A Foreboding of Petrels

Birder Murder Mystery #7

by Steve Burrows

On suspension and unable to work, DCI Domenic Jejeune finds his attention snared by an unexplained death at an Antarctic research base. Meanwhile, DS Danny Maik investigates a string of arson attacks in Norfolk. When a corpse is discovered in a bird hide, Danny’s investigation escalates. It appears the body links the two enquiries, but the men are unable to share information. As they attempt to unravel a twisted web of leads involving Antarctic researchers, uncompromising climate scientists and billionaire philanthropists, Jejeune is forced to decide how much he is willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of truth. Praise for the series ‘One of the most delightful mysteries of recent years.’ Daily Mail ‘A most entertaining read.’ The Times

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Birds, Canada, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Procedural

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2022

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]

Domenic Jejune is suspended. Not to be working on police investigations. Not to be getting information from his fellow officers. And yet, somehow he ends up looking into a suspicious death in Antarctica. The victim was a refugee with no family and no strong ties to any country. The Antarctic base is on land not claimed by any country. There is literally no jurisdiction. Lots of wiggle room to allow Jejune to insert himself.

At first, the schedule at the police station is so quiet that Colleen Shepherd starts a painting project to clean up the place. Then there are fires, some of the birding blinds in the saltmarsh and part of the Institute that the murder victim worked for. Coincidence? Nobody really thinks so—now Shepherd has to convince Jejune to drop his investigation or risk losing his job.

It's a small police department, so the politics are personal. Jejune may not be present, but all the others feel his influence in their work. They know they have to pick up their games. And yet, they manage to get tangled in a mess like kittens in a yarn basket.

Burrows really faked me out at the end. He did a real Agatha Christie move, playing with my emotions relentlessly. Well done, sir. Some things are resolved, but important questions remain, indicating, to me at least, that there is at least one more volume of the birder murder mysteries still to come.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jejeune is back home and thankfully he is back together with his partner Lindy. He’s still on probation though, so not allowed to involve himself in any police cases. He takes on a case of murder in Antarctica which becomes entangled in a local case involving arson and murder. An excellent addition to the series with high drama at the end.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Burrows' Birder Murder Mysteries are up there with the very best the genre has to offer: intricate plotting; complicated, flawed characters; long arcs of narrative and characterization. A Foreboding of Petrels is, in my estimation, the best book yet in this series. Relationships between characters grow complex, new tensions emerge, the central mysteries remain whodunnits until the end. If you're familiar with this series, you'll know why I'm so delighted to have a new DCI Dominic Jejeune novel to read. If you're not, this is The. One. Series. you need to make room for in your reading agenda.

DCI Dominic Jejeune is on suspension as A Foreboding of Petrels opens, waiting to hear whether he'll be able to return to work and, if so, under what conditions. He does have one puzzle to wrestle with—a long-distance investigation of a death at an Antarctic research station. The local billionaire running the climate change organization that the research station is part of wants to confirm that the death was a suicide.

At the same time, DS Danny Maik, one of Jejeune's colleagues on the local force, is investigating a series of small arson events involving bird blinds scattered along the marshy coast. With Jejeune on suspension, Maik can't call on Jejeune to help him puzzle out the reason underlying the arsons, which may be nothing more than a series of pranks by local teens.

When a birding friend of Jejeune's—a blind man with an exceptional ear for bird calls—is found dead in one of the burned blinds, the two men start seeking ways to collaborate that won't violate the terms of Jejeune's suspensions. Or at least ways of collaborating that won't draw the attention of higher ups.

As the plot thickens and suspects multiply, Jejeune and Maik find themselves wondering if there's a connection between these deaths by fire and by ice.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus; the opinions are my own.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad that I lack the self-control to make myself read his books more slowly. Such a long wait for the next book . . .sigh.

[Rosalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual could not stop reading and excellent as always.

