperçevoir, jusqu’à la catastrophe.

Le but de l’auteure est de montrer que l’on ne prend pas correctement en charge les troubles psychologiques des repris de justice. Les incarcérer ne suffit pas. A noter que le titre anglais est Caged little birds qui signifie Petits oiseaux en cage et exprime la fragilité d’Ava, tandis que la traduction française Oiseau de proie insiste plus sur son côté prédateur. Les deux aspects de sa personne apparaissent dans le récit. Ce roman se dévore, le lecteur est happé dans l’univers tortueux de cette femme qui a vécu des évènements douloureux et qui ne les a pas surmontés. Le point de vue est original, lourd de sens, partager le ressenti d’Ava c’est un peu comme lui donner foi parfois, c’est ce qui rend ce roman dérangeant et intrigant.

Je remercie pour cette lecture les Editions Belfond et Netgalley.

[Alice Alexandre]

Après avoir purgé une peine de vingt-cinq ans de prison pour un crime pour lequel elle continue de clamer son innocence, Ava bénéficie d’une libération conditionnelle. Effrayée à l’idée que, malgré les années qui ont passé et le nouveau nom dont on l’a affublée, quelqu’un la reconnaisse, Ava, qui se prénomme désormais Robin, limite ses sorties à la pharmacie, à l’épicerie du coin et à ses rendez-vous obligatoires chez le psychologue, se retrouvant prisonnière des quatre murs de son nouveau logement et de ses pensées peuplées de fantômes. Ainsi, la nuit, lorsque le temps s’étire l’empêchant de trouver le sommeil, les moments passés avec son père, le premier homme qui l’a trahie, lui reviennent à l’esprit. Puis, elle se remémore chaque instant passé avec Henry, l’homme qui l’a bafouée. Les minutes s’amoncellent, les heures passent, le sommeil se refuse toujours à venir et les souvenirs s’emmêlent.

Les somnifères deviennent alors ses seuls amis. Mais, eux aussi, rapidement l’abandonnent. Ses pensées s’emballent alors jour et nuit. Et elle pense à lui, ce garçon mort sous ses yeux. Toute la journée. Et elle lui parle. Pour lui, elle s’accroche comme elle peut pour profiter de cette deuxième chance que lui offre la société. Mais est-ce vraiment une chance ? C’est alors qu’arrive la première lettre anonyme. Quelqu’un sait qui elle est ! Mais qui ? Bill, son voisin ? La fille de Bill, qui voit d’un mauvais œil le rapprochement entre son père et Robin ?

Dès les premières pages, on s’interroge. Quel crime Ava a-t-elle commis ? A-t-elle été accusée à tort ? On découvre petit à petit l’environnement dans lequel elle a grandi et on ressent de la peine, voire une grande tristesse pour cette enfant orpheline de mère et dont le père ne semble guère se soucier. Lorsque l’on découvre comment, plus tard, cet autre homme de sa vie l’a humiliée, on ressent aussi de la peine, voire de la colère. Et puis la narration avance et les doutes croissent…

La narration à la première personne du singulier et les allers-retours incessants entre passé et présent, au cours desquels Ava nous livre au compte-gouttes quelques bribes des événements qui l’ont amenée derrière les barreaux, qu’elle nous fait voir selon sa perspective, contribuent à ce sentiment de malaise présent tout au long du récit. Oiseau fragile ? Oiseau de proie ?

Bref, un premier roman déroutant d’une noirceur bouleversante, que je vous recommande vivement.

https://www.instagram.com/aliceintheo...

