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Mockingbird
Mockingbird
Mockingbird
Audiobook9 hours

Mockingbird

Written by Chuck Wendig

Narrated by Emily Beresford

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

Miriam Black is trying to live an ordinary life, keeping her ability to see how someone dies hidden...until a serial killer crosses her path. This is the second book in the Miriam Black series.

“Visceral and often brutal, this tale vibrates with emotional rawness that helps to paint a bleak, unrelenting picture of life on the edge.” —Publishers Weekly

Miriam is trying. Really, she is. But this whole “settling down thing” just isn’t working out.

She lives on Long Beach Island all year in a run-down, double-wide trailer. She works at a grocery store as a checkout girl. And her relationship with Louis—who’s on the road half the time in his truck—is subject to the mood swings Miriam brings to everything she does. It just isn’t going well.

Still, she’s keeping her psychic ability—to see when and how someone is going to die just by touching them—in check. But even that feels wrong somehow. Like she’s keeping a tornado stopped up in a tiny bottle. Then comes the one bad day that turns it all on her ear.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 28, 2012
ISBN9781469209173
Author

Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig is the author of the Miriam Black thrillers (which begin with Blackbirds) and numerous other works across books, comics, games, and more. A finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the cowriter of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus, he is also known for his popular blog, terribleminds.com. He lives in Pennsylvania with his family.

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Reviews for Mockingbird

Rating: 3.9860139216783215 out of 5 stars
4/5

143 ratings14 reviews

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  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Its by Chuck Wendig, so you know its garbage. /Puke
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not really my kind of book. The description sounded good. A little like the girl who kicked the hornets nest but the writing is a little erratic and the character overblown. Perhaps others will find it a better read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very nicely done double feature. Twists and turns, horror, gore, suspense, and Miriam Black. Crass and tough, Mriam makes this series EXCITING. I was excited with the first part, the 2nd, continued to thrill my expectations. With deeply troubled thoughts and moral disappointments, the protagonist tries to filter her childhood memories from her current day situations. Very moving and gripping at times, as physical and mental anguish grips her, dragging her in and out of her reality. Often enough the lines are blurred and her gift comes crashing in to blurr them even more. This character was done well, with flaws and thin lines that she crosses to achieve what ever she may and to hell with the consequences or whom ever is in her way. If you can't deal with vulgarity or violence this is not for you. If you can you will enjoy this author's world he created and I think you might enjoy Miram Black as well.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was actually more of a 3 1/2 star, but I rounded up simply because of Wendig's awesome narrative style. And my rating is likely more because I was expecting a slightly different direction after the first novel.

    With Miriam's epiphany at then end of Blackbirds, I expected her to struggle more with her lot in life, with the decisions she would now theoretically have to make.

    I was also a touch (not a lot, just a little) disappointed with her arc with Louis. Being Wendig, of course he had to turn the whole "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back again" on its head and make it "girl loses boy, girl gets boy back again (sort of), girl loses boy again". But I wasn't seeing a lot of the motivation for this arc.

    I guess that's my issue for this story. It seems very much like a "middle" novel of three. Stuff happens, but by the end of the novel, not a lot has changed, in the grand scheme of things.

    Still, putting all that aside, this was a fun serial killer mystery and Miriam Black, though so sarcastic she's almost irritating at times, is a fascinating protagonist. I'm still interested in where he takes her in The Cormorant, but I'll be looking for more development, too.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I enjoy the way Chuck writes in pictures, but Miriam feels like a woman who is written for dudes and it bugs me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Continues the story of Miriam Black from a year after the events of Blackbirds. A year in which she has spent trying to live a normal life with Louis but decides it’s time to get back to doing what she does best. Louis gets her a job at a school that hides a dark secret. Will Miriam get involved in trying to prevent a murder or two knowing the price that is demanded?Miriam is her usual foul-mouthed and belligerent self and hasn’t changed despite her self-imposed year in exile living at a trailer park. The dark and brutal nature of the first book is also present here and hasn’t been toned down in the slightest. Sitting very much in the horror end of the urban fantasy spectrum with violence, gore and murder very much on the menu. This sequel does manage to progress the story of Miriam Black and prove she’s not just a one trick pony but you do lose some of the originality of reading the first book. Still plenty good enough for me to want more of the series though.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I finally got round to reading it, and my only regret is I didn't do it sooner.

    Miriam is as foul-mouthed, prickly and broken as ever, and as I am also a prickly feral cat of a woman I like seeing women like me.

    The story holds together and falls into place naturally and beautifully. The characters are complex and well-drawn, even the villains. It covers issues of fate and destiny without ever heading into pretension.

    A damn good series. Now, the third book, which will probably take me another four years.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Grossly dark and twisted in the best kind of way!