I was privileged to sit and have dinner with Mr Burrows and his wonderful wife a few years ago and now I hear that the birder mysteries may be made into a tv series. I so hope his wife's choice for Dominic works out, as Yannick Bisson (Murdoch in Murdoch mysteries) would be just perfect.

Trouble is now this long awaited book has been read it is a longish wait to the next one.

[Wendy Hearder-moan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wavered between 4 or 5 stars and thought “Hey, why be niggardly?” This book has a lot going for it. Although the most recent in the series, I think it also works as a stand-alone. (Obviously the characters are easier to get involved with when you have the benefit of reading the previous books). Having visited Antarctica, albeit in summer, I appreciated the descriptive passages. The details of the plot are carefully worked out. But what I liked best was that the author gives us lots to think about in relation to climate change, the gathering and interpretation of data and ethical considerations that can arise.

[Tina Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an awkward relationship with the birder mysteries. Steve Burrows is talented. Descriptive above par among formulaic writers; plot development that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and unique solutions to the mysteries. When a new book appears comes out, I feel compelled to read it, and I will stay up till all hours of the night to finish it.

But I get very frustrated with the interpersonal relationships amongst the team at the constabulary. I feel like I’m watching another NCIS series. And DCS Shepherd is an exact duplicate of CS Innocent in the Inspector Lewis series.

[Lafayette Public Library Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

At an Antarctic research station, a scientist's field equipment is sabotaged, bringing certain death in the subzero emptiness. Thousands of miles to the north, a drifter asleep in an English bird hide dies when the structure catches fire. The two cannot possibly be connected, or...with both linked to the same corporation, and to one person at its helm specifically...could they? Answering that question is DCI Domenic Jejeune, Canadian by birth but presently in service of the Norfolk Constabulary. While on suspension following the close-call abduction of his girlfriend, and under strict orders to keep out of any and all police work, the events happening on opposite ends of the globe prove irresistible to the gifted Jejeune, who, despite his team's best intentions and devoted efforts, is the only member of the force who can crack the case. Author and birdwatcher Steve Burrows has created a terrific sleuth in Jejeune, who shares the author's avian hobby and his knowledge of environmental conservation. Both of these are important themes in this book, but compared to our experience with 'The Royal Wulff Murders' earlier this year (which left all of us never wanting to hear of fly fishing again), the birds and climate change of this novel are not utilized to excess and they are genuinely integral to the unraveling of the mystery. It is a fantastic read that Burrows has plotted quite well, and it asks larger, contemplative, and at times, frightening questions about the value of singular human life when wider issues threaten our collective existence. Readers need not be turned off, however, because Burrows's writing is not preachy, and in fact, the environmentalist crusader characters he's created are on the whole a pretty shady bunch, justifying their terrible actions as necessary to the cause of saving our planet. This reviewer was particularly keen on Mystery Book Club's discovery of this series, as I'd heard great things about it for years, and finally meeting Jejeune was a genuine treat. One thing to note - 'A Foreboding of Petrels' is book seven of the series, and while it is entirely readable as a standalone, its many side plots and bits of subtext are clearly carried over from previous series entries, so this may be one where it is best to read the books in order.

[Ryan Maybee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7

[Janet Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

#7 in the wonderful birder murder mystery series, this one was particularly interesting as the murder took place at a research lab in Antarctica, so it was interesting to learn about life down there, the logistics and how to deal with the extreme conditions, etc while watching Dominic Jejune, chief detective, figure it all out while on required leave from his job.

This is such a good mystery series--chock full of interesting side characters--and set in the marshy eastern coast of England. Small town stuff, birding stuff, science stuff. All good!

