Josephine Sharpe returns home to Arthurville, her dad Michael still lives there, and she’s been offered a job working as a journalist for the local community newspaper. Her father Mick still drinks too much, sits around the house all day and Jo’s living with her dad. The newsletter's really small, with a tight budget, and Jo's to concentrate on covering happy events. Things like grandparent’s day at the primary school, what’s happening at the local cricket club and town meetings.

You can understand why Mick Sharpe struggles, his wife Miranda and baby daughter Amy disappeared in 1994, and haven’t been seen since. Merry went missing just before Jo turned eight, it was the talk of the town and it still is twenty four years later. Was Merry unhappy being married to Mick, wanted to make a fresh start and she sent a letter a few months after she disappeared from Queensland?

Returning to Arthurville for Jo’s bittersweet, she meets up with old friends and the small town hasn't changed. She want's answers to her questions about her mum’s troubled relationship with her family, why she didn’t speak to her mother Ruth and brother Roland Beaufort. They live at Pembroke, a grand house and property, they disowned her mother when she married Mick and they didn’t worry about Jo’s welfare after her mother left.

Jo’s starts looking into her mother’s disappearance, and she remembers small things that happened around the time she left, and somethings don’t make any sense. Jo focuses on the facts and little details; her parent’s marriage, was her mother keeping secrets, her mum's friends, family, work colleagues and people she knew in Arthurville. Merry's job, she uncovers her mother wrote articles for the Chronicle and she wasn’t just a secretary.

The Little Bird by Wendy James, is a small town thriller, about family rifts and grudges, shocking secrets, stunning revelations, and Merry's not the first person to have gone missing in the small town and with so many hidden clues! I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley, I found the story fascinating and it wasn't at all predictable and five stars from me.

Okay but not really very good. I expected so much more from this book than was delivered. The characters and plot just fell flat for me.

I love character books.
I love mystery type books.
I love a good family drama.

But nothing really happens in this one. The MC Jo, heads back to her hometown after a breakup that her estranged father knew would happen. It’s there that she starts working on fluff pieces in the newspaper despite all her really wanting to do is find out what happened to her mom and baby sister when they disappeared years ago.

There’s the feeling of the “other side of the tracks” storyline running from her moms side but honestly nothing happens that is too exciting.

I liked it but didn’t love it. And I had such high hopes for it but it was just a little slow for me. I think readers that like that slow buildup with “drama lite” will enjoy it. For me I needed a bit more. I wish I could say differently but have to keep it honest.

3 stars

Journalist Jo Sharpe returns to her small Australian town after a bad break-up and finding out her dad is ill. When she was a child her mother, Merry, left taking her baby sister with her and leaving a shadow over the lives of Jo and her father. Jo also has no relationship with her mother's family who did not approve of her marriage and cut her out of their lives. Returning home has her thinking even more of her mother and her disappearance and she soon starts making discoveries as she revisits her past. The book is a slow-burn as the characters are delved into and unpacked and not really a thriller. Merry also serves as a secondary narrator leading up to her disappearance. I enjoyed the characters (though some were a little too book-generic) and will definitely look into more by the author, however the book didn't feel very Australian and could have been set anywhere. All-in-all a satisfying, if not memorable read.

Josephine "Jo" Sharpe is our main narrator in this Australian novel. She returns home to the backwater town Arthurville with a bit of reluctance because of her family's past and also to help her father as he is in poor health.

Mick doesn't blink an eye when Jo arrives at the unkempt home desite the fact that they haven't spoken for over two years. They rarely commmunicate and yet they coexist and skirt the big issue about her mother and baby sister disappearing over 20 years ago.

Jo was a journalist in a large city and her new job at The Chronicle has her writing fluff material such as the grandparent's day gathering and who won first prize for their crafting assignments. In the dilapidated newspaper office she comes across old newspaper clippings with a gossip column called The Little Bird. Eventually Jo discovers her mother had a hand in this anonymous column which shared salacious community information such as who may be having an affair or who may have dented the fences in front of the drug store, all without naming names of course.

