After his mother’s death, Brian suffers severe trauma from his abusive father. When the abuse becomes too much, Brian’s mind splits into multiple personalities and starts him down a path of murder and destruction. Lizzie ’s life is turned upside down when she is tortured by a serial killer. Now she has to learn to cope with a new school, new friends, and a new life with a sister that she didn’t meet until recently. As Lizzie struggles to discover the identity of the man who ruined her life, people think she’s crazy and suffering from delusions. But when Lizzie finally discovers that Brian was her attacker, the two collide in a battle of survival…
"Hours later, Brian Matthew watched the lake, a peaceful blue rippling in the wind, turning gray as it hit the shore. He watched the expanse of trees and mountains stretching along for miles on the horizon. He observed the contrast between the blades of grass and the red of the dirt as the blood flowed in rivulets back into the earth.
In the end, everyone goes back into the earth, he thought."
Editorial Reviews:
Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
The Blackbird’s Song is a work of fiction in the thriller genre and was penned by author Katie M Marshall. Written for mature readers due to some scenes of violence and the use of explicit language, this is a dark tale containing themes of abuse, murder, and psychological trauma. The focus is on protagonist Lizzie, whose life becomes unbearable when she crosses paths with a serial killer whose dark past and broken mind continue to torment him. The after-effects of her experiences haunt Lizzie too, and she is determined to track down the man who ruined her life and made it impossible to cope and move on into the future.
Author Katie M Marshall has a flair for the dramatic and the exciting, yet nothing ever feels overplayed in this masterful and dynamic thriller. One of my favorite features of this novel, and the reason why I feel it differs from your average thriller, is the particular focus on Brian as the killer, and how his mental state has fractured and redeveloped into something truly terrifying. Marshall writes with a deep psychological intelligence that brings heaps of added atmosphere and tension to the piece as a whole, making a stark contrast and powerful standoff between Brian’s persona and that of Lizzie. There is a strong relatability and realism to Lizzie that grounds her despite the dark experiences, which are eerily well described. Overall, The Blackbird’s Song is an intense work that will satisfy readers who are fans of deep psychological contexts and interpersonal drama."
Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
The Blackbird's Song by Katie M. Marshall is a cleverly-plotted psychological thriller with strong characters and a twisty plot. Losing their mother was enough to make life miserable for young Brian and his sister Shelley. But a father who turns out to be abusive was too much. At age nine, he had to protect his sister from his father's abusive behavior, but how much can a young brain like his take? The trauma caused by his father sparks his multiple personality disorder and sends him down a dark path of murder. Lizzie has been tortured by a serial killer, and now in a new school and with new challenges, she has to learn to live with the trauma. That is until she discovers who is her attacker. What happens next is an explosive story that no one wants to miss.
Katie M. Marshall weaves a yarn that is gripping and features characters that are fleshed out and intricately developed. This is a novel that explores not only trauma but how the pain we cause others can lead them to cause pain to others as well. While readers will not enjoy what happens to Brian, they can't help but feel sympathetic to him. This novel offers a fresh perspective on understanding serial killers. They are broken individuals who act from a place of pain. The story has a delectable twist. It features short chapters that enhance the already focused writing, augmenting the quick pacing and the thrill the reader experiences. The descriptions, especially of family dynamics and the relationships between the characters, are first class. The Blackbird's Song is a thriller with characters that have depth. I enjoyed the skillful handling of conflict -- especially the internal conflict -- and the crisp prose.
Blog Review:
https://redheadedbooklover.com/the-blackbirds-song-katie-marshall/
The Blackbird’s Song by Katie Marshall (Book Review #898) – Review Tales (jeyranmain.com)
Amazon Reviews:
A Suspenseful and Fascinating Read
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2021
After losing his mother in a tragic accident, Brian and his sister are subject to their father's violence. Growing up becomes a harrowing challenge, and when Brian is pushed to his limits, his father is killed. This sets him on a dark path, where we discover that he is not completely in control of these actions. At the same time, mystifying blackouts allow other personalities to emerge.
This is also the story of Lizzie. She is haunted by the trauma of surviving an encounter with a serial killer. The aftermath of such an event means she lives a paranoid existence. Although, she has an inner strength that is exposed as the story moves along.
I found The Blackbird’s Song to be a suspenseful and fascinating read.
A fast-paced psychological thriller
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2021
Katie Marshall ‘s The Blackbird's Song is a psychological thriller that tackles the difficult scenario of the horrors parental abuse can lead to. After Brian and Shelley lose their mother in an accident, their father, who cannot handle the loss, becomes abusive toward his children. The psychological trauma spirals Brian’s psyche into a multiple split personality, and the reader becomes witness to the struggles among the three personae inhabiting Brian’s soul. As one of these descends into a life of violence and murder, Brian encounters the sisters Lizzie and Jen, traumatizing the younger of the two, Lizzie. The occasional horrific appearance of this Bogeyman haunts and unhinges Lizzie, even as she attempts to track him down and discover his true identity, not least to clear the name of her brother James who was accused of one of the murders.
This is a fast-paced, multifaceted novel with frequent twists and turns that engrosses the reader, in spite of the embedded violence. The surprise ending brings all the key characters together and cautions us that in our world too, dangerous characters with deep traumas may be lurking. Kudos to Ms. Marshall for tackling the difficult subjects of abuse and multiple personality disorder in the context of a thriller.
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021
In the spirit of fellow Mainer Stephen King, Katie Marshall has created a page-turning psychological thriller in The Blackbird's Song, published by Black Opal Books. Spanning the contrasting worlds of a California beach community and small-town Maine, the novel traces the intersecting paths of Brian Robinson, a deeply disturbed young man who evolves into a serial killer, and Lizzie, Brian's obsession and would-be victim--a teenager desperately seeking the strength to fight back even as she navigates the social minefield of a 21st-century high school.
Brian is no one-dimensional super villain. Instead, Marshall creates a complex, tortured soul who evokes, along with horror at his brutality, flashes of real sympathy from the reader. Along the way--a road full of unexpected twists and turns--Katie Marshall brings together a fascinating cast of characters (some of whom happen to inhabit the same body). In short, a first-rate thriller.