What do you think?
Rate this book
Robyn Devara Mysteries #3
Macaws of Death
Tropical birds in a smuggled suitcase. Expensive. Beautiful. Dead. But for field biologist Robyn Devara, this latest grim reminder of the illegal trade in endangered species includes an unexpected surprise--one of the birds is unknown to science.
373 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
19 people want to read
About the author
Karen Dudley
27 books31 followersMy checkered past includes field biology, production art, photo research, palaeo-environmental studies, editing, archaeology and Classical Studies. Needless to say, I just couldn't seem to settle on one job and sometimes I thought there was something wrong with me--a sentiment echoed by my mum. Then, a number years ago, an epiphany! I finally realized that what I really wanted to do was . . . everything! And if you want to do everything, the best way to do it is to be a writer.
I wrote four environmental mysteries and a short stack of wildlife biology books for kids before I had another epiphany . . . I want to write fantasy! So I did. Food for the Gods is an historical fantasy novel set in ancient Athens. It's all about chefs and gods and food and murder and strange beasties and a huge amount of fun. Think Xena meets Iron Chef and you're starting to get the picture. I'm now working on the sequel, Kraken Bake.
I live in Winnipeg with my husband, daughter, and assorted authorial cats.
I wrote four environmental mysteries and a short stack of wildlife biology books for kids before I had another epiphany . . . I want to write fantasy! So I did. Food for the Gods is an historical fantasy novel set in ancient Athens. It's all about chefs and gods and food and murder and strange beasties and a huge amount of fun. Think Xena meets Iron Chef and you're starting to get the picture. I'm now working on the sequel, Kraken Bake.
I live in Winnipeg with my husband, daughter, and assorted authorial cats.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 5, 2021
First things first: the author, Karen Dudley, is my friend. We volunteered together, teaching about animals and conservation. Her sense of humour appeals to me because I get it, unlike some others. We also have a mutual interest in birds. Maybe I'm off base, but I find that I get along best with biologists and geologists—I know we will laugh at the same things.
Robyn Devara is someone I feel like I could have in my own friendship circle. She's a field biologist, not a crime investigator. However, she keeps finding herself in these dangerous situations, fending off the bad guys while trying to defend the birds and her research. She has a mild case of imposter syndrome, doubting her instincts fairly often. I enjoyed the references to the city I live in (fictional Robyn lives there too when she's not chasing parrots in Costa Rica) and the many Canadian references scattered throughout the text.
I love the title of this one. (I know Karen's husband was responsible for her titles and for once I will not complain about them being punny). I think I know the Andres that her field camp manager is named after (a Tico married to a mutual friend). I think the real Andres probably enjoyed being portrayed as the Latin lover in this novel.
If you enjoy the birdy aspect of these books, I'd recommend that you also try Steve Burrows' Birder Murder Mysteries, which begin with A Siege of Bitterns.
Robyn Devara is someone I feel like I could have in my own friendship circle. She's a field biologist, not a crime investigator. However, she keeps finding herself in these dangerous situations, fending off the bad guys while trying to defend the birds and her research. She has a mild case of imposter syndrome, doubting her instincts fairly often. I enjoyed the references to the city I live in (fictional Robyn lives there too when she's not chasing parrots in Costa Rica) and the many Canadian references scattered throughout the text.
I love the title of this one. (I know Karen's husband was responsible for her titles and for once I will not complain about them being punny). I think I know the Andres that her field camp manager is named after (a Tico married to a mutual friend). I think the real Andres probably enjoyed being portrayed as the Latin lover in this novel.
If you enjoy the birdy aspect of these books, I'd recommend that you also try Steve Burrows' Birder Murder Mysteries, which begin with A Siege of Bitterns.
September 12, 2024
I picked this up from the bookshelf of my Airbnb because the title caught my eye. Overall, I liked the story, but the pacing was a little off, it felt like so much more happened in the last third of the book compared to the rest.
The one thing that really bugged me though was the main character (Robyn) who is a woman in biology. I'm speaking as a woman in science who has a PhD in STEM, and I've come across a lot of women in real life who are very much like Robyn - very disdainful of any woman who leans into more traditionally feminine things. Robyn had a very low opinion of another female biologist (Candi, spelled with an "i"), who wore makeup, perfume, and pink clothes. That whole thing left a sour taste in my mouth because as a woman in science, you should be lifting other women up, not tearing them down. If you're a woman in science who doesn't like traditionally feminine things - cool, doesn't make you better than women in science (or any woman for that matter) who do like traditionally feminine things.
