“Intricately plotted in the classic giallo style, with plot twists and murders galore. John Everson has written a thriller that is sure to appeal to devotees of lurid Italian mystery thrillers.”
~ Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
Someone is killing them one by one. Will Eve be next?
When Eve Springer arrives in Belgium to study with the world famous Prof. Ernest Von Klein at The Eyrie, an exclusive music conservatory, it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But that dream is soon to become a nightmare.
When the star of the school’s piano program is strangled with a piano wire, the only clue to the killer is a grainy picture of the victim during her final moments, mouth wide and screaming, posted on the girl’s own Facebook account, alongside a classic music video. What does it mean? Eve soon finds herself taking the girl’s place as the enclave’s star pupil, in line for a coveted scholarship and a new member of the famed jazz combo, the Songbirds.
When Eve is drugged and another Songbird murdered at a campus party, she suddenly finds herself on the list of suspects. Another picture is posted online of the victim in her final moments, and this time, Eve is sure the hands around the girl’s throat… are hers! Could she have killed the girl while under the influence of whatever someone had slipped in her drink? The police and others at the Eyrie are suspicious; the murders began when she arrived. Her new boyfriend Richard insists that she could not be the killer.
But who would want the Songbirds dead? One of the other Songbirds, like Gianna, the snarky sax player who seems to hate everyone? Or Philip, the creepy building caretaker and occasional night watchman? Or could it be Prof. Von Klein himself, who seems very handy with a camera and has a secret locked room behind his office where the light always seems to be on after dark?
Whoever it is, Eve knows she needs to figure it out. Because when a dead canary is left as a bloody message on the keys of her piano, she knows her own life may be in deadly danger.
I read this story with ever-increasing interest. The dynamics and tension felt reminiscent of my thriller films from the 70s and 80s, which have been appreciated by many American directors such as Quentin Tarantino. It would make a great film for lovers of the genre. Ottimo intrigo! Enjoy the read everyone!
–Sergio Martino, director of All the Colors of the Dark, The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail and Torso
Passionate, overwhelming, a classic thriller with a rock rhythm.
–Ernesto Gastaldi, Screenwriter of So Sweet… So Perverse, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, The Suspicious Death of a Minor.
Theme Song and Soundtrack!
Every good giallo has a theme song so… I wrote and recorded one for Five Deaths for Seven Songbirds. Check out that and a full playlist of songs related to the novel here.
Now Available!
Five Deaths For Seven Songbirds was released on 3-22-22 and is available in hardcover, trade paperback and e-book editions from booksellers everywhere.
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➤ Read 21 Nights of Giallo: Week One, Week Two and Week Three
To lead up to the release of Five Deaths for Seven Songbirds, I dedicated the first three weeks of March 2022 to rewatching and reviewing 21 classic giallo movies from Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi and many more!
