A Pitying of Doves

Birder Murder Mystery #2

by Steve Burrows

Why would a killer ignore a cache of expensive jewellery and take a pair of turtle doves as his only bounty? When a senior attache with the Mexican Embassy is found murdered alongside the director of a bird sanctuary, there are many questions to pique Domenic Jejeune s interest. And as tragic as the deaths are, he notes that the murder has left a vacant field research position studying turtle doves in Africa a full-time position studying birds. Could this be the escape from policing that the celebrated detective has been looking for? But Jejeune knows that he could never be comfortable taking over the dead girl s position unless he had first shown her the courtesy and respect of solving her murder. As he pursues his own theory of what happened, Jejeune discovers that diplomatic cooperation and diplomatic pressure go hand in hand. Will the delicate dance of diplomacy prevent him from ever being able to bring the true murderer to justice?"

Genres: Mystery, Birds, Fiction, Canada, Crime, British Literature, Cozy Mystery

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2015

About the author

Steve Burrows has pursued his birdwatching hobby on five continents, while researching articles on a wide range of environmental issues. He has a degree in English from York University and is a past editor of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society Magazine. After travelling the world together, Steve and his family now live in Oshawa, Ontario.

Reviews

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in the birder murder mystery series and I have enjoyed both of them a great deal. This second installment feels more solid, now that the stage is set and the main characters have been introduced. I like the main character, Domenic Jejeune, despite the fact that he is difficult to get to know, maybe even because he is elusive.

This is another muddy mystery, quite literally as a van has to be hauled out of a marsh. The landscape of Norfolk is very much a character in these books and I’m glad that I have visited there and can picture some of the locations quite clearly. (This could also be an excuse to go back, of course, and reacquaint myself with this lovely birdy part of the world, for as Jejeune notes, birders do like to retrace their steps). Of course the case hinges on the doves of the title—but in an intelligent way, not just a kitschy way. Burrows delves into real conservation issues to provide the clues for his detective. I was fooled for a little while, thinking thoughts about Passenger Pigeons and cloning, a red herring which I am pretty sure Burrows intended. If he didn’t, it worked anyway!

I don’t think there’s a birder out there who hasn’t wondered at some point whether s/he could turn the hobby into a source of income. We all flirt with the idea of how wonderful it would be to escape our current employment treadmill to spend every day in the field. Jejeune may be a fabulous detective who can’t shut his mind off just because his superior asks him to, but he longs for a change in vocation. Obviously, since there is a third book, he hasn’t found an escape just yet! That is also typical—field work doesn’t pay very well and being a tour leader has its own kind of drudgery.

Secondary characters are asserting themselves a bit more this time around, and Jejeune’s relationship with Lindy assumes greater importance. Is she going to be able to stick with this quiet, obsessed man for the long haul? (Any of us who have dated birder men frequently ask ourselves the same question).

A solid second book, recommended for those who enjoy both mysteries and birding.

[Hákon Gunnarsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in Steve Burrow's Birder Murder Mystery series, that revolves around Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune who is a master detective, and an enthusiastic birder. Again he encounters a murder that is related to birds.

The major characteristic of Chief Inspector Jejeune, the thing that sets him apart from other detectives is that he really would much rather be a birder full time. One might say he is a reluctant detective, and it can be an interesting character trait, and it was that in the first book, but here it just goes a little too far. Around the middle of this book I was starting to think, oh just go and be a birder, and let someone else will figure this out. It got tiresome, and it really started to drag this book down in my opinion.

Which is annoying as it is an tricky, but logical mystery, the characterisation is well done, and the birder stuff is interesting. It should be a good book. Steve Burrows has a knack for blending ecological education into his fiction, and that works quite well here as it did in the first book. He just takes this one element a step too far, and the whole thing got a little tiresome, but I'm going to give the third book in this series a chance because I like Burrow's style. I like what he is trying to do. I hope it turns out better.

