A Siege of Bitterns: A Birder Murder Mystery

How could I pass on a book that's sub-titled a Birder Murder Mystery... As, 1) I love birds, and 2) the Audubon society recommended it, and 3) you can't beat a good mystery.This is D.I. Domenic Jejeune's first appearance for us. He's just been reassigned from London, to the small Norfolk town of Saltmarsh... His introduction is brief, as he is briskly sent off to investigate Saltmarsh's newest crime... a murder! He and D.S. Danny Maik have to make the best of the situation as they try to form a working relationship on-the-fly, whilst also working out who would kill a well known environmentalist... You're soon made aware that Domenic would rather be bird-watching than being the chief Detective Inspector investigating a murder. On top of that he's really not sure if he can trust his new team so while he has them doing seemingly trivial research he's holding all the cards...This is actually a wonderfully contemporary British murder mystery, taking on today's environmental issues, and the tensions that arise among the avid bird watchers, in a bleak, wind swept stretch of marsh, fronted by the ocean... Does the sun ever come out in a British murder mystery? Just to prove my point, here's one of my favorite quotes from the story:  “Domenic Jejeune drove without haste, beneath a sky the colour of sorrow.” David Thorpe's narration was spot on capturing the moods of this book and I look forward to hearing more books with him as narrator!

This unusual mystery is a good bet for readers who are interested in environmental issues and birding. I found the writing to be beautiful, insightful, and full of interesting facts about bird habitats, various birds, and of course the effects of human behaviors on the fragile balance of nature.This really is a very clever mystery. I recommend this book to a slow thoughtful reader. This is not the sort of mystery to plow through in one sitting. There is only one major action scene and one minor action scene. Really, it is the wisdom between the lines which makes this book a winner in my opinion. I look forward to eventually slowly meandering through the whole series.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was well written. I enjoyed the author's style of writing. I could picture his skies, clouds, landscapes through his choice of words. His knowledge of birds and birding was wonderful. He used current environmental issues. I loved how he developed his characters. I am looking forward to buying the second book in the series.

I enjoyed the mystery itself, the unusual character of the Inspector,the complexity of his relationship with his partner and,of course, the added interest of everything being linked to birding and the passion of the birders. The setting - the Norfolk Broads - gave the story some realism.The other officers who had to work under Jejeune's unusual leadership ( which they found frustrating) also were realistic characters.Credible,well-rounded characters participating in a credible plot with a satisfying resolution made this a good read. If there is any adverse criticism to make,it might be that the solving of the murder was drawn out somewhat but this did not detract from the story as a whole.I have read the author's other mystery novel A Pitying of Doves but cannot find another featuring Inspector Jejeune I hope he will write another soon .

This series was recommended by a friend and I have to say that I was disappointed in the first book. It was overly long, the story could have been told much more succinctly. My biggest problem is that there was very little information on the past of Jejuene and his partner Lindy. I felt that I had missed an earlier book. When you read a mystery book, your biggest question should be "Who done it?" not "Who the heck are these people?"

I found this book to be somewhat protracted. I didn't see any character development. I actually thought there was a book prior to this that I should have read. Steve Burrows enters new chapters assuming you knew what had just happened. I enjoyed the British tone, the reference to birding was fun, but seemed out of place at times. Having said this, I have ordered the next 2 books in the series by this author.

I found the characters resembling true-crime TV caricatures more than I’d hoped, and I’m not a fan of last minute scrambles to unveil the mystery. However, I enjoyed the depiction of Norfolk’s birding community, the artful writing, and—against my better judgment—the slightly unwilling, oddly paired team that the lead detective and his sergeant made.

I have now read all 5 books available in this series. I have recommended them to a wide variety of people. Not only is the writing itself wonderful, the level of sophistication of both the story and the bird knowledge is absolutely delightful.

I would have given this five stars, but for an unforgivable error of law. Trespass is NOT a criminal offence unless it includes something that IS criminal, like malicious damage or assault, abusive behaviour or mass trespass, or has been made a criminal offence by legislation, e.g. Trespass on the railway or on certain government property. Trespass is normally just a civil wrong, which does not involve the police. There's really no excuse for a detective fiction writer getting such an elementary principle of law wrong.

Good story well written , a must read for the bird watchers and amature detectives alike .