[Karen Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Sandstone Press for my copy of the book and I am delighted to be reading as part of the Squadpod September Bookclub. I will be chatting to Lucy about Caged Little Birds on Thursday at 7.30 via the Squad Insta feed @squadpod2021.
I have read Lucy’s Dr Ribero series and wow I was completely surprised by the theme of this book.
Ava has been in prison for a long time and because of the seriousness of her crime and the reaction from the public regarding her release she has been given a new identity in a new town. Robin, as she is now called is living in Exeter and as part of her rehabilitation she has a probation officer who is always a bit too busy to pay too much attention to her and her psychiatrist who she only lets see what she wants him to.
From the outset there is a real sense of unease in the book, Ava/Robin does not see her self as a criminal she feels that what happened was a consequence of other people’s behaviour. You are not aware of why she was in prison for so long, but her nickname ‘The Butcher Bird’ gives the reader a clue that it was something quite terrible.
She becomes friendly with her next door neighbour, a man called Bill who live with his daughter Amber, it is not long before Amber says that she recognises Robin from somewhere and this unsettles her and then she starts to receive threatening letters and thinks she is being followed.
This is a dark tale, and although it is not fast paced it does pull you in with the unsettling pretense, Ava /Robin is not a likeable character at all, but there are points in the story that you feel that she has been let down by the system, but the question is, was she always bad?
The story unravels slowly to a shocking climax, this is a really cleverly written, as we travel with Ava as her paranoia and destruction take place. I can not wait to chat with Lucy about Ava and discover what inspired her to write her story. A disturbing and forbidding look at the mind of a very troubled woman.
https://sandstonepress.com/blog/2022/...

[Sirine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, what a dark and sinister story this was.

I didn't know what to think of Ava at first, she was so sure of her innocence, seeing herself as a misunderstood victim so wrongly accused. But she seemed haunted by something, always running, always hiding from what she did, even if she couldn't admit it to herself. And then, with a small word there, a quick sentence here, and the awful truth starts to reveal itself piece by piece.

I was torn between feeling sorry for Ava and feeling horrified.

Sorry because she was clearly traumatized by her childhood and past relationship. She tries, she really does try to find her place in this world that moved on without her. But as the story goes on and she drowns herself into paranoid and resentful thoughts, you just know there is no way she's gonna have her happy ending. It was sad really, inexorably watching her run toward a new tragedy. Because despite not exactly being a likable character, you just can't help but feel sympathy for her.

But I felt horrified as well, at her lack of empathy, her arrogance and complete disconnection to the real world. She just doesn't realize that what she did was wrong, how agressive, obsessed and hateful she sounds.

*spoiler alert*

It was a bit funny at times, the way she put herself as a victim while literally talking about how SHE murdered people. "Yeah I pushed her to suicide by repeating multiple times how she didn't matter, how weak she was but I'm not the one who killed her, I didn't deserve to be blamed". "Yeah I pushed him and his head hit the table and he died but it wasn't my fault, he was mean to me! I didn't deserve to spend 20 years in prison!"

The book also asks important questions: can criminals ever settle into normal lives again after being behind bars? Do they all deserve a second chance? Can someone who has never really acknowledged their guilt and crimes move on? How can we help them in this process?

It was a very interesting and well written story, the audiobook was amazing. I will definitely think about this book for a while.

[Litote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un roman sombre et troublant qui explore la question de savoir s'il y a une réinsertion possible pour les criminels qui ont été condamnés à de longues peines. Nous allons suivre l'évolution d' Ava à sa sortie de prison après avoir purgé une peine de vingt-cinq ans, elle a désormais une nouvelle identité et se prénomme Robin. Anonyme, elle peut espérer recommencer une nouvelle vie. Elle aurait rêvé retourner vivre sur l'île de son enfance, dans les Hébrides, à observer les oiseaux dans la solitude et la tranquillité. Malheureusement les conditions de probation nécessitent qu'elle vive en ville, et voit régulièrement son agent de probation ainsi qu'un psychiatre. Très vite un nouveau voisin s'installe et sème le trouble chez Robin. Petit à petit, elle craint qu'on ne la reconnaisse. Le roman met en évidence les difficultés que rencontrent les ex-détenus lorsqu'ils essaient de se réinsérer dans la société. Trouver un travail, s'intégrer dans la communauté, reprendre les rênes de son existence.