    Favorite quote
    "You intrude. Here I should be drifting through the darkness before my death, all peaceful and shit, and then you come along. Trespassing on my mental property."

    We all have that fascination with the darker side of things and Chuck Wendig is just the author to satisfy that wicked itch. Wendig's writing is like the car wreck you can't help slowing down for and staring at. I know that sounds bad but it is anything but.

    Mockingbird picks up one year later where the first book Blackbirds left off. Miriam is trying out the normal gig, for the sake of Louis, but she isn't quite hacking it. I say it's because she is a glutton for punishment, self indulgence and really doesn't want to settle in one place to have a quiet uneventful existence. There just isn't enough drama in that for our Miriam- and that's one thing she is, is Drama. Haha.

    One day gets fed up with the mediocrity of her "new life" and decides to let the death visions flood back in. Louis knows he can't make her be someone she isn't no matter how he likely wishes he could. So he puts her in touch with a school teacher Katey, who swears she is dying and will pay Miriam to tell her how she dies. Miriam takes the job and Louis drops her off at the boarding school for troubled girls where Katey works. Soon after Miriam has visions of one of the young girls dying horrifically by the hands of a crazy masked man years from now and is determined to prevent it from happening.

    From here the action hardly stops and I could barely put the book down. In fact some of these scenes were crap your pants freaky! Miriam's character is more heavily delved into - what makes her tick? What would going home be like? Is she crazy and hallucinating? Ultimately, is what she does right or wrong? Oh, yes and Louis gets a little spotlight time as well which I definitely liked because I'm a sucker for him just a bit.

    So beg, cheat, borrow, or hell steal it from a friend - but you absolutely can't miss reading this book! Of course read Blackbirds first!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The trouble with series, especially those that begin with a "bang," is that they risk a decline in quality with subsequent volumes. Further entries in the series often aren't as good as the first, that one that grabbed our attention. Maybe it's the speed with which an author is expected to churn out new books. Maybe it's fatigue, weariness of the same material. Or maybe the author tries to mimic what made that first volume successful, but in doing so writes a timid imitation of a story that was once unique. Maybe the 100 monkeys with the 100 typewriters are on strike.I'm pleased to report that Chuck Wendig's Mockingbird (Angry Robot, 2012) is a worthy successor to Blackbirds. Wendig suffers from none of the faults I name above, with the possible exception of the monkeys. (I really don't know Wendig's stance on primate labor.)Mockingbird picks up, as readers might expect, where Blackbirds left off: On Long Beach Island, New Jersey. A year has passed since Miriam and Louis faced down fate. Not only has Miriam avoided using her ability to see people's deaths, she also, miraculously, holds down a steady job. Which she blows in the first chapter.Miriam is addicted not just to nicotine, but to her visions and to life on the road. Life with Louis is just too predictable. In a bid to satisfy Miriam's cravings, Louis arranges for her to foretell the death of a teacher at an all girls' school in central Pennsylvania. Of course, Miriam encounters trouble; the phrases "all girls' school" and "central Pennsylvania" predict that. (As a former resident of central PA, I'm allowed to say that.) Someone's been killing students, and it's up to Miriam to stop them.Much of Mockingbird will be familiar to readers of Blackbirds: The characters; the dialog, especially Miriam's; the dark tone and violence. What makes Mockingbird unique--and, ultimately, successful--is Wendig's decision not only to continue the story he began in Blackbirds, but also to further develop it. In other words, Mockingbird isn't a sitcom treatment, in which the status quo is reset at the end. Rather, Wendig transforms his characters and their relationships to one another, and hints at the broader vision that will tie together each entry in the series.Wendig is especially strong here in terms of imagery and setting. Wendig makes his home in central Pennsylvania, and it's clear that he's familiar with its landscape. His descriptions of both the lushness of the Pennsylvania countryside and the decrepitude of the towns that stubbornly squat in its midst are spot-on. There is a general air of gloom and decay that suits Mockingbird. Rain, the product of a hurricane coming up the coast, never ceases to fall, and lends urgency to the dire warnings--"the water is rising"--Miriam receives from her spiritual "advisers."Mockingbird sees Miriam learning more about her "power." It should not surprise readers to learn that she's not alone; there are other damaged people out there who can also "see things." Wendig wisely keeps these larger developments cryptic, hinting at what's to come. He has you on the hook, and he'll play with you a bit as he reels you in. Miriam engages in conversation with "the Trespasser," the force or forces with whom she communes, and begins to learn some of the "rules" that govern her power and its place in the world. Suffice it to say that there may be more to it than merely seeing how people might die--but the reader knows only as much as Miriam, and is just as frustrated and confused.Miriam and Louis's relationship changes by the end of Mockingbird. The romance that developed during Blackbirds is supplanted by something at once more mundane and stranger. Louis and Miriam appear bound together, but not necessarily in the kind of "lovers-friends" dynamic that (usually) defines "normal" couples. Louis, having dropped Miriam off at the Caldecott School, heads south on a delivery, only to experience a vision that tells him Miriam needs his help. He immediately turns around and, on the drive home, plucks a feather from the socket of the eye he lost a year earlier. (Wendig employs similar gruesome scenes to great effect throughout Mockingbird.) Clearly, this is not your average boy-meets-girl relationship.If there is a weakness in Mockingbird, it may be in the identity of the murderer. Intuitive readers will key in on the culprit almost as soon as he or she is introduced. That said, Wendig has a few tricks to play on his readers, and, to that end, uses Miriam's visions to great effect. Of course, Mockingbird isn't really a mystery, at least, not in the sense of a "whodunnit." The mystery here isn't so much "who is the killer" as it is "what the hell's going on with Miriam's powers," and there, at least, Wendig holds all the cards.Mockingbird is a successful follow-up to Blackbirds. It stands well on its own and, if it lacks some of the manic energy of its predecessor, that may be because Wendig is taking the time to develop Miriam's story, her past and future, both of which readers glimpse. Readers may expect more of the same and, in this case, I mean that in the best possible way. More profanity, more graphic violence, more spookiness, more Miriam. If you enjoyed Blackbirds, you're almost certain to enjoy Mockingbird. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    You can say what you want about Miriam but you could never take away the fact that above all else, she’s true to herself. So when Ms. Black knows something’s not working out for her, she turns tail and seeks out a more desirable environment. Unfortunately for Louis, settling down with him in a tin coffin of a trailer isn’t exactly her idea of heaven on Earth.