[Tonstant Weader · Rating 1 out of 5]

When reading Steve Burrows A Pitying of Doves: A Birder Murder Mystery, I became convinced he was using writer’s software like Scrivener or Dramatica Pro. What drilled it home to me that somewhere in this creation an artificial intelligence was prompting some of the narrative was the repetitive nature of some of the character development. Danny Maik, the closest thing to a partner our lead detective Domenic JeJeune has, likes Motown. How do we know, because it is referenced over and over and over, sometimes incongruously as in when it is brought up at a work meeting. I imagine a popup window that jumps into place when Maik’s name comes up in a new chapter with a reminder to deepen the character by mentioning his love of Motown. Did we mention he loves Motown? How about some Stevie Wonder lyrics? Frankly, it drove me nuts.

Other character development is just plain weird. Holland is made of the flimsiest cardboard—why does he exist? It is already clear that JeJeune is not in sync with his colleagues, we don’t need an insubordinate thuggish officer to reinforce that. The academic Dr. Nyce is a walking talking stereotype as imagined by resentful non-academics, predatory, vain, and an intellectual snob. Of course he is!

JeJeune’s love interest and live-in love Lindy is a reporter and not interested in birding. Yet she makes bird puns such as “sorts the wheatears from the chaffinches?” Really? Lindy also gets inexplicably angry. You know who else does? All the women in the book. Subordinate Lauren Salter, Carrie Pritchard, and supervisor DCS Shepherd, Margaret Wylde and Luisa Obregón, not one of them avoid losing their cool or falling apart. So many overly emotional women. Lucky for Phoebe Hunter, she is dead before the narrative begins, so we don’t see her becoming hysterical. I am using the word deliberately to highlight the presumption of female emotional instability in Burrows’ writing.

You can read the rest of this review on my blog here: https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...

[Toni Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Birder Murder Mystery #2

This neatly constructed series is quite original intertwining avian with the classic whodunit and doing so in an entertaining way. This second book is a smart and absorbing read. With some series you need to read the novels in sequence, here I suggest strongly doing so otherwise you will need to piece the missing parts and back read…..( this is exactly what I have to do)…..

In book 2, we have more bird related murder and mayhem in which the author’s ornithological background shines. Chief Inspector Dominic Jejeune, an avid birder and lead investigator is called out at a gruesome scene at a bird sanctuary where a researcher is found dead beside the body of a senior attaché from the Mexican consulate. You would think this to be a cut and dry investigation but when Powers that Be want to squash any wrongdoing… things turns out not to be that simple……

To enjoy this mystery you need a certain suspension of belief. The story is a tightly woven plot where every twist seemed to relate back to birding. Of course being heavy on bird information I inevitable learn a good deal about doves. I love birds so more information did not bother me but if you do not maybe you should skip this series all together or maybe give it a try; you may change your mind.

The main character Dominic Jejeune is an extremely complex individual with deep secrets. He often ponders on things, what could trouble him so much….well this second story tease us even more by dropping some clues that say little and leaving us wondering if the sequel will reveal more… or not. The story progresses slowly and as it does I was trying hard to pin point the murderer, I never did work out the whodunit….I really thought it was someone else and certainly I am not alone reaching a wrong conclusion….Quite suspense in its own way “ A Pitying of Doves” is a good and entertaining read.

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found A Pitying of Doves, the second in the DCI Domenic Jejeune series, much more of a satisfying read than the first book, A Siege of Bitterns. Thank you, Steve Burrows!
The character development was thoroughly enjoyable. The relationships between Jejeune and his Sergeant, Danny Maik, along with his superior, DCS Shepherd, and subordinates, Lauren Stanley and Tony Holland were fleshed out. The plot, involving a bird sanctuary, deaths and stolen turtledoves, is complex with many side characters, such as a Mexican diplomat, whose personal agendas clashed.
We even saw some struggles between Jejeune and his journalist partner, Lindy Hey, and began to learn some of Jejeune’s back story.
However, I again found the angst that Jejeune has between his profession and what might have become a research career in ornithology, was dwelt upon too often and by too many people.

