Great Jones - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$3.79

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

L M Krier
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird: Murderer? Or victim? (Ted Darling Crime Series Book 14) Kindle Edition

by L M Krier (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 975 ratings
Murderer? Or victim? A violent killing. But who’s the real victim?

DCI Ted Darling is called to a suspicious death. His prime suspect is a young woman with special needs, daughter of a local councillor with an axe to grind. Further investigation reveals a cynical crime, new to Ted and his team. They’ll need to work with officers from Drugs, up against dangerous and hardened criminals.

In the midst of it, Ted has to support his partner, Trevor, as he’s interviewed about a historic sexual assault case in which he was a victim. Can Ted, for once, put his marriage above being a police officer, as Trev asks him to? Or will the case drive a wedge between them?

Why not discover all the books in the popular, long-running Ted Darling Crime Series?

Another gripping character-driven crime thriller from the pen of ' Outstanding Indie Crime Fiction author' L M Krier, as selected on mrsbloggsbooks.com - Outstanding Reads of the Year 2019.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Book 14 of 22
    Ted Darling Crime Series
  2. Print length
    304 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 31, 2020
  5. File size
    3.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Shop this series

 See full series
There are 22 books in this series.

Customers also bought or read

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  15. In His Sights (Second Sight)
    Kindle Edition
    $6.99
Next page
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Outstanding Indie Crime Fiction Author Award 2019 to LM Krier for consistent and prolific writing of excellent crime fiction'

mrsbloggsbooks.com

About the Author

Retired journalist, freelance copywriter and copy editor Lesley Tither writes under various pen names for different genres. Already well known for travel memoirs as Tottie Limejuice, Lesley also writes crime fiction under the name L M Krier. The crime books are the Ted Darling crime series. There are currently nine books in the series: The First Time Ever, Baby's Got Blue Eyes, Two Little Boys, When I'm Old and Grey, Shut Up and Drive, Only the Lonely, Wild Thing, Walk On By, Preacher Man, Cry for the Bad Man, Every Game You Play, Where the Girls Are, Down Down Down.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B083GZR5V9
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Livres LEMAS (January 31, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 31, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 290177346X
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 975 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
L M Krier

L M Krier

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

About L M Krier

Retired journalist, freelance copywriter and copy editor Lesley Tither writes writes crime fiction, the Ted Darling Crime Series, under the name L M Krier.

The crime books are set in Lesley's home-town, Stockport, on the edge of Greater Manchester. Books in the series: The First Time Ever, Baby's Got Blue Eyes, Two Little Boys, When I'm Old and Grey, Shut Up and Drive, Only the Lonely, Wild Thing, Walk On By, Preacher Man, Cry for the Bad Man, Where the Girls Are, Down Down Down and The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird.

All books are available in eBook and paperback format and the series prequel, The First Time Ever, is now available as an audiobook, read by Christopher Corcoran.

Lesley is a former journalist, working as both a criminal court and coroner's court reporter. She also worked as a case tracker for the Crown Prosecution Service, and for a firm investigating irregularities in offshore finance. Her other jobs have included owning and running a holiday riding centre and acting as a 'charity mugger', lying in wait to sign up shoppers for a wildlife charity.

She secured her first major writing contract at the age of sixteen when she sold a television piece to a Hollywood production company, for what seemed at the time to be a fortune. Her newspaper editor father claimed it was more than he had ever been paid for a single piece of writing.

Her interests centre around nature and wildlife and encompass dogs, wild camping and organic gardening. She lives in the Auvergne region of Central France and holds dual French/British nationality. Her current dogs are two rescued border collies.

Writing as Tottie Limejuice, Lesley has published six books in the Sell the Pig memoir series: Sell the Pig, Is That Billing Lump?, Mother Was It Worth It? Biff the Useless Mention, Angling Bumateurs, and Trot On!

She also writes humorous travelogues as Tottie Limejuice: the Tottie's Travels series: Hobbit House in Italy, Two Jills and a Tots, and Pride Comes Before a Bedbug. In addition she has produced a humorous look behind the scenes of novel writing, No Girl on this Train, jointly written with Kate Pill.