    It isn’t long until Miriam is on the road again and back in the hot seat. While using her “gift” as a favor to see just how a friend of a friend is going to kick the bucket, Miriam is unexpectedly thrown into the hunt for a serial killer with his eyes on young girls. Can Miriam put a stop to his murderous ways?

    I knew the second I closed the book on Blackbirds, I had to get my greedy little hands on its sequel, Mockingbird. There were more than enough reviews out there that suggested that not only would I be pleased with the follow-up but that it may be better than the original. Having given Blackbirds an easy 5 stars, there really wasn’t anywhere Wendig could take this series for me but down. Not only was I rewarded for having faith in ol’ Chuck, I finished this one with the very same hunger for book three.

    Miriam’s adversaries this time around are just as dangerous, if not more so than those in Blackbirds. Seeing as Wendig plays things pretty close to the chest until nearly the end, it’d be rotten of me to share details that could lead to spoilers. Trust me, when the motives behind the killings are revealed, it’s a doozy. They also just about destroy Miriam on several occasions, leaving her broken, beaten and scarred. Mockingbird is as violent and vulgar as its predecessor and I wouldn't have it any other way.

    Chuck Wendig may just be one of the most exciting writers out there right now. Between his Miriam Black series and the recently created Mookie Pearl series (The Blue Blazes) as well as a slew of other novels, he’s an author you need to have on your radar.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Everyone's favorite anti-heroine is back in the gritty sequel to Blackbirds. She's a little more bad-mouthed and a lot more crazy.

    This book is a page turner, just like the first one. I finished it in no time at all. Chuck Wendig's writing is really... flowing. Accessible. It just appeals, grabs your interest and keeps it. This one seems to have more action than the first, Miriam seems to be doing a lot more running around (a lot of it injured too, with me going: "can a person actually do that much running while that injured?") but the essence that made the first book fantastic is still here.

    This actually wasn't as good as the first, but sequels rarely are.