There are multiple narrators in this story and you will be taken back to the 1990's when Jo's mother Merry up and leaves with the baby Amy. Merry was from a weathy family and was destined for university in Sydney until she ran into Mick one day. Mick is/was a working class man who would never have crossed paths with Merry in any social setting. As it worked out, Merry became pregnant and all the big plans went up in smoke. Her family was....displeased.

You will go back and forth between the two time lines, mysteries are revealed and finally by the end of the book you'll discover what happened to baby Amy and Jo's young mother.

Overall it was a decent read but a bit slow here and there. I was wanting more atmospheric details about the Australian setting but there is little of that. There is the occasional mention of the extreme heat and dusty roads but that's it.

Publication date November 30, 2021 by Lake Union Publishing. Genre: General Fiction and Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

A Note From the Publisher:
Wendy James is Australia’s queen of the domestic thriller. She is the author of nine novels, including An Accusation, The Golden Child―short-listed for the 2017 Ned Kelly Award―and the bestselling The Mistake. Her debut novel, Out of the Silence, won the 2006 Ned Kelly Award for first crime novel and was short-listed for the Nita May Dobbie Award for women’s writing. Wendy has a PhD from the University of New England, and she works as an editor, teacher, and researcher. She writes some of the sharpest, most topical domestic noir in the country.

I received a free electronic ARC of this wonderful novel from Netgalley, Wendy James, and Lake Union Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read A Little Bird of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of the work.

This was my first exposure to Australian author Wendy James touted by Amazon as "Australia’s queen of the domestic thriller". This is a publishing category I was not aware of, but I found her un-put-down-able. I am pleased that she has a back catalog I can explore. A Little Bird was extraordinary - a tale of growing up in a small town, of sibling love and parental failings. Jo is an excellent journalist running from a bad relationship in Sidney, settling back into her childhood town, her father's home, and taking on a job once held by her mother at the local paper - a gossip column known as the Little Bird.

Jo lost track of her mother while still a child. Her mother Merry and baby sister Amy left Jo and her father after her parents had another major fight, and after a short letter to Jo's father and one to her own mother, her mom fades into the past, never to be heard from again. Returning home seems to have stirred up all the old feelings in both the town and the family, the pain and disappointments of the past. Everyone knows what happened, the gossip mill never leaves troubles in doubt.

But do they, really? Now that Jo has control of the Little Bird column, she has an open look into the workings of the past. And somehow, things won't come back into focus for Jo. Nothing of the way they were presented twenty-something years ago makes any sense to her.

A delightfully gripping read with plenty to keep the reader hooked. Character driven mystery packed with tension. Thoroughly enjoyed. 5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"A Little Bird" by Wendy James was an interesting & addictive story that was part mystery & part drama.
It was a slow burn that had me racing to find out the twisty & unexpected ending.
I loved how the author told the story using the dual timelines.
This is the 1st book that I have read by Ms. James but it won't be my last.

This is the first Wendy James I have read, the story of Jo trying to discover what happened to her mum and sister,
It took me a while to get into it but I enjoyed the bakc and forth between chapters told by her and her mum.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this eARC

