A rainy night . . . A stranded motorist . . . A Good Samaritan passerby … a Nobel Prize–winning professor . . . The setup for a shocking murder designed to cover up an even more sinister crime . . . The Blackbird Papers marks the debut of Ian Smith, a major new talent in crime fiction, and of Sterling Bledsoe, his smart and occasionally combative sleuth. World-renowned Dartmouth professor Wilson Bledsoe is returning from a party celebrating his latest honor when he encounters a broken-down pickup on the secluded country road to his home. The next day, the discovery of his body with a vicious racist epithet carved into his chest leads to the quick arrest of two loathsome white supremacists. The local authorities seem ready to accept the case at face value as a racial hate crime. But the murdered professor’s brother, FBI agent Sterling Bledsoe, has inserted himself into the investigation and isn’t ready to buy into this pat solution. A look around his brother’s lab and brief interviews with his students and colleagues pique Sterling’s curiosity about Wilson’s pet project: a nearly completed paper on the mysterious deaths of hundreds of local blackbirds. Fast-paced and cleverly constructed, The Blackbird Papers introduces a major new talent in mystery and crime fiction.
Download and start listening now!
"This was a very good book! Before this I only knew of Ian Smith as Dr. Ian Smith on Celebrity Fit Club but he took this book to a new level. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a good exciting read." — Kanesha (4 out of 5 stars)
"This was a very good book! Before this I only knew of Ian Smith as Dr. Ian Smith on Celebrity Fit Club but he took this book to a new level. I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a good exciting read."
" Loved it; page turner. The characters are so fresh and vivid. I enjoyed this debut novel and hoping Ian Smith writes another follow up one. It was refreshing to see a well written, thought out plot. "
" Kept my interest to the very end "
" An entertaining "whodunit" with elements of corporate conspiracy. This is author Ian Smith's debut novel and that showed at times in that plot movement and character development was occasionally clunky, but I would definitely be interested in more novels from this author like "The Blackbird Papers." "
" Really good book worth reading. Highly recommend. "
" Read this book in one weekend. Very good book, although the ending kind of sucks. Would recommend to anyone. "
" what a great book...lot of intrigue around campus and real world "
" this was ok to good. had your murder, rogue fbi agent, chases, etc "
" good 1st. some typos in arc, some dangling scenarios, but overall good popcorn. wonder about some of the factual info re redwing blackbirds, sunflower oil corps, etc. "
" Excellent murder suspense! Definitely did not expect the ending and hate there has not been a follow up to this book. "
" Good debut mystery,worth a read. "
" Great thriller from a new writer "
" Excellent murder mystery; a page turner. "
" I wish the author would try his hand at another work of fictionl I really enjoyed this story. "
" Nice read, some unusual, unexpexted turns in a classical "whodunnit". Really nice setting. "
" Come on Dr. Smith! This was a phenomenal read! Where's the next book???? "
" Seems the only draw is the descriptions of the Upper Valley, and those don't really ring true from my experience. I think I made it to page 15 or something. Life is short and there are tons of great books out there.... "
" This book was a well written and exciting mystery with lots of twists and turns. "
" I didn't want to put this book down! A well-written story with very believable characters. "
Ian Smith, MD, has been an award-winning medical correspondent for NBC News and a contributor to the Today show. He is a medical columnist for Men’s Health magazine and a commentator for NPR’s Tavis Smiley show and for the nationally syndicated talk show The View. He lives in New York City.
Audiobooks Were Restored to Your Cart
[ShoppingCartItemsAddedOnMerge] audiobook(s) were left in your cart from a previous visit, and saved to your account for your convenience. You may view or remove these audiobooks on the shopping cart page.