A psychological thriller, the debut novel from Sally Hinchcliffe, about a group of bird watchers, their love lives and a killer amongst them.
The broadcast is an abridged version of the novel and consists of 10 10-minute segments which was aired over 10 consecutive nights as part of the BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime program. The show aired on 22 September 2008 and completed its run on 3 October 2008.
Episode Guide :
01 – Manda is driven to confronting her stalker on a lonely mountainside in Scotland. But what brought her to this moment?
02 – Manda is desolate when Gareth, her lover of ten years, leaves her for another woman. He introduced her to bird-watching, a hobby which provides Manda with an escape from her troubled past. But she is unsettled by the attentions of David, another twitcher.
03 – David seems to know more about Manda than he ought to and his attentions are becoming unsettling.
04 – Someone is hacking into Manda’s computer and David is stepping up the harassment. When Tom invites Manda down to Kent to check out the sighting of a firecrest, it seems a perfect escape.
05 – Events in Manda’s life take a sinister turn and memories of her troubled childhood return to haunt her.
The university gives her time off work on condition that she seeks help for her depression.
06 – Manda’s life is unravelling, and she goes to her favourite haunt to clear her head. But someone else has got there first.
07 – When she sees someone moving about in her house Manda flees and takes refuge at Tom’s cottage in the woods. From there she plans a new start, but will she choose safety or freedom?
08 – When Manda reaches Norfolk her van becomes the focus of renewed and furious attacks. Driving north – or driven north – she hopes to regroup in Scotland.
09 – David is dead, but how will the police react given Manda’s history? Should she run or should she hide?
10 – The discovery of new evidence relating to David’s death provides the last piece of the puzzle, and Manda tries to save Zannah before it is too late.
Nicola provides voices for all of the characters in this broadcast.
If you wish to find out more about the author, you can go to her website.
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Availability on Audible
The show is not currently available to buy from Audible US or Audible UK.
However, the Book is well worth reading and you can buy this from either
Amazon UK as a paperback
or
Amazon US as a Kindle Book
If you live outside the US or the UK and wish to read the book, the best option would be to buy from
the Bookdepository
They ship to over 70 destinations worldwide free of charge. Their prices may be slightly higher than those from Amazon but with Amazon orders, there will be shipping charges and these may sometimes offset any perceived discounts given by Amazon.
I found Out of a Clear Sky to be an astonishing piece of listening and Nicola was very good at doing all of the character voices (the story is in the first person which really helped create a claustrophobic atmostphere). I found the way that Nicola read was very realistic and convincing drawing me more and more into the story so that by the time I got to the end I was not just absolutely terrified, I couldn’t sleep the rest of that night. The ending was rather life scarring. I found this to be far scarier than Bad Memories.
I also would reccommend reading the actual novel, as the Nicola reading is abridged and the story does make a bit more sense with the novel version in the back of your mind whilst listening. It’s a very well written book and I really reccomment it- this coming from someone who usually doesn’t like the genre.