A Tiding of Magpies by Steve Burrows

A Tiding of Magpies by Steve Burrows
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Point Blank

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

When his most celebrated case is suddenly reopened, Detective Chief Inspector Jejeune‘s long-buried secrets threaten to come to light. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Lindy, faces an unseen threat of her own, one from which even Jejeune may not be able to protect her. Between fending off inquiries from the internal review and an open murder case that brings more questions than answers, Jejeune will have to rely on the help of the stalwart Sergeant Danny Maik more than ever. But Maik is learning things that cause him to question his DCI‘s actions, both past and present. In the current case, and in the former one, the facts seem clear enough. But it is in the silences, those empty spaces between the facts, that the truth is to be found.



My Review

Ooft Jejeune is under investigation from internal affairs, well his most high profile and celebrated case. Jejeune's girlfriend Lindy is under threat (and not aware) and Jejeune tries to protect her from an evil adversary who will stop at nothing. As well as all this we have a new case/death to be investigated, this is book five of a series, I would recommend reading them before this.

So I really like these books, they are different, murder mystery but also has birds mentioned, Jejeune is an avid bird watcher/lover and I do like learning about species and googling books that come up. There is talk of murdering birds in this one, like on a mass level, rewarded by the government (basically a threat to one species purity by another). I looked this up because I am nosey and it was an actual thing :(

I didn't find myself engaging as much with this one, the things you come to like about Jejeune isn't quite there in this one, to the point his colleagues notice his change too. Preoccupation with the threat to Lindy, his big case and a secret he has been keeping.

It is still an interesting story for sure but not my favourite of the series, I have another to read after this so hoping it gets back to what it was in the previous four books, 3/5 for me this time.

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A Siege Of Bitterns by Steve Burrows

A Siege of Bitterns: A Birder Murder Mystery by Steve Burrows
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days (on and off)

Pages - 352

Publisher - Oneworld Publishers

Blurb from Goodreads

Newly appointed police inspector Domenic Jejeune doesn’t mind ruffling a few feathers to flush out suspects in the brutal murder of a renowned ecological activist.


Inspector Domenic Jejeune’s success has made him a poster boy for the U.K. police service. The problem is Jejeune doesn’t really want to be a detective at all; he much prefers watching birds.


Recently reassigned to the small Norfolk town of Saltmarsh, located in the heart of Britain’s premier birding country, Jejeune’s two worlds collide when he investigates the grisly murder of a prominent ecological activist. His ambitious police superintendent foresees a blaze of welcome publicity, but she begins to have her doubts when Jejeune’s most promising theory involves a feud over birdwatching lists. A second murder only complicates matters.


To unravel this mystery, Jejeune must deal with unwelcome public acclaim, the mistrust of colleagues, and his own insecurities. In the case of the Saltmarsh birder murders, the victims may not be the only casualties.


My Review

First off, I need to say this is not a book I would normally be drawn to or pick up myself. I am so so glad RealReaders sent me a copy of this, otherwise I would have missed a great into to a new author (for me) and a new series. I loved birds as a child and enjoy viewing them as an adult but generally wouldn't pick up a book that features them so much.

Inspector Domenic Jejeune is relatively new to the small English town of Saltmarsh and finding his feet among the people. When an ecological activist is murdered, Jejeune needs to get to the bottom of it, but small towns have their secrets and not everyone wants to tell all to our officer. As the investigation progresses Jejeune gets to indulge in his love of birds and try and piece together possible motives and suspects for the murder.

I really enjoyed reading the bird aspect of the novel, so much so afterwards I read up a bit on the kind of activities of the spotters mentioned in the story. The murder itself was well written as was the show of how the inspectors mindset was focusing. One of the things I didn't like was how sometimes the characters would be called by their first name, other times by their surnames. I personally found this quite confusing at times and for the first while had to kept checking which character it was I was reading about.

I didn't see the twists coming which is always a good thing although I was a bit surprised at how quick it wrapped up and how it all played out. An impressive new way of going about crime, certainly for me. 3/5 for me this time, thanks so much to RealReaders for sending me a copy to review in exchange for an honest review. I hadn't read this author before but I certainly would read him again and more in this series.

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