The one thing that really bugged me though was the main character (Robyn) who is a woman in biology. I'm speaking as a woman in science who has a PhD in STEM, and I've come across a lot of women in real life who are very much like Robyn - very disdainful of any woman who leans into more traditionally feminine things. Robyn had a very low opinion of another female biologist (Candi, spelled with an "i"), who wore makeup, perfume, and pink clothes. That whole thing left a sour taste in my mouth because as a woman in science, you should be lifting other women up, not tearing them down. If you're a woman in science who doesn't like traditionally feminine things - cool, doesn't make you better than women in science (or any woman for that matter) who do like traditionally feminine things.
October 28, 2022
Karen Dudley really hit her writing style stride with this third book. Informative, funny, and endearing, it gets a bit over the top at the end, but that’s part of the fun. Certainly makes a trip to the Costa Rican jungle seem appealing, if a little daunting in terms of the snakes, spiders, and ants. Yikes.
October 19, 2013
RATING: 3.5
Robyn Devara is a Canadian field biologist. She receives a call from an environmental enforcement officer who wants her help in identifying a bird. There was a suitcase full of dead birds that was smuggled in to the country. The authorities were able to identify all of the specimens except one, a beautifully colored bird of the macaw family. When Robyn sees the macaw, she experiences an incredible sense of excitement. The bird is a new species that has never been seen before. As a scientist, she is thrilled to be asked to go to Costa Rica with a group of fellow scientists. Her charge is to see if she can find other birds of the unknown species and document their behavior patterns.
The scientific team is located in a remote jungle outpost and live in fairly primitive conditions. They very systematically survey the surrounding area and document their findings. The members of the team have various areas of expertise—snake experts, plants, etc. It's not long before Robyn discovers that the assignment is not going to be as straightforward as she thought. Several team members seem to be following their own agendas. There's the nominal female leader who is impossible to get along with; a chauvinistic professor who belittles his student assistants; a reformed smuggler who may be sharing information about the birds that are found with his former compatriots; and more. All in all, you could say there's trouble in paradise.
The camp difficulties escalate until it's almost impossible for the team to continue with their initial mission. Several members are killed; others are falling prey to various illnesses. Although Robyn does find the mysterious macaw that she has been looking for, it seems only a matter of time before the poachers will also cash in on the discovery.
MACAWS OF DEATH is part of the mystery genre known as "amateur sleuth", meaning that the protagonist is not a professional detective or law officer but more of an average citizen who becomes involved in some kind of criminous situation more or less accidentally. I am not normally a fan of this type of mystery since the amateur sleuth often tends to become involved for an unbelievable reason (think, "Jessica Fletcher") and to put themselves in the line of danger. MACAWS broke the typical mold by having a plausible reason for the lead character to be involved in finding out what happened. Robyn is an expert on macaws and thus has the ability to provide information on their behavior that is important to the narration. In addition, since the book is set in a remote jungle location, one would not expect to find a police department readily available to call upon when things go wrong at the job site so her involvement seemed natural.
Where the book fell apart for me was in the final third. Almost every character in the book was either killed or felled by a dread disease. They were bitten by snakes, thrown into ant pits, poisoned, shot—way too much misfortune all around to really feel credible. I was disappointed to see this happen, as I quite enjoyed the book up until that point. On top of all that, the villain was totally predictable.
Overall, I enjoyed the book until the characters all started having so many problems. I very much liked the lead character, her sense of humor, her passion for her work. However, Dudley's attempt to raise the tension by incapacitating so many of the characters weakened what was otherwise an engaging narrative.
Robyn Devara is a Canadian field biologist. She receives a call from an environmental enforcement officer who wants her help in identifying a bird. There was a suitcase full of dead birds that was smuggled in to the country. The authorities were able to identify all of the specimens except one, a beautifully colored bird of the macaw family. When Robyn sees the macaw, she experiences an incredible sense of excitement. The bird is a new species that has never been seen before. As a scientist, she is thrilled to be asked to go to Costa Rica with a group of fellow scientists. Her charge is to see if she can find other birds of the unknown species and document their behavior patterns.
The scientific team is located in a remote jungle outpost and live in fairly primitive conditions. They very systematically survey the surrounding area and document their findings. The members of the team have various areas of expertise—snake experts, plants, etc. It's not long before Robyn discovers that the assignment is not going to be as straightforward as she thought. Several team members seem to be following their own agendas. There's the nominal female leader who is impossible to get along with; a chauvinistic professor who belittles his student assistants; a reformed smuggler who may be sharing information about the birds that are found with his former compatriots; and more. All in all, you could say there's trouble in paradise.
The camp difficulties escalate until it's almost impossible for the team to continue with their initial mission. Several members are killed; others are falling prey to various illnesses. Although Robyn does find the mysterious macaw that she has been looking for, it seems only a matter of time before the poachers will also cash in on the discovery.