[Art Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the good fortune to meet Steve Burrows at our monthly Uxbridge Writers' Circle. He was every bit as interesting and entertaining as his novels. Bird watching as a theme in mystery writing may seem to be an odd pairing but it is not without precedent. Graham Hurley in his Inspector Farraday series was an avid birder and in his writings the birds repesented a peaceful oasis in the dark and dirty world of the british city of Portsmouth. (I can heartily recommend this series as well)

Burrows' birdwatching takes this hobby and fully integrates it into his plots, with the birds and their watchers acting not unlike the greek chorus in classical tragedies. They act to amplify some points and sit in counterpoint to others. Here the Petrels are graceful and thrive stoically in the ultra harsh environments of the antarctic and the middle of the atlantic ocean in sharp contrast to fragility of human life in the same places.

What unfolds is a true tragedy that plays out on multiple levels. A man freezes to death in a small community of envirnmental researchers and its no accident. Burrows cleverly creates what is essentially a locked room mystery which his inspector must solve from 10,000 miles away. There is the seeming accidental death of a blind homeless man whose pointless death aslo turns out to be murder.

These small human tragedies are further echoed by misunderstandings in personal relationships, infidelity and its consequences, misplaced devotion to good causes that in turn have disasterous consequences.

The fragility of human life and individual struggles are played out against exitential threat man has created through global warming and the metaphorical and literal chocking hazard of our addition to plastics.

Wow! I know this sounds heavy but there is a lot of good old action crammed into this package already brimming with things to think about. Burrows never gets preachy, he lets these themes make their own case. I certanly will be back for more.

[John Geary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following three years without a new book in this series, Dominec Jejeune is finally back.
A very well written whodunnit; two seemingly unconnected murders that take place at opposite ends of the planet, a billionaire philanthropist who seems to want to do the right thing for the environment, and the usual assortment of birds playing a role in the story, mix together in a literary stewpot and serve up another good read to really sink your teeth into.
The author does a really good job of weaving together events from different places on the planet, eventually tying them all together. There are the usual red herrings, of course. And there are some pretty significant changes involving some of the main characters in the world of DCI Jejeune, which I won’t reveal in this review so as to not spoil it.

[MEF · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think my favourite aspect of the author’s writing is the mix of quiet, still moments , the connection with nature that just make you pause and take a breath.It’s a rare gift and one to be valued.
Norfolk skies weave their magic and now we have the added majesty of Antarctica.
Lindy is back in every sense, praise be! Domenic seems to have his priorities right, Tony Holland is … Tony but more ♥️and Danny and Lauren might break your heart. All this ticks over in the background of murder, mystery and ecological responsibility.
Add in personal responsibility, to friends , truth and justice .
Such a rewarding read.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have done exactly one birding experience, but I have to say that I loved it, liked the people who become passionate about it, and signed myself up for a Galapagos tour while I was there. So really caught the bug. So a murder mystery that is headed up by a birder held a certain appeal--this is the 7th in the series, and I will be reading them all. The mystery starts in Antarctica, and the DCI solves it from afar, with the help of videotaped interviews and assessment of the body. It is not overly clever and it is reasonably written.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the seventh book from the enjoyable birder murder mystery series. When a body is found in a bird hide, DS Danny Maik was investigating a string of arson attacks in Norfolk. At the same time, DCI Domenic Jejeune is concerned with an unexplained death at an Antarctic Research Base. It seems the two deaths are linked, as both Domenic & Danny try to unravel a twisted web of leads involving Antarctic researchers, climate scientists and a wealthy philanthropist.
A gripping tale of greed, lies and deception.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good mystery with a nice integration of birding. As a birder myself I really enjoyed that aspect. The mystery was also well thought out. Since this is the first book I have read in this series and it is the most current, I am looking forward to reading those that preceded it. I need to fill in the relationships of the characters that I am missing by coming in late in the series. I would advise you to start at the beginning. I’ll be doing that soon.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read the entire series over the years but I struggled getting into this one because I couldn’t remember what had transpired with the characters in the previous books. More clues and comments from the author referencing the past would have been helpful. Otherwise, it was a good mystery with relevancy to current events.

[Julie H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all the Birder Murder books.
This one is probably the best. I enjoy Burrows language, plot, and humour. The setting is Norfolk, UK, and the detective is Canadian.
If I say more, I'll give the story away.
Highly recommended to all who enjoy murder mysteries — I gave it 5 stars!