[Andree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is enjoyable. The mystery itself was interesting. I was interested while reading it, and it's readable. I can't help feeling like the character work needs to be a bit stronger. Jejeune is ineresting, but could use anoher character trait, beyond doesn't like his job, loves birding. And this is repeated again and again. Realistically, that's the issue - things need to develop a bit. The characters all feel very sterile. I like them, but I'd like them to adjust a little.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few too many characters and story lines in this one so that everyone's motives and backstories all got jumbled together as I was reading. And the wrap up wasn't very clear either. I still don't really understand why all these people are dead.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I'm going to tell you why I don't like murder mysteries. Then I'm going to tell you why I LOVE the Birder Murder books.

Murder mysteries are overdone. At best I think they're boring and unoriginal. At worst I think their prevalence in pop culture dulls, in some ways, our culture's sense of empathy. There are so many more interesting crimes we could be solving mysteries about and instead we just keep killing people, even though they're fictional. Use your imaginations already! (Basically what I'm getting at is, people need to write more heists.)

They're also police propaganda. Even the mildest, cutest of cozy mysteries become police apologist when the amateur detective teams up with the One Good Cop(tm) to serve justice. And when the genius detective protagonist (inevitably a cishet white man) IS the One Good Cop, or on a team of Good Cops(tm), I hate that even more.

Birder Murder still falls into the latter of these two issues. I love Domenic but he is a cishet white man genius detective protagonist on a team of Good Cops, even if he doesn't wanna be there. This is unfortunately unavoidable if you're gonna have a protag like him. If you have the privilege of overlooking that, which I admit I do, hopefully you also can appreciate how relentlessly he, Sgt. Maik, and others point out over and over that (in the world of the book) these are REAL HUMAN PEOPLE who are being killed. It's not a fun mystery to solve, it's tragic. It's awful. It should never have happened. And in these first 2 books the Saltmarsh Constabulary are generally able to find the truth, bringing what justice they can, without threatening or being violent to suspects like in other police procedurals (I want to like Maik but he is of course the exception) and yet acknowledging that in the long run, nothing can truly bring justice to murder.

These books are so much more than that, though. A suspenseful, intriguing page-turner without being overtly violent/gruesome. An unexpected twist when the truth is revealed, making the crime even more tragic than first thought. Fucking stunning prose describing the most lovingly portrayed setting I think I've ever read. And! Focused on real conservation issues in a way that brings the big picture into view about humans and our role in the environment even for a casual reader.

Congrats to Burrows on getting the longest Goodreads review I've ever written but this book was, like its predecessor, better than it had any right to be. I would strongly recommend going and getting the first one right now, if you haven't already read it. And while I feel bad for poor Domenic having to solve 5 or so more books' worth of murders instead of getting to look at birds, I'm excited for what the next one has in store.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is more internal dialogue in these stories than you usually get in mysteries. You hear from everyone, too, not just one person and you have to remain alert when the narrator shifts. The characters are good, although when the author has to tell you on every third page how brilliant the detective is one has to wonder. I like Domenic Jejeune and think he is very lucky to have two great interests in his life. He's also very lucky to have Lindy.
The stories are written with bird conservation in mind but you don't have to be a birder to enjoy these portrayals of Norfolk. The Norfolk tourist board should pay Mr. Burrows a subsidy for the work he is doing because is descriptions make the county almost irresistible to a traveler. I searched for Sorocco doves and European turtledoves and discovered that the Sorocco dove is a quite beautiful bird with a fluffy orangey breast, quite different from the turtledoves which are somewhat like rock doves with the the blue and grey bars changed to shades of brown it appears. From the pictures you couldn't mistake one for the other.
We so often think of "our" birds, the ones we see, but forget that the birds who disappear during winter do not dig homes in river mud but have a second home in some other country and conservation has to involve those second homes as well. Burkino Faso and the European turtledove.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series. A Canadian as the lead detective set in an area of England I aways enjoy reading about, slowly evolving backstory, interesting and likable associate characters, complicated mysteries and so much to learn about birds.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Steve Burrows's A Pitying of Doves, the 2nd installment in the Birder Murder Mystery series, this interesting caper title would keep you at the seat and make you want to find out more. It all started out for Chief Inspector Domenic JeJeune of the Norfolk Regiment of the RCMP when they received a call about a double murder in a bird sanctuary for doves. For Domenic, who's a fellow birder as a hobby, they came to investigate the scene of the crime in Norfolk. They looked for clues in the sanctuary and the identities of the bodies to one Mexican consulate and the fellow college student at a local university. If one murder wasn't enough, they had two on their lands when it led them to find more about the super-species of doves and the owner of them. Piece by piece, Inspector JeJeune would find out why and how they've gotten there and who wanted to kill them, while he tried not to let his birding hobby get the best of him to look for clues. The closer they get to the truth, the more it unravels before him and his team when they get closer to danger with every new lead along the way., including one of their own suspects being murdered. He would do everything in his power to stop at nothing before his putting his career--and his life--on the line to have it done.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable second book of the series, though I have to confess I don't remember much from Book #1 at this point. It's a slower paced mystery with a pretty substantial cast of characters, and there's much less focus on actually solving the mystery than there is on exploring the character motivations of various leads, side characters, and suspects. The book offers a lot of detail in a straightforward manner - every line of dialogue has notes afterwards about what the character must be feeling, what they might mean by their words, what kind of response they're hoping for - while still circling around deeper questions about Jejeune's past, Lindy's relationship with him, Maik's particular brand of loyalty, and so on, that are not so easily answered. I enjoyed this style and the passion for birds that is clear in every page, and I will look forward to the next one.