Lesley also writes children's fiction, mystery/adventure, as L M Kay: The Dog with the Golden Eyes.

Want to chat with Lesley? You'll find a We Love Ted Darling group on Facebook, or visit the website teddarlingcrimeseries.uk which has links to all her books.

Read less

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
975 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the plot fascinating and engaging. They enjoy the suspenseful storyline and the well-developed characters. The book is described as a great read that draws you in from the start.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

PlotCharacter developmentReadability
13 customers mention "Plot"13 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the intriguing plot and well-developed characters. They find the stories engaging with suspense and tension that build throughout. The topics are thought-provoking, and the crimes hold their interest. Readers praise the author's skill in crafting a well-crafted mystery.

"...That’s not to say that the plots aren’t good; they are. The crimes are convincing and real, and in this case, as nasty as they can get...." Read more

"...His dialogue is always both plot advancing and natural. I especially love the bits of humor the characters share...." Read more

"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The suspense and tension builds throughout the story, so that you have to keep reading to find out what..." Read more

"...That’s not a criticism but genuine applause for the technical details. And the very ending, how appropriate. Congratulations once again.!..." Read more

7 customers mention "Character development"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the character development and humor the characters share.

"The key to this great series is the characters. That’s not to say that the plots aren’t good; they are...." Read more

"...They are great characters, but Ted is just too politically correct, almost unrealistically so and it became a bit distracting...." Read more

"...L M Krier knows how to weave a fascinating plot, develop interesting characters..." Read more

"I really enjoy this series and the characters. The books are well written and when I start, I can't put them down...." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging from the start. They say it grabs them from page one and seamlessly takes them along with the story.

"This book grabs you from page one...." Read more

"...Ted has a way of drawing everything together and carries the reader along with him seamlessly...." Read more

"Most enjoyable and I have come to expect from this author...." Read more

"Another great outing for our Ted and his team. I read the book in one sitting, since the storyline hooked me in from the start." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Vmp
    5.0 out of 5 stars The characters are just the best
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The key to this great series is the characters. That’s not to say that the plots aren’t good; they are. The crimes are convincing and real, and in this case, as nasty as they can get. However, L M Krier avoids gratuitous graphic descriptions and focuses on the recipe that makes these books so addictive: the team around Ted Darling and the other characters who fill his life. Those of us who’ve become devotees to this series feel we know them all, from Daddy Hen Maurice, to cool, brave Virgil; from feisty Jessa to wonderfully eccentric Bizzie, the pathologist. These are just a few, and of course Ted and his lovely Trev are the hinge pins of the entire set up. I look forward to each book, almost more for the pleasure of reading about the characters than for puzzling out the crime.