Le récit est rédigé à la première personne et le lecteur entre ainsi en communion avec les pensées désordonnées d'Ava. Très vite on devine qu'Ava doit faire face à des soucis d'auto médication, notamment en abusant de somnifères. Mais aussi d'ordres psychologiques avec une forte tendance à la paranoïa. Pourtant il semble bien qu'elle soit la cible d'une vengeance, des lettres de menace commencent à arriver faisant monter en elle la pression. L'atmosphère étrange crée par l'auteure donne à ce thriller psychologique toute sa saveur. L'esprit angoissé d'Ava nous est livré sur un plateau, à nous de le décortiquer et d'en comprendre les méandres et les sinuosités. Une lecture stimulante et un rien obsédante. Une descente dans la psyché et l'étude du caractère d'un personnage antipathique et imprévisible mais hautement convaincant. Bonne lecture.

[Karen Mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 14 of my 20 Books of Summer 2024.

Blooming brilliant!! One of those books that really took me by surprise as I knew very little about it going in. And it had that claustrophobic, unsettling feel throughout as we follow Ava on her release from prison, seeing her face the world after 25 years for a crime that is hinted at throughout but not overly explored.

She finds herself with a new identity - Robin - and with a support system of case workers around her, but that feeling of paranoia and the past always forefront in her mind. She finds a bond with her next door neighbour, Bill, who has had his own issues in life and she does start to feel a little calmer when he's around, although his daughter seems very wary of Ava and this is where her active imagination begins to ramp up the overthinking and paranoia.

There's flashes back to her childhood, birdwatching with her father, and also her time in jail and the people she met there. We really are in her head and it's often a place of confusion while she tries to justify her actions.

The author cleverly drops little hints throughout as to what her crime was, and I really liked that slow burn of not really knowing straight away what she was in for - we see her playing the system when talking to the shrink or case worker, telling them what she knows they want to hear, while keeping a lot to herself.

There's so many aspects to this story that kept me gripped throughout and I really enjoyed the darkness of the characters and brings to the fore of does rehabilitation work, in connection with the severity of the crimes. A very clever book, brilliantly written! Highly recommended!!

[travelsalongmybookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐀𝐯𝐚’𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐯𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.

𝐈𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 – 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐯𝐚’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐀𝐯𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥.

Banks really gets us inside the mind of Ava, or Robin Smith which is the new identity she has been given. It feels claustrophobic, yet is engrossing. I’m not sure how I felt about her and my perception was reframed as I read.
Slowly as this story unwinds we delve into Ava’s history and I ended up feeling sorry for her in some ways, despite the crimes she has committed. It deals with fixation, obsession, rehabilitation and I really felt I was witnessing the unravelling of a mind. It’s really well written and she set my teeth on edge.!

‘Monster. Butcher Bird. Murderer.
Ava.’

I’ll be honest, I couldn’t read this book in one go. I found it disquieting, and this is due to the main character of Ava. It felt like a single hander at the theatre, intense, insular, all consuming and absorbing, and for this reason I had to take a break and read over 2-3 days.
It feels tense to read, difficult at times and is sharp, unnerving and all the more powerful for that.

‘Nature is cruel and so are we.’

A strong, tense and unnerving portrayal of an unravelling mind.

[Lori Jean Zuber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ava, aka “Butcher Bird,” has just been released after twenty five years in prison. She now finds herself trying to integrate back into society as a middle-aged woman.Everyone believes she is a monster. She has been placed into Witness Protection due to the brutality of her crime.

Bill suddenly moves in next door. Ava and Bill form a friendship that develops into something more. However, she is hiding a secret. She creates a web of lies to prevent people from finding out her real identity. When someone finds out, Ava’s lies begin to disentangle and she must do everything she can to save herself.

Can Ava’s save her identity? Can she keep these secrets and live a normal life? How far will she go to protect herself?j

I enjoy Ms. Banks novels very much. This new one does not disappoint! It is fast paced and easy to read. Her characters are well described and the scenery is created so well the reader finds themself drawn into the story. Ms. Banks has created a tapestry of events that weave together to form chaos. I definitely recommend this book!

[Esther Bultitude · Rating 3 out of 5]

He thinks he knows me, that he's got it all figured out. But really he's only seeing what lies above the surface. The rest is hidden, and it’s going to stay that way…

Most people think Ava is a monster. But now she’s been set free.

Sentenced to twenty-five years in prison, they called her Butcher Bird.

Released with a new identity and a new home, Ava finally has the quiet life she’s always wanted.

But someone knows who she is, and they’re determined to make her pay.