I'm struggling to even say something about this, because it was just so basic. You know those "YOU Can Write A MYSTERY NOVEL In TWO WEEKS!!!" books? I think this is the kind of result you'd get. The writing was okay, if nothing to get excited about; the Australian setting was basically nonexistent, because there really was no atmosphere to speak of. The story (what there is of it) could have basically taken place anywhere hot enough to suffer from drought. I found this really, really disappointing; I get that an Australian author will treat their surroundings like it's nothing special, but to me it is, and that's what I like about authors like Jane Harper -- they put you inside their world. The world of "A Little Bird" is Generic Boring Anytown, because that's what she's focused on; her MC is stuck in what's for her a highly undesirable place she has lots of ambivalent feelings about (which, on a side note, mostly get telegraphed in instead of being fully explored), so it seems Ms. James has no interest in giving the place shape, detail and colour.
The story itself was... meh. You literally have to reach the 50% point for anything to happen. Seriously. 50 freaking percent. Until then, it's just the MC moping around, flashbacks to her mom's life story (in more detail than seems necessary, especially as her past has no bearing on what's happened to her), and some 1990's examples of the local gossip column that made no real sense to me, plot-wise, but maybe that was because I had basically checked out mentally after said 50% of drawn-out nothing.
The MC suffered from terminal genericness as well; yes, she can drive like a badass (ooh), and she's supposedly this super duper journalist, but apart from that she's really just a cypher. If you've read one or two mysteries you've spotted the killer as soon as they enter the stage, because it's one of those "don't know why yet, but can only be them" things (as it turns out, the motive is straight from Generic Central as well). The plot leans heavily on coincidence and the kind of unlikeliness you'd better not think too hard about, e.g. highly important documents are found by a cursory glance inside a drawer in a semi-public location, where they've sat undiscovered for thirty years (!), and of course the local drunk or whatever he is has something in his possession that the MC can *immediately* identify as belonging to her mother the minute she walks in, because of course it's totally unique. I didn't get what the MC's old crush and his teen delinquents-with-a-heart-of-gold had to do with anything, or the MC's weird cousin; her dad's dying from cancer one minute, then turns out to be basically fine the next, all leading to much wringing of hands and thinking of maudlin thoughts; there's a bit of misplaced Teen Drama when the MC (who's in her late thirties but reads like a fairly slow nineteen-year-old) gets to hear what really happened that Fateful Night her teen crush stood her up in the park (groan), and frankly, do I care?!
This isn't even so-bad-it's-good territory, because it *isn't* even all that bad, it's just boring and very, very basic. I usually love to read, but I had to force myself to return to "A Little Bird" every time I put it down, and really, that's the worst thing I can say about a book. In a week or so I'll have forgotten it even existed.

A heart-felt thanks to Netgalley and the publisher -- this book sounded really intriguing on paper, but the end result simply didn't do it for me.

Wendy James has long been a go-to author when I crave a good Australian mystery, so I was excited to see that she has a new book coming out! Jo Sharpe, her main protagonist in A LITTLE BIRD, is a journalist who returns to her small rural hometown to look after her ailing father and take on a position at the local paper, The Chronicle. Arthurville holds mixed memories for her, mostly connected to the abandonment by her mother and baby sister twenty years ago, with only a short note telling Jo’s father not to look for them. Jo still cannot come to terms with the fact that her mother would just up and leave her older child behind and is keen to talk to people who knew her and can shed some light on her mental state at the time of her disappearance.

James masterfully recreates the claustrophobic atmosphere of a remote, close-knit rural community rife with gossip and speculation. It made a perfect backdrop to this slow, character driven mystery and added some colourful characters into the mix. I loved to get an insight into Jo’s grief and confusion related to her mother’s abandonment, and her longing for answers. As someone who also lost her mother as a child, I could easily understand the gaping hole her mother’s absence has left in her heart.

Rolling out in two separate timeframes, A LITTLE BIRD will work towards answering Jo’s many questions, even though the ending was not something I had anticipated. As with her previous book THE ACCUSATION, James uses her insight into the human psyche and her excellent characterisations to build an air of mystery and tension, which was my favourite part of the story and one that will make me come back for more of her stories in future. Atmospheric and insightful, the book captured my heart and kept me turning the pages, breaking my heart bit by bit as the story progressed. Readers who enjoy a slower, character driven mystery with a small town setting should definitely pick this one up!

This book is written from a couple of perspectives - from Jo's and also from her mother Merry's.

I quite enjoyed the back and forth from the present to the past ... and I found that there was just the right amount of time given to each of their stories as the chapters went on. The author paints a perfect picture of each time .... and at no point do you feel confused with the characters, the scenes or the relationships amongst everyone in the book.