    I got a free copy via netgalley. Thanks!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I can't get enough of Miriam Black. I just can't. I thought the initial delight of discovering this twisted and refreshingly candid series would have worn off a bit by now, but it hasn't. If anything, I think I'm finally starting to sense of who Miriam is and the direction in which these books are going. Or that might just be wishful thinking. Regardless, I'm still having a blast. Some time has passed since we last left Miriam and Louis in Blackbirds (book one of the series, my review here). For the sake of their relationship, Miriam has attempted to settle down, living in a double-wide trailer and working as a check-out girl at a local grocery store. No more drifting around the country, and no more utilizing her morbid ability to see and how and when someone is going to die simply by making skin-on-skin contact with them. For Miriam, it means a new life filled with lots of tedium, grin-and-bear-it moments, and constantly wearing gloves.But a girl can only take so much. Fed up, Miriam packs up and gets ready to hit the road when Louis tells her about Katey, a contact of his who is convinced she is dying and wants to pay Miriam to confirm her suspicions. Eager to be herself again, Miriam readily accepts the job, which is how she finds herself dropped off at a prestigious boarding school for troubled girls where Katey is employed as a teacher. Very soon, Miriam finds herself caught up in much more than she bargained for, when she encounters Lauren, a student at the school whom Miriam's death visions tell her will die brutally at the hands of a crazed serial killer.With Mockingbird, I think I feel a little more confident in describing the Miriam Black books as less of a traditional Urban Fantasy series, and more of a Thriller-Suspense with paranormal elements. Given the dark nature of Miriam's power, I would throw in a bit of horror, too. There are some intensely graphic and frightening scenes in this book worthy of the goriest slasher flicks, and if you're anything like me, at certain points while reading you'll likely find yourself squirming in your seat in an uncomfortable-yet-not-too-entirely-unpleasant kind of way.Though, that's sort of what I've come to expect with Chuck Wendig. His writing and stories can make you desperately want to turn the page and be scared to do so at the same time. His characters and dialogue can induce me to laugh my ass off yet at once make me feel like a terrible person. And I love every minute of it. Why do people go and watch scary movies anyway? On a certain level, we do it for the express purpose of being terrified out of our wits. Similarly, that was why I was so eager to pick up this second installment of Miriam Black -- I wanted what I got out of Blackbirds the first time around, to again be shocked, scandalized and enthralled by Wendig's particular brand of dark humor and suspense. I was not disappointed. Mockingbird also gave us a better look at who Miriam is as a person. I mentioned in my review of the first book that I know deep down beneath that snarky rough exterior she is good person with a good heart, and here I think we see that a little more in her determination to help the schoolgirls and her refusal to simply walk away from the situation. The origins of her mysterious power are still largely unexplained, but we do get a bit of that too. The best part, though, is this book provided a lot of insight into Miriam's past, like her childhood and her relationship with her mother, which gave me a better idea of how she became the way she is. Overall, a very suspenseful and chilling novel which I could barely put down. As a special treat, I bought the Whispersync Kindle/Audible bundle so I was able to listen to parts of this in audiobook format too. The narrator Emily Beresford is fantastic as Miriam Black, her talent coming through especially when she sings the "Mockingbird" song, the serial killer's rendition of the folk song "Wicked Polly". The song earwormed itself into my head for days, which I have to say made the book even more memorable and creepy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It’s wonderful to get back with Miriam and Louis and go on another dark, action filled adventure with them. While Miriam is attempting to gain some normalcy in her life, she’s finding it incredibly boring and before too long she’s back to tearing up and down the country, using her psychic abilities to solve a series of murders set to occur two years in the future.Mockingbird is rough, bloody and incredibly abrasive, but I still loved it! More about Miriam’s past is revealed through a series of interludes, which I really liked because it opened her up and made her more likeable. I also enjoyed the character development that Louis goes through. Although he gets tougher and meaner, he also becomes more accepting of Miriam’s wild nature and realises the normal life isn’t for her. Readers also learn more about his deceased wife, and she ends up playing an integral role in the book (despite the inconvenience of being dead).The plot of Mockingbird is gripping, delivered in the sharp style that marks the Miriam Black books and peppered with black humour. The story is unpredictable and features twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. I particularly enjoyed many of the secondary characters, including some of the girls and teachers at the reform school Miriam goes to as a consulting psychic. The book also features great dialogue: Miriam continues to be insufferably foul-mouthed and flippant and throws around some of the wittiest one-liners ever.An awesome followup to Blackbirds, Mockingbird continues the story of Miriam Black and has been a welcome addition to my library. Although this series is definitely not for the faint hearted, I highly recommend this series to you if you think you can handle the blood, gore and foul language.A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read the first in this series, Blackbird, earlier this year and loved every minute of it, commenting at the time that I couldn't wait for the sequel. Fortunately, waiting was not a problem because it was right there for me.Miriam Black is a wonderfully flawed human being who can see people's deaths if she touches him. She's wandered the highways and back roads of America, hanging out in truck stops, using her skill to get money or credit cards when needed and just generally being a very bad girl. In Blackbird, she learns that she can change fate, that the deaths her power shows her aren't inevitable - if she intervenes.Mockingbird finds our heroine stuck in a trailer on Long Beach Island, New Jersey and working as a checker in a grocery line. She's living with her trucker boyfriend, Louis, and she is beyond bored. Miriam's a lot like me - when she's bored, she's dangerous and unpredictable - and wow do things get interesting when her boredom ceases. What is that Chinese curse? May you live an interesting life? The end of boredom always has unexpected consequences.Miriam is struggling with her gift, struggling with what she and Louis will be a "normal" life, basically just struggling. Mockingbird is about all those times in your life when you step outside of yourself into the life you think you should have only to find out it's not the life for you. Chuck Wendig tells a great story and Miriam is worth the read. Now I'm anxious for the next one - write, Chuck, write!