Out of a Clear Sky

A chilling debut novel of obsession, loss and birds, reminiscent of Nicci French and Barbara Vine

People talk about the cold, hard light of day. There's no escaping what you can see by it. There can be no confusing, in that early morning light, the truth with the wished-for reality of dreams. The body was still there. He was still dead. Abandoned by her lover, Manda finds solace in bird-watching, a hobby her ex-partner introduced her to. The birds provide Manda with an escape from her troubled past and an uncertain future. But then she falls prey to the ever more sinister attentions of another birdwatcher. As the harassment builds up, she is forced to flee, and details of her complicated past start to emerge. Haunted by her tenuous relationship with her family and memories of her African childhood, Manda is struggling with the choice between safety and freedom as she tries to escape her elusive stalker. Tempted by the promise of her friend Tom's protection, she wonders if she should finally trust someone before it's too late ...Told through the vivid images of birds, Out of a Clear Sky is an unsettling psychological thriller which will grip you until the startling, unforeseen end.