Review: Thornbird - E. Kennedy

Review: Thornbird - E. Kennedy - June 2026

I had high hopes for Thornbird by E. Kennedy because, honestly, the premise sounded like it had been written specifically for me. A serial killer father? A mother who was one of his victims? A daughter who changes her name and creates a whole new identity to escape the shadow of his crimes? Come on  that is basically catnip for a thriller reader!

Ten years after infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn was caught, Ryan Shipley returns to Starling, Tennessee, determined to keep her head down and her true identity hidden. Nobody can know who she really is or the connection she has to the notorious killer. But when fresh eyes begin digging into the old case, the secrets Ryan has worked so hard to bury start clawing their way back to the surface.

Cryptic texts, unsettling coincidences and a chilling note all suggest that someone knows more than they should. And as questions surrounding Gabriel Thorn's crimes begin resurfacing, Ryan finds herself right in the middle of the mystery.

On paper, this really should have been a Phantom Paragrapher kind of book. Sadly, for me, it ended up being more of an average read. I kept thinking about all the different directions this story could have taken, particularly given such a deliciously dark premise. There was so much potential for psychological suspense, family secrets and that delicious feeling of not knowing who you can trust, and I found myself wanting a little more from the story.

I did wonder while reading whether part of my reaction came down to the book's intended audience. It felt as though the story was perhaps more deliberately pointed towards a YA audience rather than the New Adult/adult suspense reader I was expecting. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think it affected how I connected with the pacing and overall suspense.

That said, there are still things I enjoyed, and I absolutely have a cover crush on this book! Sometimes a gorgeous cover really does make a book impossible to resist.

And this one has an extra-special connection for me because Thornbird was gifted to me as a birthday present through one of the Birthday Bookstagram groups I belong to. I always love when a book comes with a little story of its own, and this one certainly does.

While Thornbird didn't quite live up to the expectations I had going in, it was still an intriguing read with a fantastic premise  and sometimes those are the books that leave you wondering just how much more they could have been.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4yd8Fmo