Thornbird
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected 2 July 2026
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The highly anticipated young adult thriller about one girl's race to solve the crimes of her family’s twisted criminal past before it’s too late — from E. Kennedy, aka New York Times bestselling romance author, Elle Kennedy! Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
The world is hunting for answers. But what if the truth leads straight to you?
Ryan Shipley is back in Starling, Tennessee. It’s been ten years since her father, the infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn, was caught. No one can know who Ryan really is. No one can know the truth about her past.
But as fresh eyes dig deeper into the case, old secrets refuse to stay buried. Cryptic texts, eerie coincidences, and a chilling note leave everyone wondering – does Ryan know more than she’s letting on? As the truth unravels, one thing becomes clear: in a town full of secrets, Ryan might be the biggest mystery of them all.
Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus – get ready for a thriller packed with twists you won’t see coming.
Reviews
"A taut, empathetic thriller.” – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Appealingly creepy and dark.” – Kirkus Reviews
"Incredibly dark and tense, Thornbird is a masterful thriller that bubbles with suspense from page one. It never shies away from its deeply unsettling premise, and Ryan Shipley is a flawed, heart-breaking main character whose journey to uncover the truth about her family's past is utterly gripping. I loved it"
Ravena Guron, author of This Book Kills
About the author
E. Kennedy is a true crime enthusiast and devoted bookworm. When she’s not plotting twisty thrillers, you’ll find her deep in a true crime doc rabbit hole. She lives in Toronto.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Adult romance author Kennedy makes her YA debut with a taut, empathetic thriller that probes the long shadow of familial and communal trauma and its effect on the 17-year-old daughter of a serial killer. High school senior Ryan Shipley returns to her childhood home in Starling, Tenn., to live with her aunt and uncle following her grandmother's death. Her father, Gabriel, is on death row for the murder of seven women, including Ryan's mother, and the town's obsession with the case has only intensified with the announcement of a million-dollar reward for information about the victims' whereabouts. As Ryan navigates the pressures of reintegrating herself into Starling society and nurtures budding romantic feelings for a charismatic quarterback and an archetypal bad boy, she must reconcile complicated memories of her father with his monstrous actions. Meanwhile, Ryan's twin cousins Jasmine and Conner dive headlong into the renewed frenzy over the case, drawing Ryan into an investigation that tests her wit and courage. Suspenseful writing and nuanced, morally complex characterization—relayed via Ryan's intelligent and resilient first-person narration—anchors both introspective examinations of the ripple effects of violence and a grimly layered mystery about identity and reconciliation. The cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up.
