A Murmuration of Starlings - (Birder Murder Mystery) by Steve Burrows (Paperback)

About the Book

In a murder investigation that takes him from the cutting-edge lithium industry in Norfolk to the echoes of Australia's colonial past, Domenic Jejeune matches wits with both an old enemy and his trusted friend, Danny Maik, in a bid to keep his girlfriend, Lindy Hey, out of jail.

Book Synopsis

In the tenth Birder Murder Mystery, demons from the past await Jejeune down under...

DCI Domenic Jejeune's plan to resign from the police in order to rescue his relationship with Lindy Hey is met instead with a suggestion to visit Australia, where Lindy hopes vacationing DCS Colleen Shepherd can talk him out of it. However, trouble awaits Jejeune down under. Lindy's nemesis Ray Hayes now lives there, and he needs Jejeune's help. And if Jejeune refuses, Hayes will expose a secret that will send Lindy to jail.

Meanwhile, back in Norfolk, Danny Maik is investigating a murder at a lithium plant with ties to Australia. Jejeune knows Maik's inquiries will lead him to Hayes, pitting the two detectives against each other.

Can he prevent Danny Maik from pursuing his investigations? Can he live with helping Hayes walk free? Set against a backdrop of Australia's present-day ecological restoration efforts and the echoes of its colonial past, the case will test Jejeune's integrity, his judgment, and his loyalty. And bring him some unsettling answers.

Review Quotes

Praise for Birder Murder Mysteries:

"Burrows smoothly integrates bird conservation concerns with a complex mystery plot... Readers who like their whodunits with an ecological tinge will be happy." --Publishers Weekly

"Skillfully written, full of moral ambiguities and artful puzzles, with a spine-tingling final sentence." --Kirkus (starred review)

"A murder plot built around birdwatching doesn't, at first, seem plausible or even possible. But Burrows pulls it off... Riveting from first page to final line." --Globe and Mail

"A new genre is born: the 'birder murder'." --Sunday Times Crime Club

"If you are interested in birding, this series is a must. If you don't know an owl from a canary nor care to, but are keen on police procedurals, I would still recommend this series. It is just that good." -- Reviewing the Evidence

About the Author

Steve Burrows has pursued his birdwatching hobby on eight continents. He is a former editor of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society magazine and a contributing field editor for Asian Geographic. The first Birder Murder Mystery, A Siege of Bitterns, won the Crime Writers of Canada Award for Best First Novel, and was selected as one of the Globe and Mail's top 100 books of the year. He lives in Oshawa, Ontario.