The lies she told are about to unravel, but Ava is willing to do anything to keep the truth hidden…

This was told solely from the perspective of Ava who’s in witness protection since being released from prison.

As her alter ego Robin, she tries to build a new life but the old persona of Ava is never too far away.

I went through a range of emotions whilst reading this towards Robin - of feeling empathy for her all the way through to dislike when she shows her true colours and Ava shows her face again.

For such a passive person she really has a dark streak which to me always seemed to be lurking beneath the surface.

An interesting read with a surprising outcome that I wasn’t expecting.

[Jacqueline Moxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult one. It is very well written and extremely clever. We are skilfully taken into Ava’s mind, experiencing the trauma of her memories and almost persuaded by her self justification. She gradually reveals herself and the reader’s sympathies slowly adjust as the facts become evident. Clearly, her childhood was far from ideal, and her father’s neglect and disinterest warped her perceptions of love, right and wrong. It is a desperately sad story, with little hope of redemption. It is certainly gripping, in a disturbing way, and very memorable. An absorbing read, though not necessarily an enjoyable one. However, there is some consolation in that Ava does, indeed, find some mental peace at the end.

[Rachael Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly immersive

Lucy Banks has this ability to immerse you in her books, and in Caged Little Birds, that’s a fascinating and chilling place to be.

Recently released from a 25-year prison sentence, Ava is given a new identity and a new home and must find her way in the outside world. She trusts none of the people put in place to support her, but she is optimistic she’s found a new friend in her next-door neighbour. However, someone knows the truth about the Butcher Bird, and they’re not going to keep quiet.

Ava is an intriguing character: complicated, singular, and desperate to hide the truth. This book is a brilliant read, but also raises interesting questions about the nature of personality, and whether change is ever truly possible. An excellent read!

[Jen Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this audio version of this book. It wonderfully and clearly explores the mind of a killer in a truly believable way. I went from compassion and understanding for Ava/Robin at the life she had led and how that had impacted her mental health to pity and sadness for the victims involved who were truly trying to help her. It left me feeling unsettled that our justice system is not equipped to deal with crimes of this complex nature. That it’s easy to pull the wool over professionals eyes as they go through the process of rehabilitation.
The descriptions of her internal monologue was great at flipping my feeling of her. Ultimately although her crimes were abhorrent I actually felt sorry for her in the end. Not sure how I feel about that if I’m honest .

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caged Little Birds is a claustrophobic and intense read. Within the pages we meet Ava, who as a child had lived a solitary life accompanying her father across the remote islands of the UK to carry out bird studies.

When we meet Ava, she carries the name Robin. Newly released from prison we see how she goes about living life on the outside after being incarcerated. We also learn more about the events that led her to a prison cell, and what happened within the prison walls.

This was about as far from uplifting a read as you can get, but I was compelled to find out what would happen next!

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Depths by this author back in March and really enjoyed it, so when I spotted this new release, I was excited to dive in.

As ever, I went in blind, just going off the cover and tag line, so didn't really know what to expect from this at all - but was really pleased to find a great thriller.

Ava has just been released from prison and given a new identity and a new lease of life after the horrors of before.
But someone has worked out who she is and she'll do anything to keep her truth hidden.

I found the start a little slow to get going, but it's definitely a grower and after a while I was completely intrigued.
I really felt for Ava even though a convicted murderer.
There's definitely a lack of support for those who have been released from prison and her mental health was in decline, caused by trying to integrate back into real life.

The narrative often feels as though it's repeating itself - but I actually didn't mind this as we were exploring the workings of the mind and this is often how thought manifest into beliefs, so this actually fitted with the topic at hand.

On the whole, I enjoyed the writing style and thought this was well written.
A tense and sometimes emotional read.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Possible spoilers

I started out feeling sympathy for Ava, a lonely childhood, loosing both parents, abused by older man... she had it tough.
But the odd word or two made me rethink that.
It was subtly done.
The continued drug taking, and fall into paranoia was quite the page turner.
The whole thing felt claustrophobic, with only Ava's thoughts and a small cast of characters.

I flew through this, and thoroughly enjoyed not liking the main character.