A Bird In Winter is a book I enjoyed although quite slow at times.
Heather is bird, she has just been given some information that will change her life, possibly forever.
This is a book you are definitely best off coming in blind to. I think the less you know the more you’ll enjoy it like I did. The book is slow at times but the storyline keeps you reading and you’ll thank yourself for it. The book flows well and I liked the background information we were given about Heather as this helps understand her character.
I’m not saying anymore just read it!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber And Faber for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping and tense book you cannot put down: twisty, full of surprises, featuring a strong and well developed FMC.
I loved it and it's strongly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have just spent an exciting week with Heather. Heather is a civil servant, working for one of the secret services, and is currently on the run. 'There are so many places in the world, it is so various, whatever else you do with your life, don't miss the world'...
A well written tale, with an excellent depiction of Women in service.

Heather (AKA Bird) was in the Army before she was employed by the Secret Services. Now in her fifties she has always honed her survival skills & when she hears in a meeting that their department is under review she knows she needs to slip under the radar. Although she is not sure exactly who is after her she knows they are & she knows where she wants to go. Her flight from Birmingham to Scotland, Orkney, Shetland, Norway & Iceland was a captivating read. This wasn't an all action story. The setting & the character of Bird are what gives this a magic I didn't want to let go. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

A Bird in Winter is an absolute cracker. Louise Doughty has an exceptional talent for developing strong characters and amazing plots and this title hits every button for an action packed read.

Heather, the central character is an older woman. That’s a different twist for a start and this book is her story. And what a story, revealed in flashback, she’s a woman of mystery who is suddenly on the run. One minute her life is plodding along as normal in Birmingham, the next she flees. The mystery is why and who is she really?

Absolutely loved this page turner. Not a wasted word and kept me gripped from start to finish. I was breathless at times! Another Doughty winner

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview this interesting, intricate tale.

A woman is in a meeting in Birmingham which she leaves abruptly and goes on the run.
The reader knows that Bird is on the run, but, not why? And it’s important you read the book also not knowing as it takes you on a voyage of discovery into Bird’s past.

This is a slow paced, descriptive read. So, not one to pick up if you’re looking for a nail biting thriller. But, for a rich, tense, well told tale, this is exactly that.

This was a very compelling book if a little puzzling initially
The story seems to start in the middle and then as it moves forward the details from the past are filled in making sense of the whole thing. Very cleverly done and the reader really has no inkling as to what will happen next or indeed how it all will end. All told from the POV of Heather who you find you are routing for and admiring her ingenuity and resilience .

Louise Doughty’s 10th novel is heart-stoppingly, blood-chillingly, adrenaline-pumpingly brilliant.

As I devoured the book, I was watching the story unfold through the protagonist Heather’s wary, sharp-focussed eyes, and willing her to survive. I don’t think I’ve experienced such a vivid, emotional response to a novel in a long, long time.

I know Doughty is an expert in her craft, but this…this book is a whole other level.

I'm telling everyone I know: if you read only one espionage thriller this year (this decade even?) make it this one.

A propulsive thriller with an intriguing female protagonist from the writer of Apple Tree Yard.

Read it if: you want a wintry thriller with lots of atmospheric cold weather.

Don’t read it if: you want a classic spy novel.

“A Bird in Winter” is a novel based on Heather Bird’s escape from the British Intelligence Service. The reason for her urgent departure from a job she’s held for decades is the mystery element of the book, and her motivations are revealed slowly. The story has a lot of traditional “chase” elements with Heather moving from location to location trying to keep her identity secret. The more Heather reveals about her past, as she struggles to manage a life off-grid, the more the reader feels sympathetic to her problems (this was my perspective anyway).

It isn’t a fast-paced plot, but a slow burner with lots of character detail.

I have liked Louise Doughty books previously, but found this one disappointing. I suppose some of that is that I'm not a lover of spy / intrigue / secret service stories. But also because there was too much 'telling' of the flight story, and quite a bit of repetition, such as with the Flavia story. Things we already knew, we were told again. I didn't warm to the main character, who is almost the 'only' character in that everything is told from her point of view, and the other characters only appear from time to time. They are mentioned often in her thoughts, but the reader doesn't get to know them.
Sorry to bring the side down, because I know this has been enjoyed by many others.