The writer has an encyclopaedic knowledge of birds but an ornithologists grasp of how to write a credible police procedural.

OK is perhaps kind. Characters not believable. Denoument not believable. Can't a Canadian author write so that his English characters speak British Engish?

A bit slow moving ,clumsy plot

A good read

A little muddling to follow the plot and long winded. But setting in north Norfolk good

Excellent

great

Good.

A good mystery with an unexpected ending! Author lives in Canada so there were some annoying Americanisms - gotten instead of got etc

Nice read. Prompt service

Spotted reference to book in RSPB magazine & bought on off chance. Glad I did as its an intriguing mystery

I bought this book because a friend thought I might enjoy the writer. She knows I read a lot of who dunnits. I admit that I was disappointed. For me it was one of those books where I found myself skipping the description sections. I found that I did not care who in fact did it. It was too long for me. I did not find myself invested and really caring for any one character. I do not like it when this happens. The location and the idea of the book was good but I did not find that it satisfied on any real level. Will I read another? I might give the author the benefit of the doubt and get another one from the library. I will not spend money on it this time. So sorry about the disappointment. For those that are interested in birds (the bitterns) the book has a lot of info in this area as the writer is interested in birding himself. That for many will be a plus.

“A siege of bitterns” is a British police procedural mystery set in the marshlands of Norfolk, England. The protagonist, Domenic Jejeune, is a reluctant police hero but an enthusiastic birdwatcher. A Canadian, he works as a Detective Chief Inspector in Norfolk, England. He and his journalist girlfriend Lindy, have recently moved to this area known for its natural beauty.“Professional success seemed a high price to pay if it robbed you of the appreciation of nature’s gifts.”Jejeune doesn’t care for his job and finds it particularly unfulfilling. He would much rather be out ‘birding’, than chasing down criminals. Just as he studies the minute movements of birds, so does he study humans. He is a people watcher, an expert in watching body language and catching the unguarded facial expression. For someone so young, he is keenly perspective and an astute judge of human nature who always has an eye out for behavioral inconsistencies.Jejeune’s second in command is Sergeant Danny Maik, a seasoned policeman, recently back from medical leave for heart problems. He is an ‘old school’ copper. Ex-military, and lacking in the university education of Domenic Jejeune. The rest of Jejeune’s team include the young womanizer, Tony Holland, and the astute, middle-aged, female constable, Salter.Jejeune seems an enigma to his team. His reputation has preceded him. They know he has had great success in his career despite his youth, but they don’t know what to make of his unconventional tactics. The team, and Maik in particular gradually build a grudging respect for this interloper in their midst. I loved reading of the growing relationship between Maik and Jejeune.“Indeed Sergeant. A lot of birders headed in the same direction in a hurry. That usually only means one thing”.“Anorak sale?”If Jejeune was amused, he forgot to tell his face.Jejeune and his team are called out to a murder. A local celebrity, television presenter, and ardent environmentalist has been found hanging from a tree near his cottage. Cameron Brae’s celebrity and that of his pop star second wife, will ensure that this case will be under the utmost public scrutiny.“As far as the public round here was concerned, opposing Cameron Brae was like kicking Bambi to death”.No book has every so subtly reminded me of the oh so fragile environmental balance. The author’s love of the natural world, and birding in particular, shines through his writing.“That’s the beautiful thing about birding, my dear, it’s so remarkable inexpensive. The greatest show on earth, sun up to sun down, all for the cost of a pair of binoculars”.The writing was beautiful. The author sure knows the value of a well formed turn of phrase. His love of words is evident throughout the novel, and his penchant for collective nouns is belied by the titles of his novels.“Domenic Jejeune drove without haste beneath a sky the colour of sorrow.”I must admit, I would never have picked up this book to read if I went solely by the cover (as those who know me KNOW I do). I think the cover is unattractive. The content of the book however belies the cover. This is a well-paced, well-plotted, police procedural mystery that should be enjoyed by all lovers of the genre.There are two more books in this series that are currently available, and a third that will be published this year. I have already purchased the second novel “A pitying of doves”.The third and fourth titles in the series are “A cast of falcons” and “A shimmer of hummingbirds“. All of these titles are prime examples of the author’s love of collective nouns.Highly recommended to all who love a good police procedural mystery.4.5 stars rounded up for Amazon