I have been a fan of Richard’s for a little while now. I find that his books are simply unputdownable, page turners. When I finish reading the current book, I immediately look forward to his next. ‘The Songbird Girls’ is Richard’s latest book and I flipping loved it but more about that in a bit.
I couldn’t help but take to the character of Detective Inspector Tom Fabian from the first moment I met him. He’s a career policeman with a bit of a complicated personal life. He tries not to allow his work to take over his personal life but at times he can’t help it. This book sees him being summoned to the local prison to talk to Christopher Wisher, who is the serial killer Fabian caught three years previously. Fabian and Wisher seem to be drawn to each other even though they don’t want to be. Not long after his visit, Fabian discovers a dead bird on his doormat and Fabian knows that there’s a link between what is happening and Wisher but he can’t fathom out the who or why. Fabian seems to be one of those team managers that you would love to work for. He is a leader, who will do his fair share of the workload and who also supports those who work for him. Will Fabian discover who is leaving him littles messages and why? Well I am not going to tell you so you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out.
Oh my flipping goodness, ‘The Songbird Girls’ is one of those books that does exactly what it says on the tin. ‘The Songbird Girls’ is being billed as being an absolutely gripping crime thriller and I couldn’t have described it better myself. From the moment I read the synopsis, I knew that I had to clear the reading decks and put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door because I wouldn’t be able to tear myself away from the book. So it proved to be. As soon as I started reading, I felt as though I had reunited with an old friend in DI Tom Fabian. The author’s writing style is so realistic and convincing that I really did feel as though I was another member of Fabian’s team. I became totally caught up in the investigation and I even began to interact with the book. Yes, yes I know it’s fiction but I find that if I am enjoying reading a book, I tend to ‘live’ the story as it were as if it was real. I desperately tried to ration how much I read in one sitting because I wanted to prolong the enjoyment of the book if that makes sense? In other words I didn’t want the book to finish too soon. Reading this book is much like being on an unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns that you would find in a game of Twister. I thought that I had worked out who was doing what and why but I was completely wrong.
In short I loved, no make that bloody adored reading ‘The Songbird Girls’ and I wholeheartedly recommend this author and his books to other readers. I thought that the first book in the DI Fabian series was good but ‘The Songbird Girls’ raises the bar and is actually better. I have high hopes for the next book in the series, which I can’t wait to read. Here’s hoping we don’t have too long to wait- hint hint. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I didn't actually realise this was the 2nd book in a series (but it could be read as a standalone).

Detective Tom Fabian is summoned by the serial killer he put away. Christopher Wisher asks to see him and Tom goes to the prison. He gifts Tom a diary and the very next day commits suicide. Tom thinks he's now got closure but things are just heating up. Someone out there is working on Wisher's behalf as they are leaving his trademark at each murder site. Tom and the Team look more closely at the diary and kind of wish they hadn't....

Then something happens which is meant to hurt (and infuriate) Tom as well as leave him feeling helpless. It's a fast paced read which I enjoyed and that "twist" at the end. Just WOW.

This is my first book by Richard Parker, although it is the second Tom Fabian thriller. Some of my fellow bloggers have alluded to the fact that certain aspects of the storylines from book one flow in to this book, I can honestly say that this book works extremely well as a standalone novel and I did not feel at all disadvantaged by not having read the first one so, go ahead, dive right in.

The book opens with a chilling prologue that you know is not going to lead to anything good then, just as you are on the edge of your nerves, bam, we switch to what seems to be fairly mundane visit by a police officer to a prison inmate he was responsible for putting away and we are left on tenterhooks as to what happened in the first story thread. This is just the first example of how Richard Parker ramps up the tension and then keeps you on the edge of your seat as you race through the pages to find out what is happening. The book is completely gripping and I really could not put it down.

