The Birdcage
1999: The summer of the total solar eclipse. Three teenage half-sisters - Lauren, Kat and Flossie - are staying at Rock Point, a remote Cornish house, under the neglectful eye of their artist father. They sit for his famous portrait, Girls and Birdcage. Run wild on the cliff tops. And forge a devastating secret. 2019: A winter reunion at Rock Point throws their busy grown-up lives into disarray. It’s the first time they’ve been back since that catastrophic summer - and they’re trying to put it behind them. But someone is watching the house. Someone who recognises the girls in the painting – and know what they did. A gripping mystery, crackling with dark secrets, and a portrait of a troubled, lovable family fighting to grow closer, not apart. 'Has all the components for slow-burn suspense: estranged sisters called back to their windswept childhood home on the Cornish coast, where dark secrets are about to be uncovered. Atmospheric and twisty: think Daphne Du Maurier for the present day.' The Sunday Telegraph '[A] moody psychological thriller. . . . Exquisite prose and an evocative setting.' Publishers Weekly New York Post summer read pick 'The plot is suspenseful and blooms at a slow but satisfying pace. Fans of Jane Harper will enjoy the vivid sense of place and the flawed, complex characters...' Booklist, US “[A] shrewd and sensitive exploration of troubled families. . . Chase sets the plot on simmer and slowly raises the temperature. She draws her characters—especially the half sisters—with care and cunning. . . With lyrical originality, she delivers passages that in one image capture the dichotomy between creation and destruction that defines the novel. . . Atmospheric and arresting, ‘The Birdcage’ dissects the family drama, explores the power of potential redemption and displays the author at her creative and compassionate best.” - Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, US “It feels strange to describe a thriller about reconciling past sins as being heartwarming, but The Birdcage somehow manages to be suspenseful while at the same time remaining sensitive toward and generous to its troubled, flawed characters. . . The psychology and family dynamics are spot on, with Eve Chase sidestepping obvious cliches in the design of her engrossing tale. . . The twists and turns were above average, and the ending deeply satisfying. This is one of those thrillers that doesn’t rely on depravity to propel the plot, but turns its canny eye on how our all-too-human weaknesses can set off terrible consequences, and how love and compassion can heal and help us all become better people.” Criminal Element, US “The complex dynamics that fuel sisterly love but ignite rivalry set the emotional tone for British author Eve Chase's irresistibly suspenseful drama, The Birdcage. . . Chase navigates the relationships Flora, Kat and Lauren have with each other and with their father with masterful strokes, offering enticing, layered glimpses into their early years. . . The eerie, ethereal imagery in The Birdcage [will] linger with readers long after they part ways with the Finch family.” Shelf Awareness, US |
What they're saying...‘Eve Chase never disappoints. The far west of Cornwall is evoked in all its wild and mystical glory in this lyrical and propulsive family drama about three sisters whose lives have been overshadowed by a tragic secret on the day of the 1999 eclipse. Immersive, tense and ultimately redemptive, it held me completely in its grip.’ Sarah Vaughan, bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal
‘I fell in love with The Birdcage. A gorgeously written, atmospheric and twisty story. Eve Chase’s books never fail to make me cry. I devoured it!’ Claire Douglas, bestselling author The Couple at No.9 “I loved this atmospheric story about families and secrets” Prima 'I loved it...engrossing, gripping and layered.' Gillian McAllister, author, Wrong Place, Wrong Time, the Reese's Book Club pick 'Wildly glamorous and utterly intoxicating, The Birdcage is Eve Chase at her very best; taut, intriguing and evocative. Du Maurier with a modern twist.' Veronica Henry 'The Birdcage is a show-stopping novel - beautifully written and atmospheric, with a cast of fascinating, brilliantly realised characters whose story kept me absolutely gripped....one of the only writers I would drop anything for.' Rosie Walsh, author of The Love of My Life, Ghosted 'Beautiful, page-turning, with believable characters you root for, this will sweep you away. I loved it.' Katie Fforde 'Atmospheric and beautifully written, I absolutely loved it.' Jane Fallon |
