The Butcher Bird: Oswald de Lacy Book 2 (The Oswald de Lacy Medieval Murders)

This is a good read for a rainy afternoon. But and it is a big But it's very similar to the first, annoying mother and horrible sister (both only remarkable because they are utterly impossible to like) are still very prominent, and disappointingly the main character hasn't grown at all, after finding the murderer and saving the day and his sister I would have thought that he would be more confident in his abilities. Unfortunately he is still the nervous angst ridden boy he was in the first book, so I won't be joining him for his next adventure.

An interesting plot for this book, with an insight as to how people saw life back then. It is easy now to ask how could people be so stupid, but they didn’t have the knowledge. I quite like Oswald but wish he would get a backbone! I know the character is only young but he does seem a bit wet. Although, he does come into his own at the end. I love the twist right at the very end. Look for to reading book 3.

I did like both of these books. They are very well written and I love Oswald's wry humour with regard to his awful mother and sister. The books seem really well researched (although I am not a historian). As with the last review I would also like him to be a little less "wet" sometimes but I think that is the sensitivity of his character and has to be part of the story. I am definitely a new fan

I know with music the second album is always a difficult one, if your debut album was a hit.I assume it must be the same with writers & books. The first book in this series was a real hit with me and this follow up novel was a joy to read.If you enjoy this genre of historical murder mystery you will love this.

Decent storyline, and better than Ms Sykes' first book (Plague Land). I found it an easy read, but thought it could have been perhaps more authentic to the period. Generally, I enjoyed it.

The story line is compelling, complex and never turns the way I've expected it to, it's almost like reading a novel but with the ending of a different one - or perhaps I need to read the next in the series- just to put my mind at rest.

I like the characters, the characterisation and the mood of this work. Set in an age that only some of us can comprehend, the author has given us a feeling of the desperation felt by the many rural people after much of the population was wiped out. Thanks, a good read!

Great tale over interesting landscape with fantastic description and character development. I really enjoyed this tale of murder, mayhem and social struggles.