I am beginning to be a big fan of William Shaw! I recently read his Salt Lane novel and got the bug. Salt Lane features DS Alexandra Cupidi and her daughter. So The Birdwatcher is a prequel to Salt Lane? OK, the main character is Police Sergeant William South but Cupidi and her daughter especially feature in this novel. Do you need to read The Birdwatcher before tackling the start of a trilogy Salt Lane? No, not really: The Birdwatcher is a standalone novel but does offer insight into the characters of Cupidi and daughter Zoë.

The reviews are more than promising:
‘If you’re not a fan yet, why not?’ Val McDermid
‘The most gripping book I’ve read in years. William Shaw is, quite simply, an outstanding storyteller’ Peter May
‘Grips the reader by the throat and never lets go’ Independent

A methodical, diligent, and resourceful Police Sergeant South is an avid birdwatcher with a close neighbour He is a trusted figure in Dungeness on the remote Kent coast. We soon learn that he lives with the deeply buried secret that he may have killed a man in the Troubles in Northern Ireland as a kid. When his close neighbour is found murdered in his remote home, South’s world flips.

The main suspect is connected with South’s childhood; the victim was the only person connecting South to his early crime; and a troubled, vivacious new female sergeant has been relocated from London and assigned to work with South on the investigation.

Bit by bit South unwinds the mystery with Cupidi’s help. There is much foreboding who will survive in the novel? A tense and atmospheric thriller. This a classic example of British detective fiction. Do read!

More About William Shaw

William Shaw was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, grew up in Nigeria and lived for sixteen years in Hackney. For over twenty years he has written on popular culture and sub-culture for various publications including the Observer and the New York Times. A Song from Dead Lips is his first novel, which is followed by the next in the series, A House of Knives. He lives in Brighton. His website and details of his many books: www.WilliamShaw.com