[Joop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi gebruik van de Engelse taal. Weer eens wat anders vwb onderwerp. Soms lijkt er wat te missen. Wel goed afgesloten.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year, I reviewed the first book in Steve Burrows’ Birder Murder mystery series, A Siege of Bitterns. Since then, I’ve been waiting eagerly for the next novel in this series. Seriously—I wrote the publisher last summer to say, “You are going to publish more in this series, aren’t you? Please tell me you wouldn’t let this novel be a one-off.” That’s how much I liked the first volume.

A Pitying of Doves, the second novel featuring Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune, is as absorbing and intelligent as its predecessor. Inspector Jejeune, originally from Canada, now lives in a small coastal town in England. He is oddly cursed in his brilliance as a detective: he’d much prefer to be bird-watching. However, having earned national recognition on an earlier case, he faces a steady demand for his services.

A Pitying of Doves has a multi-layered plot. It begins with the murder of an odd pair: a grad student who runs a small bird sanctuary and a senior attaché with the Mexican Consulate. This immediately sends the investigation in several directions. There’s the grad student’s untrustworthy PhD adviser; the campaign run out of the sanctuary to convince local farmers to set aside land for bird habitat, reducing their production and profits; the widow and son of the reclusive collector of doves, originally from Mexico; more members of the Mexican Consulate; British politicians more concerned with avoiding international slights than with uncovering the murderer; a small-time thief; the former superior officer of one of the sergeants on the case, who severed time in Afghanistan; and the unsteady local woman who insists the sanctuary has stolen birds given to her by her husband.

Jejeune, as always, is tight-lipped and highly rational. There’s good reason for any course his investigation takes, but that reason is almost always a complete unknown for those who work with him. The reader, who has slightly more information than Jejeune’s investigative team, still is faced with a multitude of questions as the book progresses.

The novel also offers an interesting secondary plot. The grad student had been doing field work in northern Africa studying doves. Now that she’s been killed the position is open—and Jejeune would love nothing more than to leave police work for a chance to work as a field biologist.

If you’re a fan of mystery novels with rich characterization and complex plots, put A Pitying of Doves at the top of your summer reading list.

[Elite Group · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nom de plumage?!

A Siege of Bitterns, A Pitying of Doves, a Cast of Falcons, a Shimmer of Hummingbirds? With titles like these you might be forgiven for fluffy, feathery, ornithological images flashing through your head. And then again you might not!!

For this series of ‘Birder Murder’ mysteries seems to be anything but cuddly. To be fair I’ve only read this second one and to be even fairer still I don’t think the third is even published yet, and the fourth may not even be written! But if A Pitying of Doves is anything to go by we may have a fine series of crime stories ahead of us.

Crime and thriller novel series are not hard to find these days but what is harder to find is a series with a unique angle and I think Steve Burrows may have nailed it here.

