Starred review from Booklist Starred review from Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2019, CrimeReads After a serial killer almost murdered Delpha Wade (The Do-Right, 2015), the county hospital releases her into the handcuffs of the city police for questioning. She killed the man who was trying to kill her, and she is, after all, an ex-con. It’s still Beaumont, 1970s, and mindsets … her, and she is, after all, an ex-con. It’s still Beaumont, 1970s, and mindsets don’t change along the Texas Gulf Coast. Her boss, the neophyte private detective Tom Phelan, awaits her, and soon they are once again in deep shit. It seems like an easy case–one Bird brother looking for the long-lost other–but turns out that one brother is a murderer. He likes to slit throats. But which one? Maybe the young girl who sees into the dark places of human hearts can help. But only Delpha is wise enough to listen.more
The Bird Boys
By lisasandlin
I actually taught this novel. With Tom Phelan and Delpha Wade, Lisa Sandlin, with THE DO RIGHT and then BIRD BOYS, has a team that is part Laurel and Hardy, Nick and Nora, part TRUE DETECTIVE. The humor and intrigue slightly lighten the Southern Gothic grotesques that these two find in 1970s Southeast Texas. Ms. Sandlin goes on to connect their time and place to the rest of the nation.
I received a copy of this book for free. This is my honest and thoughtful review.
As a huge fan of the mystery genre, I was immediately drawn to the synopsis and the cover. Dark, creepy, and eerie looking, and following a near miss from a serial killer, I was excited to get started on this one. Unfortunately, there quickly seemed to be something that I wasn’t connecting with, and I have to believe that it was the “noir” conventions that were just not for me. Nihilism and cynicism colored the mood, and everyone seemed to be entangled in a web of doom and gloom of their own making. While Tom and Delpha try to do the best they can for their clients who are bent on self-destruction themselves, a cloud of fatalism cast its shadow and followed everyone around.
Overall, the storytelling is striking, and I can acknowledge the definite appeal this series has to a wide audience; I just need a little more optimism in my reading. I can absolutely appreciate and understand what makes this series so special and an entertaining and enthralling read for many; however, for me, it was slightly too literary for my taste and attention span right now.
“Soon as the office was cleared for business, Phelan trashed the yellow crime tape and hired industrial cleaning guys to blast the blood from the wood floor, patch up the stain. He’d paid them extra to work on the weekend. Still smelled funky though. Bleachy – and underneath, a whiff of something live, gone over. He pushed up the windows and let Beaumont’s August heat K.O. his stuttering AC unit.”
Personal preference aside, this is a fantastically modern call back to the classic detective story. Set in 1970s Beaumont, the story is incredibly atmospheric and intensely descriptive, capturing the setting of this town in such a gripping way that in a sense it becomes its own character as well. Having grown up in a coastal refinery town myself, I could smell the oil burning and feel the heat and humidity resonating off the page. Every word matters, and the author uses language stylistically to not just captivate with her descriptions, but create strong dialogue and internal conversation. Yet, for me, the narrative became overwhelmed with too many words that implied more than it seemed to just come right out and say. I found myself getting lost and ultimately feeling detached towards a story that I initially assumed would work for me.
“The library drew her, and not just for the books – the building, rough limestone blocks, a towered and turreted castle fit for a river king. Close behind the castle ran the slow brown Neches.”
Not surprisingly, the scenes revolving around case research and the library were phenomenal! Book lovers will definitely be transfixed by the author’s ability to envelope readers in the complete essence of the bookish experience.
The reading experience is deeply personal to each of us, and what may not work for me may be the exact right read for you. This original voice weaves together a compellingly gritty character study that remains steadfast to its thematically bleak truth. Definitely begin with the first book, THE DO-RIGHT, to fully embrace this edgy and wholly intelligent genre.
“Everyone should have something that is lovely forever.”
The Bird Boys by Lisa Sandlin is gripping, but not because the pace is overly fast, or the action is nonstop. This story will grab you because the characters, especially Delpha Wade and Tom Phelan, are complex, layered, and compelling. To get the full picture, you need to read the first in the series, The Do-Right (2015), which is fantastic. The Bird Boys picks up where the first book leaves off, so it would be unwise to read them out of sequence. You wouldn’t want to anyway because the characters are so wonderfully flawed and beautiful.
The first book establishes the characters and sets up the fledgling private investigation firm called Phelan Investigations as the backdrop for the series. In The Bird Boys, Tom and Delpha take on the case to find a long lost brother, but the ensuing investigation opens up a box of riddles, confusion, and lies that lead the two on a convoluted hunt for answers and the truth. The overall setting in both books is Beaumont, Texas, during the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s. This time frame means that the investigations are slow affairs and require the ingenuity, patience, and cunning that have become somewhat lost in our modern digital age of convenience and instant access to, well, everything.
While the investigative main plot and an investigative subplot are interesting and a huge focus of the overall story, it is the delectable characterization that pushes The Bird Boys (and The Do-Right) toward perfection. Tom is still relatively young, yet he often comes across as an old soul. Delpha is in her early thirties and is burdened by a troubled past filled with immense struggle and heartache (all presented in the first book). Watching both of these characters develop and blossom and stumble once or twice before righting themselves is pure entertainment.
Lisa Sandlin’s writing is controlled yet mesmerizing, and she imbues the overall plot with expertly crafted characterization, providing a work of moderate crime drama that is both intriguing and engaging in its complexities, understated humor, dark moments, and realistic narrative. Becoming completely engaged in the story is easy and immediate, so be prepared for the inevitable reluctance to stop reading occasionally so that you can eat, sleep, and live your life.
The main story of Tom and Delpha solving the case of the Bird Boys is steeped in bad blood between two brothers that spans decades, leaving nothing but sadness and loss in its wake. This part of the story will have you pondering the folly of grudges, hate, and greed and then comparing all that to the wonder of new freedom, budding affection, and a hopeful eye turned toward a promising future. While Tom is a fun and interesting character, Delpha will burrow into your heart and stay with you. She is truly flawed yet all the more likable for her mistakes, vulnerability, and stark determination to live a free life on her terms. She is resourceful out of necessity and completely wary of emotions and affection. The ending scene between Tom and Delpha is almost staggering in its gentle and subtle brilliance as these two drift ever closer. They are still delicately exploring the depth and boundaries of their relationship, and I personally can’t wait for the next book.