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36th out of 100 books
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The Blackbird Papers: A Novel
by
Ian Smith
A rainy night . . . A stranded motorist . . . A Good Samaritan passerby … a Nobel Prize–winning professor . . . The setup for a shocking murder designed to cover up an even more sinister crime . . .
The Blackbird Papers marks the debut of Ian Smith, a major new talent in crime fiction, and of Sterling Bledsoe, his smart and occasionally combative sleuth.
World-renowned Dar...more
The Blackbird Papers marks the debut of Ian Smith, a major new talent in crime fiction, and of Sterling Bledsoe, his smart and occasionally combative sleuth.
World-renowned Dar...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
June 14th 2005
by Broadway
(first published 2004)
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The Blackbird Papers is a mystery novel by Ian Smith. It is his debut novel. On his way home after receiving a prestigious award, Professor Wilson Bledsoe, who teaches at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, is murdered. His brother, FBI agent Sterling Bledsoe persuades his boss to allow him to lead the investigation into the murder. Carved into his brother’s chest is the word “nigger.” At first the trail leads to a group of white supremacist. Sterling, however, is skeptical. The men h...more
prominent, award-winning African American Dartmouth etiologist is murdered in rural Vermont and his brother, FBI Special Agent, Sterling Bledsoe, spearheads the investigation. When circumstantial evidence points to white supremacists, Sterling senses a cover-up and digs deeper to find the truth. The story then follows his methodical steps as he conducts interviews, observes autopsies, and delves into his famous brother's clandestine research project involving thousands of dead blackbirds found ...more
The plot was good but not executed in a way that excited me as a reader. Quite obviously there was a lot of research put into this book. The ecological thriller bored me. I was lost with all of the scientific terminology, etc. Ian Smith did ok breaking down concepts. The mystery became so deep that the plot was hard to keep up with. Many of the clues throughout the story were too easy for Sterling to find. If he needed certain information, he found it. The number of supporting characters clouded...more
I had some time to spare and thought I'd give this a try since I watched celebrity fit club. Boy was I surprised. I read the whole thing, had a hard time putting it down, in one day. The characters were imperfect and the story line intriguing. I was pretty sure I wnew whodunit as soon as it was done, but there was a gutpunch at the end that threw me, even though I saw it coming.
I expected to really like this book. I didn't. Probably one of the most boring "thrillers" I've ever read. It felt like someone did a whole bunch of research and wrapped a story around it. It didn't have that natural flow that it should have had. A lot of the phrases and metaphors were very common and cliché. I was glad when it finally ended. On a positive note, it was very well researched and I learned a lot about blackbirds and sunflowers.
Loved it; page turner. The characters are so fresh and vivid. I enjoyed this debut novel and hoping Ian Smith writes another follow up one. It was refreshing to see a well written, thought out plot.
I wish the author would try his hand at another work of fictionl I really enjoyed this story.
Nice read, some unusual, unexpexted turns in a classical "whodunnit". Really nice setting.
I didn't want to put this book down! A well-written story with very believable characters.
Kept my interest to the very end
Murder in a small college town..a distinguished scholar stops to help a fellow pedestrian and it ends up being his last night--but why? As his estranged brother tries to piece the puzzle together more questions are raised and the surprise at the end will definitely catch you off guard..Good but not great read.
This was a very good book! Before this I only knew of Ian Smith as Dr. Ian Smith on Celebrity Fit Club but he took this book to a new level. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a good exciting read.
Ian Smith is a creative writer.
I read this book in two days.
This books is full of suspense, detailed plots, and very intense.
Easy to read!
A well writing book.....
I read this book in two days.
This books is full of suspense, detailed plots, and very intense.
Easy to read!
A well writing book.....
Read this book in one weekend. Very good book, although the ending kind of sucks. Would recommend to anyone.
this was ok to good. had your murder, rogue fbi agent, chases, etc
Come on Dr. Smith! This was a phenomenal read! Where's the next book????
what a great book...lot of intrigue around campus and real world
Excellent murder mystery; a page turner.
Great thriller from a new writer
Chantelle Finley
added it
Shay
added it
Pamela
marked it as to-read
Brighid Moret
marked it as to-read
Kelley
marked it as to-read
Malcaj
marked it as to-read
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