    This brilliant characterisation is what the author shares with my other favourite crime writer, Deborah Crombie and it’s definitely what keeps me reading. I’ve loved all these books and while the people are the same with great consistency, the stories are never samey. Well done, Ms Krier. This was definitely another five star read and I’m hoping there’ll be another one. Could we have a bit more about Virgil and Maurice in the next one(s) please?
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mrs. K
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ted Darling
    Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This story involving a handicapped young woman was interesting and she makes a different and interesting character. But she is only a part of the story which leads to something more complex, so good one L M Krier.
    I feel like I've really come to know the characters in this series and company the stories, but I have a problem with Ted and Trev. They are great characters, but Ted is just too politically correct, almost unrealistically so and it became a bit distracting. Now Trev really annoyed me. He's become whiny and unreasonable, IMO. Ted just assumes the blame for everything and let's Trev take advantage. He has known the score for a long time. The relationship issue was overdone and again, was a bit distracting. Will I read more of this series? Absolutely.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The good, the bad, and the ugly
    Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The good is DCI Ted Darling, his team, and the plot. I'd almost call it brilliant. The bad is that you're left hanging in the end. I can only assume/hope that Krier intends to tie up all the loose ends in the next book in this series? The ugly is something that may be going on in this country and I just haven't heard of it yet. It's called "cuckooing", and it is so vicious and perverse you wonder how people so immoral and worthless have been raised to adulthood, and by whom. As an aside, I also find Ted's partner extremely annoying. IMHO, it's time for him to grow up, behave like an adult, get over some of the issues that happened when he was a teen, and stop manipulating Ted by playing the guilt card all the time. Otherwise, Ted is a character worth getting to know. As are the secondary characters in these books.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Auntie Annie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great plot, great characters
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this book, just as I love other books in this series. L M Krier knows how to weave a fascinating plot, develop interesting characters (and create relationships -- both personal and professional -- between them. His dialogue is always both plot advancing and natural. I especially love the bits of humor the characters share. In this book, cuckooing refers to the habit of cuckoos to take over the nests of other birds, pushing the other's eggs or chicks out of the nest and raising only their own. In the same manner groups of young hooligans are taking over the homes of vulnerable young women and committing crimes from that base of operations. Ted and his team track them down.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another great addition to the series
    Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book grabs you from page one. When neighbors complain of a foul odor in one of the apartments what police find is shocking.a young lady with decreased mental compacity sitting with a dead body? what really happened and who is behind this> Follow Ted and his unit as they work to uncover what actually happened and the terrible fact that people prey on the weak. If you havent read the series I strongly suggest you do.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Sharon Storm
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Another well-written book in this series, but not my favorite. There was personal drama involving one of Detective Inspector Ted Darling’s staff, Jezza, that seemed unnecessary. The book ended with a cliffhanger, and I would have preferred a more definitive ending. I have read every book in this series and will keep reading them. I enjoy Ted’s ongoing relationships within the police department, his personal relationship with his husband, Trevor and learning some British expressions. If you enjoy police procedurals, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Sprout43
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    As usual, L M Krier has knocked it out of the park! A definite page turner that keeps you from putting it down til finished. If you haven't read the series, it helps to know the backstory of characters, so start with #1 and work your way into the storylines & main personalities... you'll be hooked !
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Review
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The suspense and tension builds throughout the story, so that you have to keep reading to find out what happens next. It is a well written and thought out mystery. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys reading a really good book.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Brenda L
    5.0 out of 5 stars Horrible crime well written
    Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I am not sure that Ted and Trevor will make it. Ted’s got a remember he’s got a family now with Trevor. Horrifically bad crime and by the sound of it it’s not over yet. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Ted will get them in the end
    Report
  • Peter Dare
    2.0 out of 5 stars Lining the nest
    Reviewed in Spain on November 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The criminals get vulnerable girls who live alone and are preferably disabled in some way to take them in. Then they use them to store drugs in the flat and abuse them into making porn movies. I thought the book has too many personal descriptions of the detectives personal life and it moves along very slowly. Also it does not resolve the story at the end. Presumably there is a follow on in the next book.
    Report
  • Mr SJ Wilkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very good read indeed
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I like the way characters spring to life. The interactions between them The simple but effective add-ons such as adding brown sauce to a bacon roll. The plot is credible as it unfolds, it is simple, but believable. Altogether a very good read. It's the 4th book I've read with Ted Darling and look forward to the next one.We are in lock-dowm Mk2 and I also like the way the author has reached out to anyone lonely or needing to talk.
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing.. This series gets better with every book
    Reviewed in Australia on February 6, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Thank you LM Krier for another outstanding instalment in this amazing police drama. The police story lines are always brilliant and this one doesnt disappoint and neither do the complex relationships of our characters. I actually wanted to call Ted and tell him to wake up to himself, I'm that deeply invested in this series. You have the ability to continue a series and not overdo the unnecessary info already established and for that more than anything I thank you. Well done again and WHEN IS THE NEXT INSTALMENT DUE, I can't wait.
    Report
  • I don't want to appear at all thank you
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in Canada on April 21, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Another brilliant book, your hooked after the first sentence, a page turner and no putting it down till it's finished. I get scared, anxious and have a good laugh can't wait for the next one.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report