The key player in this series is Dominic Jejeune a detective of Canadian origin living in Norfolk. What makes him different from other detectives? He’s mad about ornithology. And very knowledgeable and passionate about that interest. In fact, he would probably rather be ‘birding’ than ‘detecting’. However, he seems to be as good at the latter as he is the former. His record for solving crime is impeccable. He’s a quirky character, more Hamlet than Macbeth, who you never quite feel you’ve got to know but I think that in this case it arouses a desire to read the other books in the series. There are some tantalising hints that there is more to this man’s story than we are to be served in this sitting.

The plot is nicely convoluted involving some diplomatic shenanigans with the Mexican Consulate, (What? In Norfolk? I hear you cry) and the bird theme maintains a constant profile without being overdone. I think that is skilful because it would have been very easy to create an uneven balance.

The other characters, particularly the team that Dominic has working with him all have their issues and hopefully they will be developed through the ensuing series. And other secondary characters are there to play their parts and that may be one weakness. It’s almost as if the characters that the writer really cares about have been drawn and depicted with greater depth than the bit part players.

I will be interested to see how this series pans out. I already love the collective noun titles.

A paperback copy of this book was received from Real Readers

Whizz

Whizz reviewed this book for Breakaway Reviewers.

[Gill Chedgey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pitying of Doves - Steve Burrows

Apparently this is the second in the series of ‘Birder Murder' mysteries but not having the read the first one was no barrier to enjoying this one. The crime/thriller/detective genre is in many ways oversubscribed these days and I think a writer needs a unique yet plausible angle to really pique and sustain the interest of those loving this genre. Having an interest in birds myself went a long way to endear this book to me and the writers own love and knowledge of ornithology was almost palpable here so I feel that box is ticked. I was momentarily reminded of Ann Cleeves The Crow Trap but only momentarily.

Inspector Domenic Jejeune is a Canadian detective living in Norfolk and, as is the fashion these days for fictional detectives, is a conflicted, somewhat flawed character. I did wonder sometimes whether he was somewhere on the spectrum as I found him hard to get to know. There were plenty of other characters, maybe as flawed, but somehow more accessible. I also felt there was plenty for development for all of them. My understanding is that there are to be more in the series. Perhaps it would be something of a first to have a whole team as your main ‘character’ and allow them to develop through a series of novels.

The plot is as twisty and as convoluted as you would wish in a good crime yarn. I also liked the way the ornithology theme was ever present, crucial to the story but not to the extent that it saturated the readers’ sensibilities. It would have been easy for that to happen.

It kept my interest going, sufficiently to consider seeking out the first story and I am grateful to Real Readers for the opportunity to read this novel.

[Lorna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't ask me what it was but it took me a long time to get through this book. Maybe the birding angle didn't interest me? Maybe it was the writing style? I really don't know. On the surface of it there was nothing wrong with the premise or the plot line. I quite liked Jejeune's character as well as the lesser characters but maybe there was a bit too much emphasis on insignificant details. We know that Jejeune is an enthusiastic birder, but it seems the only time his personality shines through is at the sight of a flock of mute swans, and even whilst solving a murder his focus is on the welfare of birds. Yes, we know, he's in the wrong job. Part of me wants to tell the author to let him go and study birds if that's what he wants to do.
I think Burrows would be better writing non-fiction birding guides, the mix of birding and murders just doesn't work for me. It just reads like an account from an enthusiastic birder and there just happens to be murder thrown in. I won't be investing in any others from this series.

[Margaret Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a top-rate police procedural with an interesting angle: a Canadian detective / bird conservationist transplanted to the Norfolk Coast of England where the theft of 2 turtledoves and a double murder keep this guy very very busy. A great read!!

[Kristen Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Burrows has a talent for description, makes you feel like you are there with the characters in Norwich or in the tropical oasis of St. Lucia.

The book did drag a bit in the middle and then it came all rushing together at the end.

[Claire Abbott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the character of Jejeune. And the Norfolk birder setting. There are too many characters in this book and too many details. I dislike the character of Lindy immensely and her desire to suppress DJ’s passion for birding. She ruined this book for me.

[Susan Beecher · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable mystery set in England. The main detective character is a serious birdwatcher. The secrets in his past are getting a little tiresome since they are regularly alluded to but not revealed.

