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The Blackbird Season
September 26, 2017, Atria Books Known for novels featuring “great pacing and true surprises” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) and “nerve-shattering suspense” (Heather Gudenkauf, New York Time bestselling author), New York Times bestselling author Kate Moretti’s latest is the story of a scandal-torn Pennsylvania town and the aftermath of a troubled girl gone missing. In a quiet Pennsylvania town, a thousand dead starlings fall onto a high school baseball field, unleashing a horrifying and unexpected chain of events that will rock the close-knit community. Beloved baseball coach and teacher Nate Winters and his wife, Alicia, are well respected throughout town. That is, until one of the many reporters investigating the bizarre bird phenomenon catches Nate embracing a wayward student, Lucia Hamm, in front of a sleazy motel. Lucia soon buoys the scandal by claiming that she and Nate are engaged in an affair, throwing the town into an uproar…and leaving Alicia to wonder if her husband has a second life. And when Lucia suddenly disappears, the police only to have one suspect: Nate. |
Nate’s coworker and sole supporter, Bridget Harris, Lucia’s creative writing teacher, is determined to prove his innocence. She has Lucia’s class journal, and while some of the entries appear particularly damning to Nate’s case, others just don’t add up. Bridget knows the key to Nate’s exoneration and the truth of Lucia’s disappearance lie within the walls of the school and in the pages of that journal.
Told from the alternating points of view of Alicia, Nate, Lucia, and Bridget, The Blackbird Season is a haunting, psychologically nuanced suspense, filled with Kate Moretti’s signature “chillingly satisfying” (Publishers Weekly) twists and turns.
Told from the alternating points of view of Alicia, Nate, Lucia, and Bridget, The Blackbird Season is a haunting, psychologically nuanced suspense, filled with Kate Moretti’s signature “chillingly satisfying” (Publishers Weekly) twists and turns.
Media and Reviews
Praise for The Blackbird Season
"Moretti's tale of jealousy and obsession is nothing less than dark magic. Witchery indeed.” - Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
"This cautionary tale keeps the reader guessing to the end."
– Publishers Weekly
"The tale’s suspenseful core should catch and hold most readers, especially Gone Girl fans."
– Booklist
"A suspenseful mystery about small-town secrets and scandals."
– PopSugar
"Kate Moretti rests her finger on the pulse of people in crisis, telling their story beautifully and honestly. She has a true gift."
– Lisa Turner, author of Devil Sent the Rain and The Gone Dead Train
"The Blackbird Season pulls off a very difficult thing: it's nail-biting and thought-provoking all at once. It's a rare that a book can make you turn pages like your life depends on it, but also give you food for thought because the characters are so perfectly drawn. A stunning achievement from an extremely talented writer."
– Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew
“A powerful story about a missing girl and an accused suspect that takes a haunting look into the characters and relationships you think you know. The Blackbird Season explores the fine line between guilt and innocence, truth and perception, the moments that break people apart—and those that bring them together. Riveting and insightful, this is a book that lingers long after you turn the final page.”
- Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls
"Moretti begins The Blackbird Season with a sinister premise — a cloud of birds fall from the sky on the same day a teenage girl people call ‘the witch’ goes missing. A spellbinding tale of long-held secrets and small-town scandal, The Blackbird Season is one of those stories that sneaks up on you, each chapter building steadily to an ending that will haunt you long after you turn the last page."
– Kimberly Belle, bestselling author of The Marriage Lie
"The characters are authentically flawed and believable, and part of the mystery is the unfolding of their motivations…The Blackbird Season is about how people—teens and adults alike—get lost and disconnected. All that, plus a suspenseful mystery—what more can you ask for?"
– Holly Brown, author of Don't Try to Find Me
"When a troubled teenaged girl goes missing in The Blackbird Season, the town in which she lives is ripped apart by suspicion. As disturbing secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe. Kate Moretti’s trademark vivid characterizations, surprising storyline, and heart-stopping suspense kept me eagerly turning pages long into the night."
– Carla Buckley, author of The Good Goodbye
"Moretti's tale of jealousy and obsession is nothing less than dark magic. Witchery indeed.” - Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
"This cautionary tale keeps the reader guessing to the end."
– Publishers Weekly
"The tale’s suspenseful core should catch and hold most readers, especially Gone Girl fans."
– Booklist
"A suspenseful mystery about small-town secrets and scandals."
– PopSugar
"Kate Moretti rests her finger on the pulse of people in crisis, telling their story beautifully and honestly. She has a true gift."
– Lisa Turner, author of Devil Sent the Rain and The Gone Dead Train
"The Blackbird Season pulls off a very difficult thing: it's nail-biting and thought-provoking all at once. It's a rare that a book can make you turn pages like your life depends on it, but also give you food for thought because the characters are so perfectly drawn. A stunning achievement from an extremely talented writer."
– Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew
“A powerful story about a missing girl and an accused suspect that takes a haunting look into the characters and relationships you think you know. The Blackbird Season explores the fine line between guilt and innocence, truth and perception, the moments that break people apart—and those that bring them together. Riveting and insightful, this is a book that lingers long after you turn the final page.”
- Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls
"Moretti begins The Blackbird Season with a sinister premise — a cloud of birds fall from the sky on the same day a teenage girl people call ‘the witch’ goes missing. A spellbinding tale of long-held secrets and small-town scandal, The Blackbird Season is one of those stories that sneaks up on you, each chapter building steadily to an ending that will haunt you long after you turn the last page."
– Kimberly Belle, bestselling author of The Marriage Lie
"The characters are authentically flawed and believable, and part of the mystery is the unfolding of their motivations…The Blackbird Season is about how people—teens and adults alike—get lost and disconnected. All that, plus a suspenseful mystery—what more can you ask for?"
– Holly Brown, author of Don't Try to Find Me
"When a troubled teenaged girl goes missing in The Blackbird Season, the town in which she lives is ripped apart by suspicion. As disturbing secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe. Kate Moretti’s trademark vivid characterizations, surprising storyline, and heart-stopping suspense kept me eagerly turning pages long into the night."
– Carla Buckley, author of The Good Goodbye