Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an arc of A Bird in Winter. Although this is billed as a thriller and mystery I think it is more suited to the espionage and spies genre. That said it's a very well written espionage novel. It transports you to the wilds of Scotland, Norway and Iceland and the descriptions of the cold and desolation are written so well I felt chilled even reading in 23 degrees sunshine. Having read, and watched, previous novels by Louise Doughty I think this one would also make an excellent tv mini-series.

Really enjoyed this story. I must admit, I was a little confused to begin with and wasn't sure exactly what was happening. I thought that the main character was a young woman and it took some time into the story before I realised she was actually a lot older. However, once I began to get further into the book it all became clear and I really enjoyed reading it. It kept me entertained right to the end.

I am very conflicted by this book. It was very well-written, with a whole lot of back story and build up, but I kept waiting for a big reveal or climax after all that, but it didn't really come and ultimately felt a little flat for me.

I really enjoyed this new book from Louise. The book begins by us meeting Heather who works for the secret service in England. She is leaving her life behind and going on the run and I couldn't wait to find out why.
The book flicks between past and present to fill us in.
The descriptions in this book were beautiful. Whether it was the landscapes or crossing of oceans the words were almost lyrical. I raced through this book a real page turner.
I will be recommending to others and looking out for future new reads from this author.

Haven't read anything by this author previously but was attracted to this publication when I realised that the author was behind the BBC drama Apple Tree Yard.
As someone with Scottish Highlands connections I found that I was familiar with a large part of the setting for this story.
The main character walks out in the middle of a work's meeting and goes on the run and so begins a man, sorry woman hunt as she is chased across the UK and into Northern Europe.
A really decent read with a few twists along the way, some of which I certainly didn't see coming.
A solid four stars and look forward to future publications from Ms Doughty.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased and honest review.
Recommended.

Heather, also known as Bird, worked in the Women's Royal Army Corps in the 1980s before joining the British intelligence services, following in her father's footsteps. Now it's 2009 and Heather abruptly flees a work meeting in Birmingham, picking up the holdall she's stashed in a nearby shop and the train tickets she's already bought, commencing a journey up through Scotland and at last to Scandinavia. Of the five Louise Doughty novels I've read, this sits closest to my other favourite, Black Water, which deals with a man running from black ops who's now hiding out in Indonesia reflecting on his past. Neither A Bird in Winter nor Black Water are thrillers, exactly, but I found both gripping, even though the pace is deliberately varied, with brief bursts of action interspersed with much longer, reflective sections. Heather is such a refreshing protagonist, a tough, smart woman in her fifties who has been single for much of her life, and is childless by choice. Doughty digs into the personal cost of her isolation, but never suggests that she would have been happier if she'd married and had children; instead, Heather regrets cutting herself off from parents and friends. And even so, the novel paints an equivocal picture, as Heather's flight, alongside her trained observational skills, allows her to take in a panorama of Scottish life, from the young man in Thurso smashing pottery plates that people have paid to paint at a workshop and then left behind, to an older man gutting fish with his son in Shetland. Her detachment from the world also allows her, in some ways, to connect more deeply with it. So yes, this isn't what you might expect from a 'spy novel', but its emotional richness meant I cared so much more about how it played out. 4.5 stars.

Louise Doughty is a new author for me, I really enjoyed this book and to be fair couldn’t read it quick enough ! A real page turner you won't be able to put it down.
My Thanks as always to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for the early read

A tense, page turner of a book, graphically outlining the loneliness of someone on the run. Bird was certainly a flawed character, and this was well described. Although, when I got to the end, I realised I didnt really understand why she had been running, maybe I just missed something obvious to other readers.
Thank you to netgalley and Faber and Faber for an advance copy of this book.

I find myself puzzled by this story. What was it actually all about? It seemed to be 70% travelogue, descriptions of Heather’s travails as she endeavoured to evade capture. Trains, yachts, buses, ferries were all employed to assist her on her journey, with very detailed descriptions of said journeys, and her many and varied travelling companions, also described in minute detail.
But what / who was she running from? She was employed, so the story infers, by a branch of MI5/6. Was she a spy? Was her boss a double agent? It is the most irritating, infuriating book I have read in a long time. The feeble ending cast no light on the mystery. I felt cheated.
Heather herself was not a likeable or empathetic character, she seemed somewhat two dimensional, albeit a shallow and supremely selfish person. I almost gave up on this book at the 50% point, I somehow wish I had. It would have saved me half the irritation I felt with the story.
Having read and enjoyed Apple Tree Yard, I expected more from this author. The writing is outstanding, it’s just a pity that the plot and storyline did not equal it. Disappointing.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

A really clever book. I couldn't stop reading this one. This story would make a good film or TV series it was exciting and thrilling. I love all her books and they are all different. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Bird is in a meeting in Birmingham when she just walks out. Not just the meeting but her life, her friends and family and disappears. But is she as invisible as she hopes?
She will travel through Britain to Scotland and onwards but will she outsmart those following her and why are they following her,.

What a wonderful story that starts slowly and, to be honest, I could not see where it was going. However, the quality of the writing drew me in and I enjoyed all of Bird/Heather's travels and apparently escapes from people at work .'Work' being the intriguing world of spies.

The story has lots of surprises; from her relationship with Flavia to spending a lot of the time on her own moving from place to place. Ms Doughty obviously loves trains and Scotland, with Heather having to find places to sleep but also looking over her shoulder for possible pursuers. Ms Doughty then took us across the water to Norway and Iceland - both countries beautifully described, by the way.

I didn't really want her 'journey' to end which is when I know the book is really good.

Thanks to Net Galley and Faber and Faber Ltd. for the chance to read and review.

This book starts at the moment Heather, also known as Bird, goes on the run after something happens at her workplace.