There is love, there is intrigue, there is friendship .... and there is also pain ... for Jo and her father Mick, trying even now, all these years later trying to work out what happened to Merry and little Amy. There is the long held hope that they are out there, not wanting to be found, living their best life. As the story unfolds, with snippets here and there, the mystery begins to unravel ... right down to the conclusion of the book ... where all the answers come together.

I think that Wendy James wrote this book really well ... it flowed, it was intriguing, and the story line was realistic, right to the end. I loved this book - and would highly recommend this book to anyone. Thank you for an enjoyable read.
https://denzramblings.blogspot.com/2021/10/a-little-bird-by-wendy-james.html

Well written easy read. Pretty cover jumped out at me. There is more going on in this small town than you think. It has some great chacters and an endingthat I really liked.

This book just wasn't for me. The writing of Wendy James was beautiful but the layout of the book confused me a little. I would recommend this book to a friend but this one just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Jo Sharpe's mother disappeared, any chance at a normal childhood evaporated

Now, years later as she returns to her home town of Arthurville, her mother's disappearance is still very much a mystery, and her father is still as bitter as ever.

As Jo begins to reconnect with old friends and tries to find a new direction for her life, she discovers clues her mother left behind and must dig deep into her memory to figure out the truth.

What I Liked

This book felt like a mashup of literary fiction and mystery/thriller. There is such good character development. You really can’t help but root for Jo. You want her to find the answers she needs. You want her father to have a chance to heal. And you definitely want to see where the relationship with a certain attractive old friend leads.

Pacing was spot on and there are elements of family drama, betrayal, and a reminder that sometimes the kindest faces hide the most sinister secrets.

What I Wish Was Different

While all of the loose ends are tied up neatly by the end of the book, the mystery unravels very quickly at end. I might have liked a few more clues sprinkled through the book that hinted at the true villain.

The beginning of the book was a little difficult for me just because I kept getting confused about who was telling the story and where we were in time. The story is told from the perspective of both Jo and her mom Merry but there are also different timelines involved. Once I got the characters and the timeline straight, I was about halfway through the book and the rest of it flew from there.
Recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jo returns to her hometown to work for the town newspaper and look after her Dad. Returning home brings back all the memories and questions about her Mother and little sister’s disappearance.
It’s a slow build to finding out what happened. This was a really good mystery, I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

After 20 years Jo returns home to mend fences with her father and look into the disappearance of her mother and sister which happened 24 years ago.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected return and I look forward to more by this author !

This is a book of returning home, digging up secrets, digging up the past and is set in a little dusty town in Australia. It brings to life this little town, the local paper and the Little Bird Column in the paper which is full of small town gossip.

But leading on from there is the mystery disappearance of Jo's mother and sister. The story goes to the past and brings you back to the present. There is some humour amongst the pages, but I must say the story is a bit slow and a bit long. A bit too drawn out. Shorten it and it would have been a better read in my opinion.

All in all it was alright but not a favourite read for me.

Read this if you like Jane Harper or Chris Hammer.

Amazing read with a careful and intricately woven plot. Jo returns to her hometown years after being abandoned as a child by her mother and left to be raised by her father. However the mystery remains as to where and why her mother disappeared and what small town secrets are lurking and festering in this dusty hot outback town.

In the first half there was a lot of character introductions. Not sure if this was a plot device to insert the reader in as the main character returning to her home town and reaquaintancing herself with childhood friends and family. It wasn't until after the halfway mark where things began to be unravelled and the reader was granted relief from all the suspense and tension that had been built up.

I liked this read because each question and scenario throughout the plot was answered as the story unravelled and you weren't left wondering oh what happened to that person or, what ended up happening to that place.

It was so great to see mention of the local Indigenous peoples the Wiradjuri, and even having meaningful Indigenous characters.

There's also unnecessary big words used a lot throughout the book. Words like 'machination', 'comeuppance', 'curmudgeonliness', 'cantankerous', 'obfuscate', 'recalcitrant', 'imsouciant' and 'exculpatory'. These are not words you'd hear people saying in person so I don't know why the characters spoke unrealistically like this.