The plotting is very devious. with echoes of the crimes committed by the man Fabian is famous for catching, so that there is suspicion of a copycat murderer and a race to track them down. At the same time aS the police are investigating these crimes, the reader, but not the police, are privy to another storyline where an innocent and unaware victim is being stalked by a predator and things are about to get very close home for Tom Fabian. it is very skilfully done and very compelling for the reader. I honestly wished I could shout in to the book and warn the characters what was coming, a bit like being at the pantomime – ‘he’s behind you!’

I really liked the character of Tom Fabian and his sidekick, Banner, who are both very down to earth and real people dealing with complicated personal issues as well as trying to solve a complex puzzle that has been left for them by a twisted killer. There are a lot of suspicious characters in the book to provide plenty of red herrings. The murders are gruesome in execution but are not described in too gory detail so this is a good thriller for those of a more delicate disposition who don’t like their crimes too bloody but still enjoy a good murder mystery.

The best thing about this book though is the end. OMG! It is brilliant, I did not see it coming and I absolutely loved it and it really made me eager for the next book in the series. Richard has balanced brilliantly here the need for a satisfying conclusion to the mystery to reward the reading time invested in the book (nothing worse than a completely unresolved puzzle in a book that you have spent several hours reading) and also leaving the reader with the hankering for more and this book brilliantly sets up the character and the reader for more puzzles to come. I am not sure I have read anything which has so cleverly contrived an ongoing set up before, Kudos to the author for that!

This book was a very easy, flowing read with plenty of reward for the reader. I would highly recommend it and can’t wait for the next book. In the meantime, I need to go back to book one and catch up on the back story.

It feels as though it’s been ages since I’ve sat down and lost myself in a Richard Parker novel! ‘The Songbird Girls’ did not disappoint at all, and I am so pleased to see the author sticking to his guns when it comes to his twisted mind in this storyline. Twisted his mind may be, but bloomin’ ‘eck he can write!!

‘The Songbird Girls’ starts off slowly as it eases readers into a false sense of security with what’s about to come – it was as though one moment we were reading about Fabian having a natter with an inmate, and then the next minute everything had kicked off. I loved the slow, teasing beginning of the book as it ensured that the shocking scenes later on in the book were indeed that; shocking.

Richard Parker has written a brilliantly intense and clever storyline which kept me guessing. Fabian sometimes came across as a bit of a marmite character, but given the nature of this particular storyline, I felt that he had every write to be a bit cautious in the way he presented himself.

I loved how each individual event was cleverly linked to the one that followed – I can’t even begin to think about how much working out that must have taken to ensure the timeline was bang on.

As for the rest of the characters, there were a few which had me rolling my eyes in despair, yet they all added something vital to the overall vibe of the story which I thought was very important, especially as their likability factor doesn’t really need to come into it.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Songbird Girls’ from the dark moments to the psychologically damaging aspects, and everything in between. Such an intense and twisted read which I most definitely recommend.

