Another brilliant book by Steve Burrows. At times I thought the story (stories) was losing track or not pieced together very well, but overall this is another great book. Oftentimes, if not at all times, the strength of a story lies in the characters an author creates. A lesser book can have a well thought out and finely crafted story, but if the characters fail then the book fails to make a positive impression. In this case, the main characters of the birder murder mysteries are the real treasure; at some point along the way, they will make their presence truly felt and leave you thinking... that's it, right there is the reason I am reading these books.

This 4th installment by Burrows is really for the avid birdwatcher as he combines two stories on two continents; the series' native Norfolk and Colombia, the birdiest country on the birdiest continent. This book also brought together a lot of pieces of Dominic Jejune's past, all of which continues to engage. I will admit though that I was shocked to learn that either Burrows or Jejune has a disdain for vultures. What the f-! What bloody 1-star book am I now reading?!? Vultures are one of the most likeable birds, if not some of THE MOST magnificent species in the of birds of prey family. A real world Jejune would never fail to grasp or appreciate that. Okay, maybe Harpy Eagle takes top billing (as evidenced by part of the story), but no one could ever deny the awesomeness of a condor let alone any of the "lesser" vultures. I'm still appalled... and I am not quite sure how I am ever going to get over that egregious oversight if not outright slight.

Anyway, now to find the next book in the series.... ( )

This was my introduction to this Birder Mystery series, but I plan to seek out the others. Geeky bird lore, exotic travel and a good mystery. I want to see more of the development of the characters, but it stands alone pretty well.

Good mystery, good characters, good premise, I wanted to like it but it just was not my cup of tea. Maybe if it was not the fourth in the series and I had gotten to know the characters as they developed... ( )

This turned out to be a very good mystery, and at times a real thriller, even if there was some unevenness in the development of the plot. The last third of the book was much more captivating than the first part although the first part did set up the action but maybe could have been tighter. The writing for the most part was very good, and the characters were interesting and well fleshed out. Maybe a few too many bird lists, but what can you expect with a birder mystery. I will read another in this series. ( )

To me this fourth book in the birder murder series was the most suspenseful and the ending leaves the reader hanging so the suspense continues. Fortunately for me the fifth book is in the Winnipeg Public Library system and I have a hold on it so I won't have to wait in suspense very long.

In the last book, A Cast of Falcons, DCI Domenic Jejeune's mysterious brother, Damian, appeared in England and we learned a little about why he was a fugitive from justice. He had guided a man who had a contagious disease into a remote area of Colombia to look for a rare hummingbird that can only be found there. The disease was passed on to four indigenous people in the area, the Karijona, who died of it. Colombia has strict laws about contacting the Karijona and Damian was charged with murder. In this book Domenic goes to Colombia on a birding tour hoping to find some further evidence that might absolve Damian or at least mitigate the charge. Back in Norwich a murder of a woman has necessitated that a senior inspector be called in to lead the investigation. The detective available is Marvin Laraby, a man who was born in the lower class and resents anyone who is from privilege. Laraby and Jejeune have a history from when Jejeune was with the Met, the London police. Laraby also has a very different style of investigation from DCI Jejeune but it seems to go over well with the investigative team, especially DCS Shepherd and DC Salter.

Jejeune's girlfriend, Lindy Hey, did not accompany Domenic on his trip because she is busy with her journalistic career. She keeps busy but is a little on edge because of a strange tattooed man in the neighbourhood. Then, while she is at the office late one night, there is an explosion. She is not seriously injured and she insists that Domenic not return. Domenic is concerned but agrees. He wonders if a criminal he once arrested (with Laraby) might be out although he received no notification. His mind is mainly concerned with what he is learning in Colombia so he just asks Sergeant Maik back home to make some discreet inquiries.

Everything comes to a head all at once it seems and kept me reading quite late into the night. Very good read and it didn't hurt that there were references to all kinds of neotropical birds that I've never seen. Steve Burrows went on a birding trip to Colombia while researching this book and it sounds like heaven for a birder. ( )