Sing Like a Canary

Thank you to Blackthorn Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

When readers are introduced to Marjorie she's grieving the loss of her partner and trying to find her way through life once more. Cast adrift, she searches for closure from her once informant Billy McKenzie. Bad information from him ended her career, and she wants to uncover the truth behind it. But Marjorie isn’t the only one searching for Billy. At one point his information put away a few of his old associates. Ones that are now recently free and out for revenge. But who will find Billy first? And if these associates catch wind of Marjorie, she’ll be next on their hit list.

Readers will slowly reveal how Marjorie ended her career as a detective as the tension builds within the plot. The closer Marjorie comes to finding Billy’s whereabouts, the closer readers come to revealing the full history between the two characters. The pacing for this reveal was so well done and accented the overall story. The anticipation of what will happen if the two characters eventually meet once more will build and readers will be left needing the meeting to occur.

Isobel Blackthorn also tackles the challenges women faced in a predominately male workforce of the 70s. Majorie is met with doubt and sometimes outright aggression when she has information her coworkers are unable to produce. When she’s successful, it makes the situation all the direr for her. While there are a few people that seem to be on her side, they still have an underlying sense of jealousy against Majorie. And there are instances where they try to take advantage of her, causing Majorie to become both ashamed and confused. In some aspects this is a tough read due to the treatment of women. The writing does not shy away from the hardships Majorie faces, but I enjoyed the honesty of it. It takes finesse to incorporate these elements into a story, and Isobel Blackthorn has done a fine job.

If you enjoy detective stories, give Sing Like a Canary a try. While this isn't book one of the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. The characters and settings are brought to life by Isobel Blackthorn’s wonderful writing. Readers will not be disappointed as they join Majorie in her search for Billy and the truth only he knows.