The Red Bird Sings

About the book

'Based on a real-life murder trial in 1897 Virginia, this dazzling debut arrives with a Southern Gothic slant and a feminist spirit' Daily Mail

***A Most Anticipated Book for 2023 in the Daily Mail, Irish Times and Sunday Independent***

West Virginia, 1897. When young Zona Heaster Shue dies only a few months after her wedding, her mother Mary Jane becomes convinced that Zona was murdered - and by none other than her husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town.

But when Trout is put on trial, no one believes he could have done it, apart from Mary Jane and Zona's best friend Lucy, who was always suspicious of Trout. As the trial raises to fever pitch and the men of Greenbrier County stand aligned against them, Mary Jane and Lucy must decide whether to reveal Zona's greatest secret in the service of justice. But it's Zona herself, from beyond the grave, who still has one last revelation to make.

The Red Bird Sings is to be read with your heart in your mouth down your spine to the final, haunting page. It also explores important questions which we are still asking to this day. Who is listened to and who is ignored? Why are women so often not believed? And what does justice truly mean?

'Written with a compelling, lyrical intensity, The Red Bird Sings is a historical drama whose characters are full of a a suppressed fury, and haunted by a need for justice. A deeply felt and accomplished debut' Anne Enright

'Keeps you turning pages right until the end. Loved it' Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl

'Truly superb... Compelling and lyrical in equal measure' Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain

'Beautifully crafted ... wholly convincing in its historical detail and tone' Sarah Gilmartin, author of Dinner Party