Over the last couple of years, Richard Parker has become one of my favourite authors so it seems fitting for my final blog tour review of the year to be for his latest novel, The Songbird Girls. This is the second book in his Tom Fabian series and I've been eagerly looking forward to it since loving Never Say Goodbye earlier this year. There was a shocking revelation at the end of that book which is continued in The Songbird Girls but newcomers for the series shouldn't be put off as this can still be read as a standalone (although I do highly recommend reading Never Say Goodbye as it's brilliant!)
Detective Tom Fabian became known to the public following his arrest and the subsequent sentencing of serial killer, Christopher Wisher. At the time he was being trailed for a fly-on-the-wall television show which helped encourage a key witness to make a phone call that led to Wisher's conviction. Exactly three years later, a reluctant Fabian is face to face with the chilling Wisher once again. Their meeting in Kerslake Prison is brief and he is confused when Wisher hands him a 2015 diary. He assumes that the coded messages in the journal refer to his experiences while incarcerated and wonders whether the prison governor has something to hide or if Wisher is playing twisted psychological games once again. When the killer is found dead in his cell a few days later, he finally begins to grasp the true meaning behind the diary entries and realises this case is far from over.
The body of a woman is discovered killed in what looks to be a copycat case, right down to the dead songbird left beside the victim - a detail that was never disclosed to the public - but Fabian quickly surmises that this isn't just the work of a sick individual who is emulating Wisher's methods. The serial killer might be dead himself but he is somehow orchestrating a terrible chain of events from beyond the grave. The murders themselves are never gratuitously described but it's very clear that the crime scenes are a grisly sight with the victims left horribly mutilated. There is a terrible sense of foreboding knowing that more murders will be committed and Fabian's frustration is palpable as he investigates a number of potential accomplices but never seems to be closer to discovering who is continuing Wisher's sick legacy. Fabian's list of suspects is intriguing - what sort of person chooses to visit a serial killer - but even though secrets are uncovered, the puzzle seems no closer to being solved which meant I couldn't put this compelling book down, I really had no clue as to how he was going to solve this dark case.
Throughout the book, we know that one particular character is in terrible danger and I loved how the tension is allowed to build towards the inevitable moment when they fall prey to a disturbed mind. Fabian's link to the killer means he accepts he may be at risk himself and without giving anything away, there comes a point where he is at odds with the rest of his team as to how he should proceed next in a superb scene which emphasises the type of man he is. I really enjoyed seeing how his professional relationship with Natasha Banner progresses in The Songbird Girls with the intensely private detective sergeant finally opening up a little to him about her home life. It's something I'm looking forward to being explored further in subsequent books and underlined still further how much I like Fabian as a protagonist.
The conclusion to The Songbird Girls is absolutely brilliant and has left me desperate to read what lies in store for Fabian next. It seems only too likely that there is worse to come for him and as much as I may like him, I must admit to feeling a delicious sense of anticipation to discover what tortures still await the poor man! The Songbird Girls is a sheer delight from start to finish and this series is now very firmly on my must-read (NEED to read) list!

The Songbird Girls is the second book to feature the rather nondescript and not especially bright London detective Tom Fabian. They are separate storylines so you don’t have to read the previous book, although there are mentions of central characters in it. Helpfully, reading this one would not spoil the previous one if you chose to go back to it afterwards.

DI Fabian is summoned to visit the notorious serial killer that he put away three years earlier, Christopher Wisher, in prison. Still refusing to give any motive for his sadistic crimes, Wisher merely hands him a diary, full of incomprehensible statements. When a body is found, posed in the exact same way as the earlier victims, and accompanied by a small dead bird - a detail never released to the public - Fabian realises that the diary is designed to taunt him about more deaths to come. Meanwhile, Fabian’s daughter, who has just started university, has a new boyfriend...

This was a well plotted but unspectacular police procedural with some fairly standard tropes, which is fine because this is one of my main genres, but also means I’ll have forgotten the plot by the time that the next one comes out, which is a problem when the ending is left open like this. It’s not a complete cliffhanger (I thought it was heading that way and would’ve been majorly annoyed) but the story is definitely not over.

As with the previous book, I dislike the title - none of the victims are actually girls - and the explanation for the presence of the birds is pretty weak. The Songbird Killer or Songbird Murders would’ve been more accurate.
I also was irritated by the constant references to Fabian’s green Audi. Why do we need to be reminded in every chapter that he drives a poncy car? It certainly doesn’t add anything to his personality.
I was also disappointed that he was so predictable as to dive straight into the obvious trap, and unless I missed something, survives more due to luck and the will of the killer than his own ingenuity.

Apart from these niggles, this was an enjoyable thriller that certainly kept me turning pages, and I look forward to finding out what happens next, although hope that the Wisher storyline is not going to be dragged out over too many books. My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review. The Songbird Girls is available now.

The Songbird Girls is another fantastic, gripping book from Richard Parker!