[Vontel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book in this series. Although it can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the series from the beginning, since there is a recurring cast of characters who develop over time, and share a number of events & experiences. That richness is brought forward in each book.

[Barb.hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent fifth addition to this series with more than a touch of global climate change and plastic pollution included in this mystery. Can recommend but once again with the stipulation that the books be read in order.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complicated, opaque, and rather implausible.

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

SPOILER ALERT

So great to have a new installment of the series. DCI Domenic JeJeune has been suspended for 45 days from his last case. He is prohibited from working any of the cases. He is not happy but decides to help on the suspected murder of a scientist at an Antarctic station. He froze to death, clutching the fuel line that had been cut, and his kit that would prove that he did not have an intrument that he could have used to cut it. The group was part of a study of climate change, and the temperature changes at the poles. It was funded by Julian Bellaire, a billionaire who is living near Domenic and Lindy's new home. He determines from information provided by Gayatri Monde, mother of Glover Boyd, husband of Tori, a director of the Bellaire Institute.

At the same time a friend of Domenic's has disappeared and there have been fires at a number of bird hides. His friend Arliss Dyer, blind but with extremely sharp hearing had overheard a man on a phone at one of the hides where he was sleeping. While not believed by all, he puts a line in the voicemail he leaves that he knows Domenic will understand. He can recognize the voice if he hears it again. So the person not wanting to be identified lures Arliss to a hide and provides a bottle of whiskey, before she sets the hide on fire.

Meanwhile Gaya sends texts to Domenic, and he determines that Alex Kasabian was murdered, he figures out that Gaya was the only one who could done it. She is on her way back to the Institute, on the ship, Oceanite, meaning "Storm Petrel", which takes a circuitous route so that the deteriorating plastic buoys that hold the monitoring equipment can be picked up and replaced. The Institute has been altering the temp reading. The deteriorating plastic smells just like the odor that is released when animals are consuming other animals. So the buoys attract the millions of storm petrels and when they collect at the buoys, it raises the temperatures registered on the equipment. The buoys that are being held at the Institute are going to be destroyed by Tori Boyd. They still have the original unaltered information. She had set up the hide fires to confuse the case when the hide at the Institute that holds the computers with the altered information also burned. She is going to be stopped by Lauren Salter, who is targeted by Tori, who puts Lauren on the buoys, which she intends to send a large charge to, killing Lauren.

Domenic rushes to the rescue. As DCS Colleen Shepherd tries to stop Domenic from interfering thus jeopardizing his job. He had been working legitimately on the murder in the Antarctic, as no country owns the land thus no country will intervene in the investigation. The murder will also not be prosecuted. Gaya commits suicide by letting the sea, in a severe storm, take her over the side. She had warned Domenic of her intention and guilt by referring to several lines from a poem by William Carlos Williams: "These". It is a desolate poem. She was committed to the Institute project, though she liked Alex and regretted needing to kill him.

Part of the story surrounds the relationship that has developed between Lauren and Danny Maik.
When it is clear to DCS Shepherd that it is putting them at risk, she realizes that one of them will have to transfer. Danny nearly dies when he goes after Lauren and is in the sea near when Tori sets off the electrical charge. There is, as usual, much information shared about petrels, climate change and the effect it has on the wildlife of the poles and the world. I love this series and the characters.

