The Murder Bird

A Novel

To discover the truth about her mother’s death, a young woman fights to decode the secrets contained in a mysterious poem

Sam Waller, an independent young cellist, needs to know what really happened to her mother, Kirsten, who was found electrocuted in the bath of her Cornwall cottage. The police declared it suicide, but Sam is convinced they’re wrong. Her mother, an acclaimed poet, had been at work on a new project, and she had sounded fine while talking to Sam a few days prior—nothing suggested desperation. But Raph, Kirsten’s estranged barrister husband, says that the poem, ending with the line “I take my leave and go,” demonstrates her dark intention. Now the poem and Kirsten’s journal are missing, and Raph obstructs all of Sam’s efforts to find them. As she searches for answers, Sam finds herself in the midst of her family’s web of deceit, where she’ll have to risk everything to find the truth.