MACAWS OF DEATH is part of the mystery genre known as "amateur sleuth", meaning that the protagonist is not a professional detective or law officer but more of an average citizen who becomes involved in some kind of criminous situation more or less accidentally. I am not normally a fan of this type of mystery since the amateur sleuth often tends to become involved for an unbelievable reason (think, "Jessica Fletcher") and to put themselves in the line of danger. MACAWS broke the typical mold by having a plausible reason for the lead character to be involved in finding out what happened. Robyn is an expert on macaws and thus has the ability to provide information on their behavior that is important to the narration. In addition, since the book is set in a remote jungle location, one would not expect to find a police department readily available to call upon when things go wrong at the job site so her involvement seemed natural.
Where the book fell apart for me was in the final third. Almost every character in the book was either killed or felled by a dread disease. They were bitten by snakes, thrown into ant pits, poisoned, shot—way too much misfortune all around to really feel credible. I was disappointed to see this happen, as I quite enjoyed the book up until that point. On top of all that, the villain was totally predictable.
Overall, I enjoyed the book until the characters all started having so many problems. I very much liked the lead character, her sense of humor, her passion for her work. However, Dudley's attempt to raise the tension by incapacitating so many of the characters weakened what was otherwise an engaging narrative.
June 1, 2015
(I blogged about this book a bit more extensively. Excerpt below.)
Macaws of Death is the third book in a series by Karen Dudley and starring field biologist Robyn Devara. In this installment, Robyn is approached by a CITES enforcement officer from Environment Canada about a dead macaw found in a shipment of smuggled birds. The dead bird appears to be a previously unknown species and Robyn is roped into traveling to Costa Rica to see if she can locate others of the same species at a newly reopened field station.
The story moves along at a good pace, although there is a lot of set up before the first murder (although there is a missing person). This works fine in the context of the story and is a good example of a situation where rules are meant to be broken. There is so much going on at the field station — looking for the macaws, acclimatizing themselves to the situation, fears about poachers, a growing sense of tension that is the result of disturbing events — that a death isn’t necessary too early on.
The plot progresses at a nice clip and suspicion falls on different individuals as things move on. The deaths begin to pile up, until a climatic resolution with a nice example of pathetic fallacy.
The story wrapped up neatly with Robyn’s return to Canada.
Macaws of Death is the third book in a series by Karen Dudley and starring field biologist Robyn Devara. In this installment, Robyn is approached by a CITES enforcement officer from Environment Canada about a dead macaw found in a shipment of smuggled birds. The dead bird appears to be a previously unknown species and Robyn is roped into traveling to Costa Rica to see if she can locate others of the same species at a newly reopened field station.
The story moves along at a good pace, although there is a lot of set up before the first murder (although there is a missing person). This works fine in the context of the story and is a good example of a situation where rules are meant to be broken. There is so much going on at the field station — looking for the macaws, acclimatizing themselves to the situation, fears about poachers, a growing sense of tension that is the result of disturbing events — that a death isn’t necessary too early on.
The plot progresses at a nice clip and suspicion falls on different individuals as things move on. The deaths begin to pile up, until a climatic resolution with a nice example of pathetic fallacy.
The story wrapped up neatly with Robyn’s return to Canada.
April 8, 2009
I wish I could give this a 3.5 as well. Oh, and I want to go to Costa Rica to go bird watching. The descriptions of the rainforest are gorgeous and compelling. Perhaps I should become a biologist?
Again in this book, I got the "who" but not the "why".
One of the problems with any series mystery is the break with reality that the reader must accept in order to continue the series. How does the main character remain sane, let alone cheerful and upbeat, when she encounters so many dead bodies and unmasks so many murderers? Macaws of Death suffered from this problem more than most as by the end of this novel, more than half the team has died some pretty horrific deaths in an isolated area of the jungle. Yet Robyn blithley assures another one of the (few)survivors that she will be back to the camp someday. While I enjoyed this outing in the series, the severity and the number of deaths did strain belief just a little.
Again in this book, I got the "who" but not the "why".
One of the problems with any series mystery is the break with reality that the reader must accept in order to continue the series. How does the main character remain sane, let alone cheerful and upbeat, when she encounters so many dead bodies and unmasks so many murderers? Macaws of Death suffered from this problem more than most as by the end of this novel, more than half the team has died some pretty horrific deaths in an isolated area of the jungle. Yet Robyn blithley assures another one of the (few)survivors that she will be back to the camp someday. While I enjoyed this outing in the series, the severity and the number of deaths did strain belief just a little.
October 31, 2016
I found this book more entertaining than most female written mystery novel. I would rate it a 3.5 if I had the choice. The heroine Robyn did not suffer from the flawed charactoristics of many female mystery writers; can't sustain any meaingful relationships with men, abuse alcohol, have an image problem, place themselves in grave danger, etc. I found the setting quite interesting and inforamtive.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews