A Birder Mystery book #3As in his previous books, Mr. Burrows once again has skillfully integrated birds and birding as part of his plots and has brought the personal drama of his protagonist DCI Dominic Jejeune into a suspenseful mystery.
A blurb:
“A man falling to his death from a remote cliff sets off a high-stakes chase for Inspector Dominic Jejeune, who pursues a ruthless killer knowing any misstep could bring down wrath from above on Dominic, his family, and the entire police force.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Danny Maik investigates the brutal murder of a researcher involved in a local climate change project.”
My thoughts:
The author uses all tools in his box to craft the perfect combination to make his mystery a joy to pass time with: such a dialogue, scene description and character development. We have two well-crafted plots, one center on researching carbon capture and sequestration and the other on falconry both are filled with suspense, unexpected twists and surprises from the start and are complex and interesting. Unfortunately the action is slow moving, keeps this pace throughout and is somewhat repetitive. Furthermore, the police procedural is totally off beat making this story a bit uneven but of course Jejeune is a transplanted Canadian an ex-pat in Norfolk trying to blend in….what more can I say….:) Dominic’s black sheep brother Damian makes an appearance and his contribution explains a lot why Dominic has such a strange behavior and is so reserved, really not what we would think of a policeman. Along the way we find out a little more about Danny Maik and Dominic’s relationship with Lindy, will this last…stay tuned.
Overall in terms of crimes, “A Cast of Falcons” has good mix of bird watching and investigating and as in great mystery the murderer is not unmasked until the very end. This series is quite original…..but may not be for everyone.
The spies who armed the resistance, sabotaged the Nazis, and helped win World War 11
This is a dramatic true account of extraordinary women recruited by Britain who helped win the day on June 6, 1944 and pave the way for Allied victory.
Drawn from declassified files, diaries and oral histories, as per her notes, Ms. Rose did intensive research and has written a story of five remarkable women. These courageous women are Andrée Borrel, Odette Sansom, Lise de Baissan, Yvonne Rudellat and Mary Herbert. It is also the story of fearless men who worked by their side: Francis Suttill, Gilbert Norman, Peter Churchill and Claude de Baissic. Together, they destroyed train lines, ambushed Nazis, plotted prison breaks, and gathered crucial intelligence. Some never made it home.….
France and Environs 1940-1944.
Interesting:
A most heavy read, this account is a fascinating and important story not only of the women who worked as spies but also of the members of the resistance in France and the SOE (Secret Operations Executive) Office whose agents played key roles in the D-Day invasion. Sara Rose takes us on the dangerous journey they had to face in enemy territory.
Not so much:
It is a hard book to get into, the narrative lacks some cohesion and something is lost in the way it is told. The story jumps from event to event, from person and person sometimes using their code names other times their real names all this with little warning. I found this distracting and mostly confusing. It also reads like it was thrown together, much unorganized, more like a history professor’s lecture notes, a person that wants to say a lot but doesn’t have time to do so. Staying focus was a challenge and I wanted to abandon this book many times but I persevered wanted to know who would make it home….
In Conclusion:
Writing a non-fiction is a daunting task. Ms. Rose has nevertheless provided us with an overall picture of the war and has supplemented her words with a lively bibliography at the end. This book is an addition to the WW11 histories and not meant to be an easy and quick read.
I stay on the fence on this one.
I received this ARC from Crown Publishing via NetGalleys for my thoughts
The Clifton Chronicles book #2
In this sequel to “Only Time Will Tell”, Mr. Archer continues the Clifton Chronicles with a plot-driven story that begins hastily with Harry Clifton in prison detailing his experiences after he had switched identities with Lt. Tom Bradshaw who died when his ship was sunk by a U-boat. Mr. Archer is a canny and experienced author that has made his sequel complete in itself without the benefit of what has happened before. Harry’s backstory really didn’t matter although I am glad to have read the first installment. I think it is always preferable to read series in sequence in order to understand the characters’ connections and what sparked the chain of events that follows.
The story spans the years of World War 11 with the family drama of the Cliftons and the Barringtons continuing at top speed. This is an attention grabber from the start plunging us into the action, shifting points of views between 5 characters and peeling layers after layers of the story in every chapter. The narrative is divided into sections by character and we follow each one as the years move on during the war. All are strongly connected to Harry, the central character. The war is at the forefront and we have a few combat scenes which are vividly described and exciting. While, back in England the other characters are caught up in their own melodrama. It is quite captivating to follow them.
Mr. Archer puts a cunning twist in the very last paragraph…and, yes, we're left with another cliff-hanger, right at the end, as we're awaiting a decision from the House of Lords…..
Well now I need to read “Best Kept Secret” and not wait a year to do so…..I am curious to see what will come out of this family drama.
