Rating: 
Summary: One of the Most Intriguing Works To Date!
Review: There is something about The Blackbird Papers by Ian Smith that I found methodically fascinating and refreshing and different from today's trends in literature. I was captivated from beginning to end and hope this one makes it to the big screen. I love mysteries, and the motive for bizarre bird killings and a surprise murder from the beginning were justified. The Blackbird Papers is one of those must read books.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book of The Summer
Review: This is a MUST read. You will be reading this book and not be able to put it down. The story goes something like this:Professor Wilson Bledsoe is returning from a party celebrating his latest honor when he encounters a broken-down pick-up on the secluded country road to his home. He instinctively stops to help, calling his wife, Kay, to let her know he'll be late. When the delay stretches to hours, Kay frantically contacts the local police and Wilson's younger brother, Sterling, an FBI agent in New York. The next day, the discovery of the Professor's body with a vicious racist epithet carved into his chest leads to the quick arrest of two loathsome white supremacists. Sterling, however, is not quite ready to buy into this pat solution. A look around his brother's lab and brief interviews with his students, colleagues, and the college's distinguished president pique his curiosity about Wilson's current project, a nearly completed paper on the mysterious deaths of hundreds of local blackbirds. But Sterling's search for answers takes a dangerous turn when a security tape sent to Quantico for enhancement incriminates the agent himself. Determined to clear his name and bring his brother's killer to justice, Sterling eludes the local police and makes his way back to New York City, where he pulls out every trick he knows to stay one step ahead of the FBI and the NYPD. As he calls in favors from long-time friends at the Bureau and checks out leads from scientists familiar with his brother's work, Sterling realizes that Wilson's murder is part of a sinister scheme that reaches from the Dartmouth campus to big-money interests in the Midwest, to the offices of some very influential people in Washington. Buy this book now!!!! You'll be loving every page of it!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Blackbird Papers is a hit
Review: This was a different kind of read for me, but I think Ian Smith did an excellent job weaving this tale of suspense. At one point, I was actually on the edge of my seat....literally on the edge! It's a book that I would definitely suggest to others. I hope this book isn't a one-hit wonder. Hopefully, we'll see more work from this author.
Rating: 
Summary: A mystery cloaked in a mystery
Review: When Wilson Bledsoe, an eminent black professor at Dartmouth University, wins another prestigious science award, he is pleased, but more concerned with finishing his lab research, on the verge of a critical discovery. Heading home on the night of the award celebration, Bledsoe stops to help two men having car trouble. He never makes it home again. The professor's body is found the next day, the all too familiar N-word brutally carved into his chest. The local police are inclined to view the murder as a hate crime, especially when two suspects are arrested who belong to a local militia group, the White Liberation Army. The college is anxious to put the bad press behind them as soon as possible and move on, welcoming the quick solution. Not so fast. Sterling Bledsoe, the professor's younger brother, FBI agent and part-time teacher, steps into the picture, questioning the ease with which the crime has been solved. Determined to look deeper into the motives behind the killing and how such a violent act connects to his brother's cutting-edge research, Sterling pursues information with a vengeance, maintaining a low profile, while tapping into the FBI's considerable forensic resources. When an obscure image of a man is found on a surveillance camera, Bledsoe has the film sent to the FBI lab for verification. The heinous crime reawakens Sterling's dark childhood memories; as the youngest son, the FBI agent has long struggled with his sibling rivalry, unable to shake the shadow of his brilliant brother and his consequent feelings of inadequacy. As these personal memories resurface, Agent Bledsoe finds a way to integrate his perceptions with the reality of his brother's impact on the world at large. In a progressive college town, race issues may simmer below the surface, but Bledsoe believes the attempt to brand this a racially-motivated murder is a bit disingenuous. Collecting evidence, Sterling waits patiently for the facts to talk to him, as they always do, but he can't be sure who can be trusted with the information he uncovers. Following his own cardinal rule, trust no one, Sterling is in a conundrum, unsure where to turn next. He is running on pure instinct, in danger himself the closer he gets to the motive behind his brother's death that is somehow connected a riddle. Central to understanding the cause and effect are the blackbirds the elder Bledsoe was studying in his experiments. Inadvertently, Sterling realizes just how much he has in common with the brother he resented for all these years, able to release old resentments and appreciate the qualities they shared. The fast-paced, nowhere-to-run scenario at the end of the novel ties up a series of loose ends, revealing unexpected alliances and shocking betrayals. Sterling Bledsoe is a new character on the mystery/suspense scene, destined to stay around for some time to come. Luan Gaines/2004.
Rating:
Summary: Great Debut Novel
Review: With our current genres of dark mystery movies with twists and turns everywhere, Ian Smith is not to be recokened with. He weaves a great tale, while setting up great believable characters. This book had me up all night to finish it. I would highly recommend this book.
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