This is the fourth book by Eve Chase that I have enjoyed, as her stories embrace families with secrets, English country estates, and dual timelines. Chase writes with elegant prose, as she maintains the tension always simmering beneath the surface and keeps the reader wondering whether and how the family's problems will be resolved.

As children, three half-sisters spent their summers with their father in Cornwall. But all three have different mothers, which makes the two eldest, Flora and Kat, resent Lauren, whose mother is their father's favorite. Fast-forwarding 20 years since their last summer together, Flora, mother of a 4-year-old son, begins to question whether she married the right man. Kat runs a tech company that has made her wealthy but controls her life. And Lauren has never totally recovered from the events of 1999.

The sisters' reunion with their father--and each other--features each sister in alternating chapters, but the events of 1999 are first-person narrations by Lauren. A solar total eclipse was the highlight of that summer, but there was a tragedy as well, and secrets that have yet to be exposed.

My thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for affording me the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Eve Chase is a master at blending suspense and creating characters we can actually relate to. This multifaceted family feels like people we know--they are living and breathing creatures.

I enjoyed this book. The prose was well-written, and the characters were dynamic and jumped off the page. I thought the story was interesting and the plot kept me guessing.

Atmospheric and engaging - will please fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell. A recommended purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.

I do love a good book! This one fit the bill. Trauma as a teenager can impact you forever, especially when no one will talk about it.. lots of tension that builds up to the end between 3 half sisters. I don’t want to spoil this book so I won’t say more except that I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC (kindle) in exchange for an honest review.

"That's the problem with digging, there's always another layer and the soil is colder, rockier, and harder to work the deeper you go. And you can never be sure exactly what you might find."

This was a palate cleanser for me, a fast-paced mystery that reminds me a bit of Ruth Ware and Paula Hawkins; but not necessarily a locked-door thriller by any means but one that is moody and tense, always waiting for what is going to be revealed next. While the book is plot-driven, we learn so much about the three half-sisters of the story - the girls they once were, and the women they have now become. All are fragile and ready to break even further than they have already because of the tragic event that took place twenty years ago. We go two steps forward and one step back as we race to find out what that event was. As the girls arrive back in Rock Point, while they try to suppress what happened back then, others still remember what they did; a note slipped under the door, "We remember. We know what you did." Is someone sinister stalking the family as they reunite and Rock Point? And what lengths will they go to also uncover the truth? Family secrets must be revealed to finally bring the past trauma to an end and reunite the sisters once and for all.

What I liked:
- Strong female character leads -- the story is told from the perspective of the three sisters - Kat, Flora, and Lauren. When chapters go back to the past, it is the only time the narrative is told in the first-person perspective. Chase marks each chapter with the character name and adjusts it to match each women's perspective.
- Descriptive and tense. You feel like you are on the moors of Cornwall, you feel that you're in an old home up on the cliffs. The trepidation is palpable in the lead-up to figuring out the truth.
- Fast-paced; each chapter is a cliff-hanger that pulls you into the next.
- Not very predictable; I had a gut feeling as I got part of the way through the book, but was pleasantly surprised by additional twists that I never saw coming.

My favorite quote…it's so bookish: "…to mary doting dependable Scott; a man who in five years of marriage hasn't read one novel. When she jokingly mentioned this to her book group, Louisa from number nine said, "I'm so sorry Flo," with such tenderness that Flora had to hide in the loo for a small drunken sob."

Excellent family drama written by an author whose work I always enjoy. I did not love all the characters, and found the book to be a tad slow in the beginning, but very happy I stuck with it.

First of all the cover of this book is stunning! It caught my eye and I immediately wanted to read the synopsis. Overall I enjoyed this story and could not wait to see what the big secret that happened 20 years before was. This had me trying to finish as quickly as possible. The first half of the book was a bit slow for me but I am glad I stuck with it because I definitely liked that last half. If you enjoy family drama, secrets and mystery then definitely check this one out!

This book was a decent read, it had mild suspense, action , intrigue, and some unique characters! The storyline was just ok for me?! I don't know?! At some points I felt lost?! I had to stop and think and go back to see who was who! It wasn't the worst book I've ever read , it was a decent read it just wasn't one of my all time favorites! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I very much enjoyed THE BIRDCAGE by Eve Chase.
This is my first book written by this author, now I need more.
A well told story with very deep characters.
Great use of plot, technique and atmosphere.
I loved her writing and was hooked from the first page.
The characters are very well created and developed.
The storyline was well crafted and this is one amazing story.
I highly recommend reading this utterly enthralling story.

G.P. Putnam's Sons,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

This was the first book for me to read by these authors but definitely not my last!! The story and characters are so well developed and the book is beautifully written. This will stick with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!!!

A predictable mystery, populated by women who are just a collection of traits. The sisters are not believable as human beings, who have ever lived. No one is that flat. No one is just a handful of signifiers. This book is an easily solved twist mystery and a failure as a character study.