Jackie Swaitkowski may not be the most buttoned-up lawyer in the Hamptons, but a plane crash before her very eyes is hard to miss. Just before the struggling air taxi takes a nosedive, its female pilot tosses out a camera case. To Jackie, the accident's only witness, the case (so to speak) seems meant for her.
The camera's memory card holds an unusual set of photos. Jackie recognizes more than a few of the faces in those pictures. Are they telling her the story of the crash? The pilot, a hard-nosed biker chick named Eugenie Birkson, came from a family tree filled with ex-cons, and boasted a passenger list packed with high society. And Jackie soon learns that solving the mystery of Eugenie's death will mean uncovering some dark secrets from her own past as well.
All this and a freshly revived romance with gentle giant Harry Goodlander, and Jackie yet again has her heart and her hands full.
Award-winning mystery writer Chris Knopf returns to Southampton, a one-of-a-kind small town where the rich and the rest of us rub shoulders on a daily basis, generating all the frictions that might imply.
"With an ability to make the shocking plausible, an elegantly edgy prose style and characters who seem as real as old friends, Knopf displays his talents to perfect effect in this humane and haunting novel."
Richmond Times-Dispatch
"This second Jackie Swaitkowski mystery novel comes up golden on all major fronts: setting, plot, felicity of style (including pacing and dialogue), and-- above all-- characterization. The character of Jackie is a gift to hohumming mystery readers everywhere. ... Bad Bird takes off smoothly, flies high, offers a first-class ride, and lands on the honors list of this year's mysteries."
Yahoo! Shine
"Knopf has a knack for big opening scenes that set the tone for his danger-fraught plots and draw the reader into the dysfunctional world of Swaitkowski, who drinks too much, smokes pot, and attempts to evade too-close relationships. As usual, Knopf shocks with an unexpected ending."