[Sunny Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a birder, I enjoyed reading about a main character who cares about birds and nature as much as I do. The book was fairly flat otherwise. It did not have enough mystery for a mystery novel.

[Joseph Ribera · Rating 4 out of 5]

As noted, this is number two in the Birder Murder Mystery series. DCI Domenic Jejeune and his band of Norfolk constables deal with a double homicide, missing birds and the Mexican Consulate in London. The case involves missing turtledoves (a bird in the pigeon family). Complicating the matter is that all turtledoves look pretty much the same. DNA tests of feathers left at the scene of the crime reveal that the missing birds are actually a species of doves extinct in the wild, endemic to an island belonging to Mexico. Mexico wants them back, the black market wants them for their rarity, the original owner (thief)'s wife wants them back in memory of her missing husband, a local druggie and part-time thief wants to collect the reward, etc.

Things get complicated by another murder. There is, of course, some bird watching as well as clue searching. Jejeune with some help from Detective Danny Maik, works it out to everyone's surprise and satisfaction. He takes on the hero mantle again after a life-threatening rescue of one of the culprits, who turns out not to be the perpetrator after all.

The first book made reference to a case that brought him fame and unwanted glory involving the royal family in London, without revealing a lot of facts. Some aspects of the case still cause Jejeune some discomfort. This novel introduces oblique references to unspecified events that caused Domenic to be estranged from his older brother. Assume more to be revealed in next book.

Besides the quick paced police procedural, as with the first book, this novel addresses the conservation and ecological issues of bird extinction, the efforts made to preserve the species in captivity in order to return them to the wild. Two narratives for the price of one (except I borrowed mine from the library). It also mentions sightings of migratory birds and waterfowl that induced me to get out my Sibley "Guide to Birds."

[Art Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Birder mystery series and the fourth one I've read. The way he integrates envrionmentalism and birding into the plot is always ingenious (and educational) but this one! The plot is so over the top with twists and turns that one word comes to mind: murmuration. No, I don't mean that I muttered to myself while reading it (although that happens on the rare occasion I find myself stuck in the middle of a real loser). No, we're talking about the synchronous ballet that birds (and schools of fish btw) perform in crowd in the air. It starts off as a fairly staright forward if gruesome double homicide inside a bird sanctuary from there it takes off soaring to the great heights of an international incident involving Mexican diplomats, then veers right into the dark and disturbing world of academic research and plagerism, then whooosh next thing we know we're off to Saint Lucia where some dark personal secrets of the protagonist Domenic Jejeune are threatening to reveal themselves them wham! back in Britain where another Canadian (did I mention the protagonist is a Canadian working in Norfolk?) is saving birds on the beach and they reminisce about the music of the Tragically Hip (I'm a sucker for both song references in mysteries and the Hip) then wow!! we're back to the Mexicans again!

It's enough to make your head spin, and I'm not giving away a tenth of the intrigue and red herrings that are careening through this book like crows in a corn maze. Seriously, if you love a good mystery you need to check out this book! I can't imagine how cool it must be to read this if you're a birder.

While I certainly have neither the desire nor attention span to make me take up this hobby, it has got me paying more attention to the blue jays who are nesting in my eavestrough and the humming birds hovering around my potted plants.

[Anne, Unfinished Woman · Rating 4 out of 5]

These birder murder mysteries are complicated with rich detail and information on birdwatching, bird conservation, bird genetics...and can, therefore, seem tedious at times. The character of Dominic Jejeune who longs to be a bird conservationist, following his beloved passion, spending long hours in solitude on the beautiful coast of North Norfolk, is compelling, as his particular talent for solving cases in some obscurity again shows. He is bold in his compassion and proves his bravery again in this installment as he saves more than one life. At the same time his steady and slow approach to solving the murders frustrates his colleagues and superiors alike, and applies additional pressure to his life and his relationship with Lindy, his life partner. The passion for birding fairly screams from the page, at the same time the quiet and peace of this obsession is conveyed.