A great story which along as fast as the events it describes. A real difficulty to put down. It tells the story of an intelligence officer being undermined by a colleague initially thought to be onside, the story twists and turns well.
I enjoyed this book.

A Bird in Winter is a fantastic novel with a fast paced plot that kept me utterly engaged throughout. Heather (whose father’s nickname for her was Bird) walks out of a meeting in her Birmingham office. She collects a bag containing clothes, money and fake identity documents previously stored at a nearby shop and goes on the run. The book continually follows her progress evading her captors while looking back at her past life and relationships. Her father was a secret agent and following a time in the army, she joins the same organisation. Not knowing who she can trust, Bird must keep moving and we see how far she will go to save herself.
I am a big fan of Louise Dougherty and as well as consistently producing enthralling books, her storytelling is always different and unique.

Heather is a middle aged woman on the run, and the British Intelligence services are on her trail.
She flees the city, and heads off to the wilds of Scotland, meeting various people on the way.
She uses several different disguises, and changes her identity frequently to avoid being traced.
Can she trust any of her new found acquaintances or will someone give her away?
This is a well written book, and even though I normally don't read spy novels, I really enjoyed it.
A great read, and I found myself sitting up in bed at 3am trying to finish it.

A gripping and ultimately moving spy story with real heart, this is very enjoyable read. Doughty brings us along on a journey, exploring the lesser talked about elements of a spy's world, the dirty underpass, the cold, the hunger, the lonliness. The pace dipped a little in the middle but this is a good read

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

A really great account of being on the run trying to stay one step ahead.

I have read a couple of books by Louise Doughty and she is a skillful writer of literary psychological thrillers. This one drew me in but sadly failed to deliver though. The writing is descriptive and rich including a lot of travel and nature. The setup of the spy thriller plot was well laid at and initially I was engaged with the story of Bird on the run. But this quickly turned cold as I failed to connect with the friendship story of Bird's past. In the end I found the pacing slow and the fragmented parts of Bird's life and the different strands of narrative never really came together. A bit disappointing in the end. But if you like the show Hunted and enjoy nature writing this might be one for you.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

The synopsis does give the impression of a national biting suspenseful chase across the country and although its all of that its also none of it at all. This isn't your typical edge if your seat thriller. It's a very visual story of getting to know Bird, and her reasons for walking out of the office that day.

The slow burn is a good thing in this case, the suspense came in short sharp bursts which left me eager to read on. I was super curious throughout.

I don't want to delve into too much detail but savour it for what it is.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

A story about a secret service agent, the father of whom was also working in the covert world. It’s all very superfluous, you never really knew what their actual tasks/jobs were. Rather frustrating at times, not knowing exactly what was happening or who was doing what. I felt it dragged on for the last several chapters and did not enjoy the ending. Though I did enjoy the trip north to Scotland, Norway and Iceland and could imagine the sea trip!

I absolutely loved this book!
Heather aka Bird walks out of her meeting and goes on the run from her job, home and life, heading north to Scotland and onwards from there to Norway. The story is written in three parts, the present following her escape, the past revealing her backstory and then continuing in the present.
It’s fully engaging with an edgy aspect to the story with immersive sense of place and danger and brilliant descriptions of the starkness of winter and the landscapes and it highlights Bird’s bleak outlook.
It’s brilliantly written, slow paced but captivating.
Overall a very enjoyable read. I couldn’t put it down. A spy thriller novel but it’s so much more than that too.
Definitely recommend as it’s well worth the read.
Thanks to #NetGallery @FaberAndFaberLtd for an arc of #ABirdInWinter by @LouiseDoughty in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
Book publishes 31st August 2023.

Beautifully written novel about a middle aged female spy. Bird is a wonderful character, sharp and clever, underestimated by men but outwitting them all. Eventually anyway, she makes some poor choices sometimes but she is human and elegantly portrayed as such. The descriptions of the landscapes shine in this book, you can picture her journeys and the mundane detail of how she has to think in order to cover her tracks. I loved all the details of what life was like on a daily basis. Couldn't put it down and highly recommended!