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been quite sometime since I have read a Birder mystery with DCI Domenic JeJeune. His last book A Dance of Cranes was published in 2019.
It has been a long wait for this book, and it was worth the wait. This book, I think, is the best so far in the series.
The first chapter in my opinion is the best first chapter I have read in any murder mystery series. OMG, It was describing a man facing his own death. He knew he was going to die but he did not know who killed him. I thought this chapter was quite powerfully written and it made me want to continue reading to discover why and who had killed him.
We leave that first chapter to meet up with DCI JeJeune and his partner Lindy. They have moved to a new home in Saltmarsh because of things that happened in the last book. JeJeune is also under suspension which is going to make life difficult for him in terms of investigating certain crimes but you just know JeJeune is not going to let that stop him. Lindy is recovering from her harrowing experience with Ray Hayes from the last book and seems to be making a good recovery.
DS Danny Maik and DS Lauern Salter are in a relationship, I seem to have forgotten that little detail from the last book but made perfect sense to me. Constable Holland has returned from a secondment at the Met in London and is as full of himself as usual.
Superintendent Colleen Sheppard is still in charge and trying to keep JeJeune under control.
In this story there are two murders that take place in two different parts of the world. JeJeune and the other team members leave no stone unturned in solving the crimes and it all makes perfect sense.
This book was full of so many details about birds and Petrels in particular. I like that Petrels were a key to the solving of the murder mystery. Why have a birder mystery series if you are not going to make good use of said birds.
I enjoy reading these books because I learn so much. In this book I also learned about life in Antarctica, climate research, and the afore mentioned petrels and the impact of plastic on the bird population.
After reading about this problem with all the plastic in the ocean and it is not new information, I am going to redouble my efforts to reduce my use of plastic and make sure that I dispose of any plastic I do use in the best recommended manner.
I hope that Steve Burrows keeps writing about JeJeune and teaching us about various birds.

[Christina McLain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am of two minds about this series. Like many readers, I find it to be superbly written. This author obviously came of age or went to school when it was as important to be literate as personally expressive. However, I find the plots are too covoluted or long-drawn out for me. Though the first chapter of this book is stellar--we actually see how a victim dying a slow, brutal death feels--I wonder perhaps if this novel would have been stronger if it had had only one setting, in the cold but fascinating Antarctic, instead of shifting back and forth to a rather dull, insular town in Norfolk, England. And maybe, the town isn't intended to be dull at all, but it reads that way to me.
Also, I do not really find the characters to be that compelling either. From book to book, I can never remember who they are and what relationship they have to each other. And I find I just don't care much about them, either.
Domenic Jejeune, the main character--never was a character so mis-named-- is so ponderous and saintly, he seems like a wax statue melting in my imagination, and the others at his police station are almost caricatures with soap opera-ish interactions. As for birds, well I am no nature lover, but that's okay, there are plenty of readers who find ornithology interesting, I get it. But the plots are a bit creaky and I just am not that interested in the inhabitants of this series. Which is sad, because in many ways, the series is superior to the usual gritty and depressing police procedurals out there.

[Heidi S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to re-read this book in the Birder Murder Mystery series featuring DCI Domenic Jejeune, so I was ready to read the next two in the series! It’s one of the least exciting in the series so far, which is probably why I put the books aside for two years! I do like feeding birds in my back yard, but I am by no means a “birder”!! These books are written by a serious birder & feature a detective who is a serious birder. For those reasons the mysteries always revolve around and feature one type of bird for which the book gets named! I find them interesting and I enjoy the main characters!

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book i read in this series and by this author. It won't surely be the last as it was a great read: gripping, well plotted, and entertaining.
Great characters, a solid mystery, good storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Frances J. Holm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Burrows is a master at surprise twists and turns! He had me in tears at one point. I do love his stories. As a birder myself, I love the birding information. It is a real plus along with the great storytelling!

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! This series is great and I love following along with Detective Chief Inspector Jejeune.

This book grabs your shirt-front from the start with the very first chapter and a murdered man narrating his own murder. How? Read it and find out!

[Jill Rebryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gets two stars because it is engaging, and the story is well told. If I were able to leave my feelings out, it might be four stars. But for Danny Maik, I can't change this rating. Because for me, Danny was everything.

[Katrin V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Burrows' best. Heavy on climate change with a few fascinating details and some highly complex stuff that went above me, but probably would appeal to both serious birders and climatologists. Glad he came down on the side of truth is always better than fudging things.