Birdman, Mo Hayder - Ciska's Book Chest

Author: Mo Hayder
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 0440236169
ISBN-13: 9780440236160
Series: Jack Caffery

Greenwich, south-east London. The Met's crack murder squad, AMIP, is called out by nervous CID detectives to a grim discovery. Five bodies, all young women, all ritualistically murdered and dumped on wasteland near the Dome. As each post-mortem reveals a singular, horrific signature linking the victims, officers realize that they are on the trail of that most dangerous offender: a sexual serial killer.
Detective Inspector Jack Caffery - young, driven, unshockable - finds himself facing both hostility within the force and echoes of his past in this, his first case with AMIP. Haunted by the memory of a death long ago, he employs every weapon forensic science can offer for he knows it is only a matter of time before this chaotic, sadistic killer strikes again.

If you read a lot of police procedurals and mystery/thrillers the name Mo Hayder will come up at some point. Either on sites you visit to find new titles or recommendations from other readers. I have had Birdman on my shelves for a while now and it was one of the first books I picked up for my 'The Unread Pile of Books'challenge.
First warning, this book is not for the faint hearted. There are a lot of descriptions that do not leave much for imagining. Scenes with sex, mutilation and situations you hope no one in your surrounding will ever consider putting you in.
I enjoyed Caffery though he is not the easiest character. As a reader you still feel sympathy and cheer for him to solve things. There is obviously a lot of things in his past that can be developed in further books which I now want get my hands on. I totally hated Veronica though and I am glad she is gone.
Hayder is not afraid to kill the favourite characters either which makes it a tense read.
It is difficult to puzzle along with the mystery. At some point the killer is getting chapters too and giving more body to the story and giving more of a feeling if the cops are on the right track.