In this installment two rare doves have been stolen and in the process a couple of murders have occurred. One of the victims is the Free to Fly Sanctuary head and researcher of European Doves. The other is a Mexican attache from the London consulate, which presents its own set of problems in the pursuit of the truth of what happened. The ever present need of diplomacy impedes the investigation. The reason for the theft is hidden in various possible theories, including the past and conservation issues, and presents various possible suspects. It is with skill and ingenuity that the author weaves a fascinating tale of desire for glory and immortality.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the first Bird Mystery Book, A Siege of Bitterns by Steve Burrows, I fully intended to read more of the series and here I am a full year later having read the second, A Pitying of Doves. It is an interesting premise, a young Canadian, who would rather be birding, settles in Norfolk, England and is hired as the bright young star and Chief Inspector for the police.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding said inspector, Domenic Jejeune and I suspect that it will be uncovered as we read the series. Domenic isn't always entirely likeable and he often appears somewhat apathetic and disinterested and yet there is a certain appeal to all this, perhaps it is the birds.

In the second of the series, two people are found murdered in a cage at a dove sanctuary and rehabilitation center, but the dove are missing.

I enjoyed this book and intend to follow up by reading the next one in the series immediately.

[Vicky Earle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Burrows takes a refreshing approach to the creation of the character of Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune. While passionate about his job with the North Norfolk Constabulary (U.K.), Jejeune, a transplanted Canadian, is obsessed with his bird-watching hobby. Not only can this obsession bring him close to compromising on his detective work, it can give others the impression, likely accurate, that he would have preferred to have followed a career path related to birds. The author manages this conflict well.
However, the depth of his reservedness and secretiveness in his relationship with Lindy, his live-in partner, seems overdone and perhaps somewhat unrealistic.
It would be interesting to see further development of Danny Maik's character.
I enjoyed the unexpected twists in this Birder Murder Mystery as well as the interesting points relating to the world of birds. The involvement of diplomats, aviary owners and bird sculptors added richness and intrigue.
There was some repetition of character-traits in particular which perhaps the editing could have addressed.
Good read.

[Cmoore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was seriously what I needed to read after the last couple of action driven fantasy books, as: A) I love birds.
B) the Audubon society recommends the series.
C) this mystery series 📚 has been on my wishlist for ages.
This couldn't have been better as a Cool Down book! A Pitying of Doves shows the rural aspect, and slower pace of North Norfolk, a small fishing village. It's a police procedural, but it's combined with bird watching on the salt marsh!
Chief Inspector Detective Jejeune is back on the job! Jejeune is still torn between the job that he's really good at, and his dream job where he's a professional bird conservationist!
In this story Jejeune and his team are confronted with what looks like a burglary gone wrong, ending in a double murder... but seemingly, the only thing stolen was a pair of rare endangered Doves! So get the book, and join the team as they uncover the truths hidden deep in this sleepy little village!
David's Thorpe's voice talent perfectly matched all the nuances required for this moody book!

[John Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have noticed that "birders" are quite a common subject in British murder mysteries. I may have read one of this series some time ago. The character of DCI Jejeune is interesting, but a bit over the top. He's smart, but has only a limited range of focus. Any touchy-feely bits are handled by his officers. The constant focus on birds, sometimes seemingly to the exclusion of the case, becomes increasingly annoying. At 350 pages this is a long book, and that's because of the huge amount of material on birds and their problems. It could double as a primer on the subject. I'm marking it down for that reason.
It just became boring towards the end, making me want to skip through the pages.
The mystery is full of red herrings, and government interference causes the investigators some problems. This ex-Canadian policeman "gets his man" - sort of.
I'd definitely recommend this to crime lovers, with reservations as above. I might seek out one of the others in this series, or just another by this author.
Rating 3.4.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this series, which focuses on a highly intuitive and observant detective who wants to be a professional ornithologist--in this one he comes to the realization that he is not exactly well suited to that, on the contrary, that he is a better detective, and that while birds are important, solving crimes and saving people has value too. I found the section where he goes to see if he can be a volunteer bird observer, and he realizes that he has a long way to go in terms of being excellent at it paralleled my own experience at a birding festival where I saw that I would never have either the drive or the skills to achieve mastery, and that I really enjoyed being around those who had it--and that most of them wanted to share what they saw and knew. The bad guys get got, but not before the good guys have a mishap.