The reader is thrown straight into the action with a shocking first chapter which immediately got my heart racing. I’ve always enjoyed thrillers about serial killers so this story intrigued me from the start. Wisher is a fascinating character that made me uneasy from the moment he was introduced. The descriptions of his manner during the investigation chilled me and I found I could imagine his stare very well. He was a character that managed to get under my skin and one that invaded my dreams often whilst reading.

This is a very fast paced book with lots of action and intrigue that makes you want to keep reading. The author manages to put a new twist on the classic serial killer story with the inclusion of Wisher’s diary which seems to be giving the police clues. I thought this was exceptionally well done at and helped add to the tension as I tried to solve them along with the police.

I’ve read all of Richard’s books and he is one of my ‘go to’ crime writers when I want a gripping book. His books have helped me through many a long night with sleepless babies! The Songbird Girls is the start of another fantastic series from him and I look forward to reading more from him, hopefully very soon!

Huge thanks to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and to Noelle for inviting me onto the blog tour. If you like gripping and intriguing crime fiction then you’ll love this book!

I was excited by the cover and book description for this brand new crime thriller by Richard Parker. It is the first book I have read by this author and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

When Detective Fabian gets a request to visit a convicted serial killer he is hesitant, to say the least. However, Fabian feels that the killer could have information on other cold cases which need closure, so he attends and is handed a mysterious looking journal by the killer.

From that moment on things start to happen. Wisher is found dead, then bodies appear with the gruesome signature nearby.

Fabian has a race against time to find the copycat killer and unravel the clues left by the deceased convict.

This is a clever, well thought out crime thriller with plenty of twists, suspense, and multi-layered characters. I have read many books centred around serial killers but this one stands out for its unique plot. There wasn’t too much graphic content, just enough to send a few chills up the spine!

I will definitely be seeking out the previous book in the series and have fingers crossed that Tom Fabian might make another appearance soon.

I think I may be the only one to have come into this amazing series at book 2. But I must say I never once felt left on the back foot I just had a sense that something epic had happened previously but it didn't hinder my reading experience in the slightest. This is down to Richard Parker, who's ease of writing put me comfortably in the picture from the start.

What a book though, I picked it up yesterday afternoon and didn't put it down once. The short and snappy chapters had me sailing through in a desperate attempt to get to the concluding pages in the hope of finding answers. I loved the carefully crafted chess game, that the plot took on. It's elaborate style was a mechanism to keep any reader riveted and I for one was hooked. The story pulled me in with its game like quality and I loved every minute of it. I won't go into any details regarding plot structure as I would hate to let any hints or spoilers slip out but it certainly is a book not to be missed.

The characters were all crafted with great precision with only enough characteristic details given away to aid the storyline. Fabian was captivating from the start and kept my attention throughout, I loved seeing the cogs of his mind in motion as he made his way across the chessboard of the game. There were many more standout characters but I shall let you meet them for yourself in the way the author intended.

The Songbird Girls is without a doubt a must read book, I honestly couldn't put it down and urge you all to grab your nearest copy and dive straight in. I'm off now to read book one in order to prolong my time in Fabian's company.

Brilliant, right from the start you are pulled in, keeps you guessing till the end, thoroughly enjoyed, if your after a night of palpitations then this is the book for you

Detective Tom Fabian is cursed with deja vu or else there's a copycat killer on the loose in his town. Years before, Fabian caught serial killer Christopher Wisher. His victims had all been slaughtered and a tiny bird left behind with its neck broken.

What he's looking at now is a body displayed in the same way ... and a bird next to the body ... just like before. But Wisher is still behind bars, so had he always had an accomplice ..or is this a copycat?

Quite a coincidence that Wisher wants Fabian to visit his prison cell to hand over a diary that he is certain Fabian will want. And when Wisher is found dead by suicide days later, the mystery gets even bigger .. especially when another body is found, accompanied by a strangled bird..

Fabian is desperate to find the killer before another innocent life is taken. But as more bodies turn up, Fabian begins to realize that Wisher may have handed him the clues before he died

This is the second in the series, although it reads easily as a stand alone. As always, I recommend starting with the first, in this case NEVER SAY GOODBYE.

