The Blackbird Papers

by Ian K. Smith

Book Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Ancient Nine and The Clean 20 A rainy night . . . A stranded motorist . . . A Good Samaritan passerby ... a Nobel Prize-winning professor . . . The... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385511361
• ISBN13: 9780385511360
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic!!

This was a book unlike any other I have read to date. It was filled with mystery, intrigue, suspense, and all the while, it maintained such wonderful character development that I felt as though I really knew the characters. One of the things I loved about the story was Sterling Bledsoe's toughness without over doing it. He was a man doing his job without being a superhero. The book is so well written, it really just speaks for itself. Another aspect I appreciated was how well the story flowed, there was no unbelieveable, couldn't in a million years end like that, ending. The story, without giving anything away, is about a highly distinguished professor, Wilson Bledsoe, who is murdered on the night of celebrating his being awarded the Devonshire, a coveted science award. He is murdered on his way home, and his brother, Sterling, who is an FBI agent, takes the case. Sterling and Wilson were never close growing up, as a matter of fact, Sterling grew up living in Wilson's shadow. This caused a deep seeded anger and hatred toward Wilson. As the story unfolds, Sterling comes to know the brother he has spent so much time disliking, and discovers what a truly wonderful person he really was. This book was so good on so many levels. You won't regret spending the time to read this one.

Intrigued from page one!

A respected author in the city of Buffalo, suggested that when I am in the process of selecting a book - I should read the first page. I did, exactly, this with The BlackBird Papers. Professor Wilson Augustus Bledsoe, a celebrated African American, Nobel Prize winning professor who has just won a second coveted, lucrative science award is driving along the wooded roads of New Hampshire and Vermont from Hanover's Dartmouth to his nearby home... I was hooked. I wanted to know more about the modest professor who lived along the Connecticut River sandwiched between the magnificently beautiful Green and White Mountain states. Ian Smith has served up an intriguing adventure from the first page to the last. This is a great read!

The new "Pelican Brief"

Watch out John Grisham! I think this novel is wonderful. It definitely shows that we all have creativity lurking deep w/in us. I hate to see the editorial review of this novel...wasn't very positive. It was a quick and enjoyable read. I'd love to see Sterling developed into an on-going character in future novels!

Is He a Doctor or a Writer?

From the title of this book to the storyline, I loved The Blackbird Papers. Dr. Ian Smith has proven that he is masterful at more than one profession. I'm a fast reader, anyway but when a book is really good, I can finish it even more quickly. I completed his book in just over two hours and I think I was absorbed with every page. That murder scene had me boiling with anger. I was not only mad at the murder, but I was mad at Dr. Smith for writing it in. That's the sign of a great book and a great writer. Hope to see more books by him in the near future.

Couldn't Put It Down!

Ian Smith grabs you in the first chapter of The Blackbird Papers and does not let you go! I simply could not put this book down. The descriptions are vivid, the plot clever, and the characters fresh and interesting. I can't wait for the return of Sterling Bledsoe!