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Formats: eBook, Paperback & Hardcover
Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/3rG5feE
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/44wsZRe
Available on all Amazon sites (I've only listed two above).
This title is FREE to read for Kindle Unlimited subscribers (click the link for a 30-day FREE trial).
Release Date: 20th June 2019
Publisher: HCP
“A gripping modern thriller with the twist of one hundred years of history.”
Johanna, a Finnish scientist living in Tallinn, is so career-driven that it’s left her alone and single. Arto, an older man, travels to Estonia to experience his first Song Festival, his life in tatters, his prejudices ever present. Anna, a young Estonian, has no experience of her homeland’s dark legacy and oppression but carries these feelings, passed down to her from her grandmother. And Kalju, a man who feels life has passed him by.
Four Random Strangers.
On the first night of the 27th Estonian Song Festival, an unknown terrorist detonates a hybrid smart-bomb which, for five dreadful seconds, rips a ten-foot hole in the sky above a section of the vast crowd.
Many Broken Lives.
If anybody had been looking up at the blinding light which seemed to separate matter from substance, they would have seen people getting sucked in.
One Callous Act.
Can they find their way home again, or are these Song Birds forever lost to the past?
From an International Bestselling author, comes a retelling of the tragic history of his current homeland.
Locations From The Book:
Best of the Reviews:
★★★★★ A gripping story with an unusual twist
Johanna suddenly finds herself in an era she only knows about from history books. How will she cope? Will she be able to find the other people caught up in this strange event? Will they be able to work out what happened? The different characters' lives are set against the background of the last 100 years of Estonia's turbulent history. Like all Tim Heath's books, this gripping story has some very unexpected turns. How will it end?!
In case you are ever able to go to Tallinn, the author gives some helpful details at the back of the book of how you can visit the places where events in this story take place.
★★★★★ The Songbirds
I like reading Tim Heath's work. The songbirds surprised me. It is a stand-alone work.
It has an amazingly different plot to the usual ‘going back in time' genre. This one gripped my focus and I couldn't put it down.Lovers of thriller and SCI-FI will enjoy The Songbirds as it keeps you wondering is it SCI-FI or is it thriller. I'm glad to say both. My recommendation is read it!
★★★★★ Brilliant read.
Absolutely brilliant book! Very different from his other books but riveting. Didn't know anything about Tallin and their involvement in the war but know all the history now! All that the people suffered under the Germans and the Russians. This was a very informative book but also about different people in a different era! A must-read you will not be disappointed couldn't put it down.
★★★★★ A fantastic read.
Another great story from Tim, which is totally different to his other books, but immensely enjoyable. Highly recommended. Can't wait to read the next one.
★★★★★ A very creative angle to a fascinating part of history!
Having lived in Tallinn and being somewhat familiar with the history of Estonia, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Using the Song festival as a starting point is brilliant since it captures the heart of the Estonian people. The thriller/science fiction element makes these years of history exciting and more approachable to most readers. It was hard to put the book down, and I would highly recommend it!
★★★★★ Great storytelling.
Absolutely loved this book, excellent story great bits of history. Tim Heath is a brilliant storyteller. Having read some of his other works was looking forward to this and he does not disappoint.
★★★★★ One of the best Tim Heath's books!
** spoiler alert ** One of best Tim Heath's books!!! You just can't put it down, you have to read it until the end. You are haunted until you finish it! What will happen? It is possible this 4 strangers, lost in the time, find their home back? It is possible to survive an entirely different era? It is possible one, after another to find each other? With an ending magnificent you close this book with goosebumps all over your body…And your mind goes again and again at the beginning.. new songs birds are never end to appearing?
★★★★★ Fantastic read
Great historical fiction mixed with a thrilling story. I learnt so much about the history of Estonia. Very well developed characters and very hard to put down. A big fan of Tim’s writing. Another great book from this author.
★★★★★ It took a while for me to connect with the characters and storyline as its not a place or era I'm familiar with, but once I got into it I was fascinated! Estonia has had a challenging history and I loved reading about it in this fictional account. I'm not a fan of “time travel” novels but this was so completely different
★★★★★ I loved this book. It's original, captivating and as beautifully crafted as ever. I loved the blend between genres, lots of history told from a viewpoint I never saw living in western Europe, a touch of science fiction and 4 lives completely uprooted and intertwined where there shouldn't have been. I found it compulsive to read and the attention to detail amazed me. Fantastic read.
★★★★★ It is hard to classify this new offering from Tim Heath as it contains true history, fictitious characters based around the true history and a dose of science fiction which left me pining for more clues as I read.
The result was a curiosity which carried me through the whole book. The true history led me to research deeper into the past of Estonia and it brought me to tears. I will not write spoilers so as to not ruin your reading, so continue here if you will. Because of the event, and the resultant consequences, in order to give you a read without preformed notions, no further comment will be made regarding the story details.
As this tale is written by an author, Tim Heath, who has wide-ranging interests, is curious about a large variety of things and has the ability to merge those two characteristics with a hefty dose of imagination, we readers are recipients of tales which I find different and refreshingly unique among today’s offerings. Every book which Heath has written refuses to be classified in a simple manner. His writing style carries the same designation; it feels intimate, flows smoothly and delivers a punch when needed. He has the ability to write from male and female viewpoints in a strong hand which speaks to his understanding of the sexes and reflects a lifelong study of human nature.
This book can be read by anyone from ten years of age through the senior years. It does not condescend to younger readers nor is it simplified for mature readers. If you are an adult and choose to read this book, pass it on to younger folks in order to share some real history mixed with science fiction. It will give all readers food for thought and provoke conversation among readers of all ages.
I stumbled across the first books written by Heath when I became the owner of an ipad mini and a friend taught me how to navigate in the world of ebooks. Since those early stumbling days I have read each book by this author as they were introduced. I have been enriched, entertained, taught, fooled, surprised and awed by his talent. I recommend this new novel without reservation and urge you to add Tim Heath’s previous books to your reading pile. He delivers a great read!
★★★★★ Not my usual genre to read but found it an interesting blend of fiction and history. Enjoyed the insights to the history of Estonia and the “song birds” added into the history. The characters added into the times aided in adding both interest to the story and drawing me in. The story didn’t disappoint and I felt it well worth the read. Sequel coming?
★★★★★ I really enjoyed this book, it was different to other books by Tim I have read, but was just as absorbing. I found the early Song Birds, who lived through the war periods, with both the Nazi and Soviet occupations, to be remarkable characters. Could I survive being thrust unprepared into such a time? It is an intriguing question to ponder. Why would anyone want to do this? Is it simply a random act of terror, or is there a more sinister motive? (Isn't there always?) Another wonderfully entertaining read from a master of his craft.
★★★★★ Excellent Story, the way the author uses history to help his story is brilliant. Not my first Tim Heath book and she won't be my last. The man is an exceptional storyteller.
★★★★★ Another great story from Tim, which is totally different from his other books, but immensely enjoyable. Highly recommended. Can't wait to read the next one.