THE SONGBIRD GIRLS is well written, with unforgettable characters. The mystery itself is solid with twists and turns that appear seemingly out of nowhere.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Whoa! I thought Never Say Goodbye was great but the second book in the Detective Tom Fabian series proved to be better. The case begins where the last one ended. In this case, our Lead Detective is personally involved in the mystery. He gets drawn in when a convicted murderer summons him for a visit at the prison where the felon is being held. This visit opens the Pandora box and all hell breaks loose. Detective Fabian is soon trapped in a nightmare with no way out apart from catching the villain.

The tension is this narrative was palpable. Right from the beginning, it was clear that the case would be complex. Through alternating narrators, suspense escalates as danger looms. It was hard to predict the killer’s next move and this added to the intensity of the case. I was also curious to see how Detective Fabian would solve the case especially since it seemed like the killer was calling all the shots and leaving the investigators to catch up.

The Songbird Girls has everything that makes a cop procedural great. It has great detectives, a complex case, dark villains, twists and suspects that kept me guessing up to the last page. The ending was jaw dropping. I can’t wait for the next book in the series already.

Wow that was a great book! I enjoyed it even though I haven't read the previous book.
You think you know who the killer is but you're wrong! Captivating and full of surprises! I loved it and couldn't put it down! Read it within 3 hours.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me read The Songbird Girls by Richard Parker for an honest review!

Wow!!
That is it! When I picked up this book, I must admit I could not remember exactly what had happened at the end of the first book. I remembered the premise, and then bam I was panicking as I remembered exactly how it ended! I am not even joking from the opening pages I was on edge. I flew through this book, mainly through the fear of the two storylines flowing through the book.

Detective Tom Fabian is back, and we are taken back to events from before the first book, where he had captured Christopher Wisher, a chilling chilling serial killer, who made Fabian the detective he is today due to the exposure from the case. Wisher, in the present day, gives Fabian a diary, everything seeming so cryptic before the contents of the diary begin to make sense. In a way, Wisher could be seen as a cult leader with the amount of influence he holds, and it was interesting to see how it all plays out especially from what is alluded to from the first book.


However, whilst we play detective, there is a secondary storyline that is running through this book, which picks up directly from the first book. This storyline had me nervous, on edge, if I bit my fingernails I would have NONE!



Sorry I cannot tell you what it is because well….it’s not in the blurb so you know READ THE BOOK tee hee

Ok, seriously now, I would read the first book…first…because it really does give you the bigger picture to Fabian and his team, his family life and it gives you the first chance to just fall in love with the series (as much as you can on a murder series!). Wisher is alluded to in the first book, and as mentioned the secondary storyline is fed through from the first book. When book one is so clever with the murders, to keep you guessing, this book takes it up an extra notch. You may have an idea to who the killer is, but let me tell you… you won’t. You may get an inkling, but you won’t solve it. Please, I would love you to prove me wrong…but I don’t think you will.


Like Mr Parker’s previous book, book one, the writing flows, it is intense and it keeps you turning the pages as you become invested in Fabian and his team, cheering them along to solve the unsolvable. I say unsolvable because Mr Parker has been sneaky!! That ending! Seriously, I mean I know it’s publication day but I want the next book now please, I have been on the nice list all year! This ending is what I call “book hangover” ending and only a few books have ever done this to me….I know that a lot of people do not like this ending, but I do, in an upside-down way, because it keeps the interest in the series, the anticipation to whether it will be solved in the next book and what the hell is going to happen!!





OMG! How can that be the end??

