Circles of Death

by Marcia Talley

Hannah Ives uncovers a deadly connection between disturbing discoveries in the past and present in this gripping mystery.Hannah Ives is staying at her idyllic vacation cottage in Elizabethtown with her husband, Paul, and is thrilled when she bumps into the young woman who used to babysit her grandchildren, Noel Sinclair, at a local supermarket. But when Noel pays a visit to the cottage, she unwittingly draws Hannah's attention to some seriously ill eagles in her neighbour's cornfield. Could these magnificent birds have been poisoned? As Hannah investigates, Noel uncovers some shocking news of her own when she and her sister receive the results of their DNA tests. As Hannah tries to work out who is tormenting the birds while delving into Noel's family tree, the last thing she expects is a deadly connection between the two . . .

Genres: Mystery

192 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

About the author

Marcia Talley is the Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of DEAD MAN DANCING and six previous mysteries featuring amateur sleuth, Hannah Ives who, like the author, is a breast cancer survivor.

Marcia is author/editor of two star-studded collaborative novels, NAKED CAME THE PHOENIX and ID KILL FOR THAT set in a fashionable health spa and an exclusive gated community, respectively. Her short stories appear in more than a dozen collections including With Love, Marjorie Ann and Safety First, both Agatha award nominees, and the multi-award-winning Too Many Cooks, a humorous retelling of Shakespeares Macbeth from the viewpoint of the three witches. A recent story, Driven to Distraction won the Agatha Award, was nominated for an Anthony, and was reprinted in THE DANGEROUS BRIDE AND 21 OF THE YEARS FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES.

Marcia is immediate past president of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, serves as Secretary for Sisters in Crime National, and is on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. She divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland and an antique sailboat in the Bahamas.
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Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

While spending long winter days before Christmas at their home on the Eastern Shore, Hannah Ives meets Noel Sinclair, her former babysitter who now has a job in security. She invites her for a visit but their tour of the Ives property ends promptly when they notice four eagles acting strangely near a dead fox. Although one eagle dies, the three surviving eagles are taken to a nearby raptor rescue center. The birds have been poisoned by carbofuran, a deadly agricultural pesticide. Hannah suspects a nearby farm and their “Cast and Blast” activity. The owner stocks his streams with fish and field with ducks so that sportsmen can pay to fist and hunt. Naturally the eagles, who feast of the fish and game, are his enemies. As Hannah and her friends try to discover who is responsible for the death of the fox and eagle, Noel has a different problem. Her sister gave them both DNA kits for Christmas. She was shocked to learn that she is not related to anyone in her family (the reader has guessed that from the prologue) and she wants Hannah, who is an amateur genealogist, to find her birth parents. These two plots slowly weave together until a surprising conclusion.

I have read several of Hannah Ives mysteries by the talented Marcia Talley. As usual, Circle of Death is a standalone novel. Hannah is the friend you want to have and the Eastern Shore provides an atmospheric location. I learned a lot about the use of carbofuran and the need for legislation to ban it permanently. The efforts used to save the sick eagles are fascinating. I was as thrilled as Hannah and her friends when the three birds were released in to wild! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House and Marcia Talley for this ARC.

[Mary Gessay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The future of detection!

The Circles of Death is apparently the 20th book in a series about Hannah Ives, a forensic genetic genealogist. Even though this is the first book I have read in the series, I did not have any trouble keeping up with the characters or the plot line.

The story follows two apparently separate events, that actually turn out to be related. The first involves a young woman who used to babysit for Hannah’s grandchildren and who, through a commercial DNA kit, discovers that she and her sister are not related. She turns to Hannah to help her interpret the results and to find out who she really is.

The second story line involves bald eagles who have apparently been poisoned. Hannah and a colleague begin an investigation to find the poisoner.

I enjoyed this book. I was especially interested in learning how a genealogist goes about building a family tree and finding family matches. I am happy to have been introduced to this series, and plan to read some of the earlier books.

[Margaret Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks, Gillie, for passing this one on. I loved the mystery around the eagles and the information about raptors and genetic/family tree research. The end was just too neatly tied up for me, though...

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read another story in this series but this one is well plotted and gripping. There're environment issues, genetics and a solid plot.
I enjoyed it and want to read other in this series
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[John Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very educational .