The Crocodile Bird

The Crocodile Bird

by Ruth Rendell

4.2 (2,048)

4.2 stars from 2,048 reviews. Top 80% of Thriller books we track.


$2.99KU67% off peak

Last checked: May 26, 2026

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Price history: $0.99 $8.99

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Patricia Highsmith
  • Tana French
  • Gillian Flynn

Fans of these books will like this...

  • We Have Always Lived in the Castle
  • Sharp Objects
  • Beloved

Perfect for you if...

  • You love psychological thrillers that probe the twisted logic of abuse and how trauma shapes identity.
  • You're drawn to unreliable narrators and stories that make you question what you're being told.
  • You appreciate Ruth Rendell's precise, unsettling character studies where the real horror is psychological, not sensational.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You need fast-paced plots with clear antagonists and straightforward resolutions.
  • You prefer stories centred on the investigator unravelling a mystery rather than the survivor trying to understand their own past.
  • You want escapist reads rather than books that sit uncomfortably with themes of maternal control and inherited violence.

About this book

At Shrove House, an isolated estate in the English countryside, two women live hidden from the world. For sixteen years, Eve has kept her daughter Liza sheltered indoors, away from modern life and visitors, resorting to murder to maintain their isolation. Liza has accepted this existence without question until police arrive one night, forcing her to flee into the darkness. Alone for the first time, Liza must learn to survive while fearing that her mother's murderous past will find her. She takes shelter with the groundskeeper and begins recounting her traumatic childhood, searching for understanding and a place in this new, frightening world. As she reflects on her past, Liza confronts an unsettling question: how much like her mother is she? This psychological thriller explores the relationship between mother and daughter, isolation, and the legacy of violence. The Crocodile Bird is a New York Times Notable Book by Ruth Rendell, a three-time Edgar Award winner.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

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Free$4.50$8.99Mar '21Jul '23Jul '24Dec '25
$0.99$8.99

Currently on sale at $2.99 — 67% off peak. Price has dropped 39 times over the last 5 years. Goes on sale roughly every 50 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

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#4,048#386,805#769,561Jun '18Jun '23Sep '24May '26

Currently around #76K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Sales have softened 25% recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

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3.5★4.3★5.0★Jun '23Dec '23May '24Mar '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.2★ from 2,048 reviews

Gaining approximately 8 new reviews per month. Rating has remained stable at 4.2 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

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Free$4.50$8.99Mar '21Jul '23Jul '24Dec '25PredictedMay '26

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $2.99. It typically returns to around $8.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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Ruth Rendell

1 book on Vagrant Press

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