Detective Tom Fabian is back and someone is playing with his life.
Christopher Wisher, twisted serial killer, has summoned him to Kerslake jail. Tom is wary of the visit and even more so when he gives him his diary.
Three days later Wisher is dead, having committed suicide but then a body is found bearing all the hallmarks of a murder carried out by Wisher - including the dead bird beside the body.
Tom takes a closer look at the diary and realises that the strange entries foretell what is going to happen.
Tom realises he faces a race against time as more victims are indicated in the diary - but who is the killer?
Investigations centre around Kerslake jail and also around those who visited Wisher in jail.
This is a gripping crime thriller which will have you racing through the final few chapters.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Oh ... oh, oh oh. At the end of book one in the series, Never Say Goodbye, Richard Parker left us with a kind of promise of something more to come. A knowledge that all that was important in Tom Fabian's life was going to be under threat, only the how, rather than the who or why, remaining a mystery. Well - with The Songbird Girls that mystery is about to be solved and in very dramatic, tense and attention grabbing style. I loved it.

The powers that be have received a request from the killer whose arrest put Tom Fabian's name in the spotlight - Christopher Wisher. Ordinarily it would not be entertained, but with the suspicion that Wisher killer more women than he had admitted to hanging over everything, Fabian's boss, Metcalfe, is insistent on the visit taking place. It is three years to the day since Wisher had been sentenced, the date and the significance not lost on Fabian. The man he meets is a very different figure to the one he put away, and he has very little of note to say, certainly nothing relating to the cold cases. But he does pass Fabian a journal, one which he initially believes to be Wisher's. But Fabian soon comes to realise that this journal isn't about Wisher's memories - it's a message. But what is Wisher trying to say, and what will it cost Fabian to get to the truth?

From the very beginning of the book I knew this was going to be something special. This was a superb cat and mouse game, only in this case the mouse in question was already locked up in a nine by nine cage and the cat was very much at risk from and cunning, and unknown, predator of their own. Part of the story is not entirely a mystery. We know one of the people who is targeting Fabian and why - that is given to us at the end of book one and if you haven't read it, then I'm not going to spoil it for you. We know the intended victim, and Richard Parker has kept the tension going in this part of the story as the victim is so innocent, so unaware, even as the potential assailant is circling. As to when, and how, they will make their move ... That constant sense of jeopardy keeps us, as readers, on out toes.

The murders in the book are not gratuitous, well no more so than any murder ever is anyway. They are not graphically described, so if you are looking for an out and out gore fest, you won't find it here. We are given just the right balance to keep us intrigued and engrossed in the story. I love how Richard Parker is able to convey they gravity of the situation and the emotional and psychological impact the story has on Tom Fabian, and you can feel his frustration seeping from the page, sense his anger and anxiety, the further we get into the case. Fabian is a great character and one I have come to really love very quickly. He has a great team around him, very diverse characters, but they work really well together and I can't wait to read more from them.

There is so much more I want to say about this book, but probably shouldn't because it might fall into spoiler territory. It was one of those kinds of books which had the kind of Silence of the Lambs vibe. In no way as gory, that's not what I mean, but that whole idea of the Detective whose strings are being pulled by someone far more manipulative and cunning than they realised, this time even from beyond the grave, and that sense that no matter what happens, Fabian and Wisher's lives are, and always will be, inextricably linked. And that ending ... It's one of those where is this was a soap you'd get the Eastenders dun-dun-dun drumroll at the end or for a movie, some creepy tubular bells-esque music with a wide sweeping and slowly reversing shot, us watching as our hero fades into the darkness, knowing that this story is far, far from over.

Which I hope just means more and more to come. I like the idea of that. Top stuff Mr Parker. A big thumbs up from me.

Wow, this book is amazing! I generally enjoy a good thriller but this one had me enthralled from the very first page.

Detective Tom Fabian’s past is catching up with him. It has been years since the most famous case of his career – when his evidence put infamous serial killer Christopher Wisher behind bars forever. But when Wisher summons a reluctant Fabian to his prison cell to hand over a diary, he realises that Wisher’s twisted games are far from over.