That's all we know, to start with. It quickly becomes apparent that she has been planning this for a while. She has a burner phone, a stash of cash and a holdall full of clothes. We have no idea if she has done anything wrong, just that she believes herself to be in serious danger and is taking a lot of precautions to avoid being found.

As the novel progresses, we start to piece together the context of her situation as she reflects on memories of her life. In particular, she dwells on her important personal relationships and the roles they have played in bringing her to her current position.

I found this book to be a compelling read, particularly in the second half when we start to get a bit more information. The initial hectic flight with no explanation became a little tiresome, but I’m glad I stuck with the book as it picked up pace.

It is something of bleak read - Bird’s life has left her in a lonely place, which is underscored by her isolation during her flight. However, there is warmth in her interactions with people who help her, and a real fondness in her memories of the people she has loved. It is a more thoughtful book than Apple Tree Yard, but just as well written and it deserves to do well.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Louise Doughty, although I had seen the series "Apple Tree Yard" when it came out, which is also based on spies. I enjoyed this novel and read it very quickly, but as a spy novel/thriller it could have been better. The narrator, Heather, is a woman on the run, a spy who has become a target and must run, change her appearance, avoid detection, keep moving. This takes her from Coventry to Scotland, which takes a large part of the book; and then further in Northern Europe. I really enjoyed this part, at the beginning of the novel, as we know she is running from something but it gets a bit muddled further in the novel and I was disappointed which the actual plot once everything became clear. There's a lot of background information which in the end did not feel useful to the story - they were used but did not feel vital, anything else could have been used instead and I got tired of reading about her dear friend she met in the army for pages and pages because - without spoiling the novel for everyone - I expected it to amount to a lot more than it actually did. And although I was rooting for the heroine, it just felt too easy and too convenient - there are almost no hurdles; she is on the run but seems to have endless bags of cash to buy new outfits every other day, and she finds inns and B&Bs almost everywhere... I kept hoping for a big twist and a big reveal and it fell a little bit short for me. It was well-written though; and I ended up reading it in one evening and one afternoon, so it was entertaining and pleasant - just unlikely to be very memorable for me.

A dark story that rarely lightens and with a sense of foreboding that escalates as the plot progresses. A feeling of growing menace is felt by the reader as they wonder how this can ever end well. And yet the cold and dark Scandinavian landscape where the protagonist’s story is left hints at signs of Spring to come..

*4.5 stars*

We begin in an office of a multi storey building in Birmingham, UK, nicknamed Alaska because it’s so darn cold. A rather superior looking man, Kieron Blythe is standing by the floor to ceiling window, gazing out over the city centre, coffee cup in hand, and as he turns very slowly and places the cup on the table, his staff sit with bated breath, the urgency palpable, because there’s something in the manner in which he placed his cup down, that signals just how serious the information he has just imparted is, and it’s something that gets fifty year old Heather’s heart beating with dread. Immediately she rises and without a word leaves the office and goes on the run!

However, working in British Intelligence, she’s been prepared for this eventuality and has an elaborate escape plan - a bag containing assorted clothing/ disguises, fake passport, burner phone, and a wad of cash - she just has to make it home first to retrieve it.

Heather knows that someone will hunt her down, but she has no idea who. As we accompany Heather (Bird) up country towards the vast open hills, lochs, rivers and forests of Scotland, we slowly begin to discover what it is that’s led her to take such extreme measures, because she’s not just leaving her job, but also her home and life as she knows it.

Though slow at times initially, it gave the reader a chance to absorb Heather’s background, along with her family’s history (her father was also a spy) and that of her friends. The tension became unbearable as the story progressed, with Heather desperately trying to stay one step ahead of her pursuers - believe me, no easy task. This was a terrific read and comes highly recommended.

A middle aged woman goes into a work related meeting then without explanation or reason begins a terrifying journey to avoid a yet unspecified menace and threat to her life. We the reader only learn in hindsight the events that catapulted her into this catastrophic situation. From a young girl living in a house of secrets and unexplained absences towards careers that although offering opportunities for success always carried undertones of threat , scrutiny and danger . Relationship are thwarted with problems and undisclosed tensions as the race towards safety and an understanding of who the individuals are who responsible for her current situation gains momentum. A hugely absorbing story of one woman’s journey of survival and understanding using every skill and scrap of information she is able to ascertain with little or no recourse to technology or human assistance. A five star read told with pace and ingenuity towards a hugely successful and appropriate conclusion. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for ARC.

This is an enjoyable read, that keeps you guessing almost all of the way through. Bird is an interesting protagonist , whose character is revealed slowly but with a deft hand. I really enjoyed it. With thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

I really enjoyed Louise Doughty's Apple Tree Yard so when I got the opportunity to read her new novel I was delighted.

A Bird in Winter is about Heather who is at work one day and the next thing we know she is on the run, as the story progresses it becomes clear as to why Heather is on the run but still shrouded in mystery.

The story is really full of surprising elements that I did not see coming and I love this element of a novel when the author can bring that sort of surprise into a novel.

I really liked Heather as a character and when reading her back story you really get a sense of who she is.

The story is extremely fast based and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Louise Doughty is a great storyteller and really keeps the surprises coming.

Thanks to Netgalley, Louise Doughty and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Quite a journey following Bird as she flees up Britain to Scandinavia and beyond. We don't know why she is on the run until the story gradually unfolds and we learn about her time in the army and the 'service. The back story works well alongside the descriptions of her escape. She needs all her skills and considerable tenacity and I wanted her to get away even though she wasn't a particularly likeable character. There are some gaps in the story that the reader needs to consider for themselves - who are the gangsters, what exactly was Kieron up to, and was her father all that he seemed?
An enjoyable read overall and great to have a female lead in a spy story.