Shortly after Fabian’s visit, Wisher is found dead in his cell. And a few days later, the police find a woman's body bearing Wisher’s signature, a dead songbird. But the police never released this detail to the public … so who has Wisher been talking to? Did Wisher have an accomplice? He had a number of regular visitors whilst in prison. Why are they visiting a serial killer?

The Songbird Girls has a very clever plotline that I really enjoyed. It was intriguing from the beginning and although this is not the first book in the series, I found it a good stand-alone read, as there was plenty of back history.

There are many twists and turns throughout this well-written novel. I simply had to keep reading on with this fascinating thriller and the ending left me very happy. I believe there is definitely scope for a follow-on book. It has an impressive, well-thought-out storyline that culminates in some very tense closing chapters.

I highly recommend reading The Songbird Girls and I am looking forward to reading another book from this author!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, Richard Parker, for a copy of this book in return for a review.

I am not a fan of cliffhangers in the last chapter unless I know there will be a sequel. So after reading the previous book, I could hardly wait to see what would happen next, because I can asure you, my mouth was still hanging open ...

And finally, there was the next story. The more psychotic the killer, the more I like it. And this one was one to treasure, one you can find in the top drawer of a thriller author.

I think it's best to read the other book as well, because the author creates a certain atmosphere that continues in the second one.

The story is fast paced and maybe a bit to abrupt towards the end but with a gem of a cliffhanger to keep you, well yes, hanging untill the third volume.

I hope, dear author, we will be able to enjoy that one real soon as well.

Thank you, Richard Parker, Bookouture and Netgalley.

"Sisyphean sentence continues..."

It was 3 years ago that Detective Inspector Tom Fabian put a London serial killer named Christopher Wisher in prison for the murder and mutilation of nine people. So why is Christopher asking Fabian to visit him at Kerslake Prison after all this time? It seems that Wisher wants to give Fabian a diary. But once Fabian has it and reads it he finds that this is a manuscript that doesn't make any sense at all. It's a couple of seemingly random jottings. But then the bodies are found. The victims have been killed in exactly the same way as Wishers previous ones -- including the signature that wasn't publicized on the broadcast that resulted in Wisher's capture -- the dead bird beside the body. Fabian and his partner, DS Natasha Banner, of the Horseferry Police frantically try to revisit all those who visited Wisher in prison, former family, and other potential suspects to no avail. These must be copycat murders of course, but WHO has Wisher entailed with his mission? NO SPOILERS.

This was great crime drama with red herrings and misdirection as the suspense kept me glued to the pages. I had my suspicions and then, with the shifting point of view, I did get my revelations. I liked the writing and the methodical way that the detectives approached the case but THAT ENDING! I can only hope to see more of Fabian and Banner as they tackle what comes next. This is the second in the series and I did read the first one which I'd encourage a reader to do as the characterization of Fabian develops and, though he keeps us at arm's length, I hope to learn more about him and Banner.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this e-book ARC to read and review.

The Songbird Girls, the second novel in the DI Tom Fabian series, is even better than the first book and features a much more intriguing antagonist. It appears that Mr Parker just keeps on producing increasingly more spectacular stories. Usually, when an author publishes three books in a year the quality of them can be questionable, but miraculously this does not at all reflect in Richard Parker's work.

Our cold and calculating serial killer, Christopher Wisher, a crook that Fabian originally put in jail years earlier is a fascinating individual, and essentially this is a tale of influence from beyond the grave. As even after Wisher's death his highly unusual modus operandi is being used but by who? The majority of the plot focused on the search for the perpetrator responsible for the killings after Wisher has passed on and concentrated principally on the people he had come into contact with while imprisoned. The author is so adept at moulding his characters that Wisher is almost alluring and the twists and turns that follow cannot fail to grip you.

Parker is a proficient plotter, and I found myself frantically turning the pages, so imagine my disappointment when it closed on a cliffhanger, as due to the number of books I get through its unlikely I'll be able to remember this story in sufficient detail to allow me to just pick up the next instalment unless there is a recap.

Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.