A Pitying of Doves: A Birder Murder Mystery

By Steve Burrows

With murder, everyone pays a price ...

Why would a killer ignore expensive jewellery and take a pair of turtledoves as the only bounty?

This is only one of the questions that piques Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune’s interest after a senior attaché with the Mexican Consulate is found murdered alongside the director of a local bird sanctuary. The fact that the director’s death has opened up a full-time research position studying birds hasn’t eluded Jejeune either. Could this be the escape from policing that the celebrated detective has been seeking? Even if it is, Jejeune knows he owes it to the victims to solve the case first. But a trail that weaves from embittered aviary owners to suspicious bird sculptors only seems to be leading him farther from the truth. Meanwhile, Jejeune is discovering that diplomatic co-operation and diplomatic pressure go hand in hand.

With two careers hanging in the balance, the stakes have never been higher for Inspector Jejeune. And this time, even bringing a killer to justice may not provide the closure he’s looking for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: May 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781459731080

Steve Burrows

Steve Burrows has pursued his birdwatching hobby on six continents. He is a former editor of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society magazine and a contributing field editor for Asian Geographic. Steve now lives with his wife, Resa, in Oshawa, Ontario.

Reviews for A Pitying of Doves

[lesleystyles-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Birder Murder Mystery and I quite enjoyed it! I wouldn't say it blew me away but it was an easy read with a few neat twists and turns. The characters were fairly well rounded and even though this was the second book in the series it didn't seem to matter that I hadn't read the first. There was a good smattering of birding information for those who are interested but not enough to irritate any readers who are not!I did have an issue with the author using the word 'gotten' several times (a very personal annoyance that one!) even though the book was primarily set in England, while bizarrely the other thing that really irritated me was the continual affirmation that the scene was set in North Norfolk! Perhaps I'm being hyper critical but little niggles like that do tend to put a damper on the overall enjoyment of an otherwise good read.

[ldvoorberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A bit difficult to get into this one, but it did seem to have more birding than the previous one (or that could just be my memory). The writing is a stilted style, flowing than jolting across details or character perspective to make me re-read to fully catch what happened. At least chapters are used as chapters should: to indicate breaks in time and/or place. I doubt this book would work well in audio form. My other observation: the narrator relied heavily on the girlfriend's perspective on this book, almost a crutch of narration I wonder.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in the Birder Murder Mystery series and it gives us a little more insight into the main character, CI Domenic Jejune. Still lots of questions though so I guess I will have to keep reading the series.Domenic Jejeune is Canadian and a birder who is now living on the Norfolk coast of England and working as an inspector for the Norwich police force. He lives with journalist Lindy Hey who is not a birder but respects his passion for the subject. When a double murder takes place in a bird sanctuary all the police crew figure Jejeune will be happy to work on the case instead of wishing he was birding. One of the people killed, Phoebe Hunter, managed the shelter while also doing her Master's thesis on Turtledoves. The other person was a diplomat from the Mexican Embassy with no known ties to birding or Phoebe. So Jejeune has to solve this crime while negotiating the rocky shoals of international politics. When it is discovered that two rare birds, Socorro Doves, are missing from the sanctuary it becomes clear that Jejeune's avocation and his job will mesh. When it appears the murderer has been found Jejeune and Hey take a much-needed vacation in St. Lucia where Jejeune's past catches up to him. Something he learns in St. Lucia gives him a clue about the British crime and a tense oceanic flight is undertaken. Interesting tale but I am not as interested in doves as a species as I was in the first book about bitterns.

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the first half of this novel much better than the first book in the series: things happened, actual detecting went on, people were interviewed, it was actually quite fast-moving. But... then it sort of fizzled out. Weeks went by. Jejune eventually went on holiday. Jejeune was his usual uncommunicative self; I cannot stress too often what a nightmare he would be to work for. And then there is his bizarre relationship with Lindy, which I find utterly unconvincing - they seem to have no idea who the other really is and don't particularly like or relax around one another. The solution to the plot was left slightly unknown, but the motivations were in any case a lot of a stretch. I was distracted by the mystery of what exactly Jejeune's brother had done to make him so notorious across an entire continent.

[picathartes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Pitying of Doves is another fine bit of wordsmithing; so far these birder murder mysteries are a joy to read.About the only issue I have is that every single other character in the book is at odds with Domenic Jejune; his girlfriend, his boss, his bosses boss, all his coworkers, all the politicians, everyone. When Jejune is playing offense we have his entire team playing defense against him, and vise verse defense to offense. We had to go through the motions to the point where everyone else has to come around. Can't he have someone in his corner, someone take his side from the beginning all the way through to the end? Please?"For God's sake, Dom, it's a holiday, to a beautiful Caribbean island... but just so you know, we are going to do more than just chase birds. I want us to have a proper holiday, a break from everything. Clear?""But it would be a birding trip. Like this drive she had suggested, designed to remind Dom of the wonders the world's other birding hotspots could offer, and show him how Burkina Faso might pale in comparison."Oh Poor Lindy, so caught up in her self-belief in her intelligence and female intuition she will never understand the truth about Domenic and his birds. What she can never understand is that not everyone seeks an escape from their life and their empty hours. Some people seek out the free time; time to be cherished, not feared. Some people actually embraced quietude, and then fill those times of peace doing the things one loves the most. Of course, most people cannot stand empty time, solitude. Look at how people have embraced mobile phones in an attempt to fill their empty lives; thank god for cell phones, now humans have something to occupy their attention while doing boring stuff like piloting automobiles!Lindy, Lindy, Lindy, you need to learn to love Domenic as he truly is. He is one of an extremely rare breed who can find his own nature and happiness without having to find others to fill it for him. Not everyone has bought into the belief that sitting 8-1/2 hours locked in a airplane automatically transports you to paradise where you will spend A WHOLE WEEK sitting on a beach drinking over-priced, fruity cocktails. Oh, the luxury! For some, there has to be a real reward. And no, that doesn't even come close, that sounds like pure terror.I don't know if anyone will ever reach the crime fighting Good Gals and Guys versus Bad People pinnacle of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, but a couple of writers are getting close. Another personal favorite is Jussi Adler-Olsen's Carl Mørck, Asaad, Rose, and Gordon (not necessarily in that order) of Department Q. After reading this book, I am beginning to think that Steve Burrows' Domenic Jejune and Danny Maik may be getting close to that select company.

[shizz_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Pitying of Doves - Steve BurrowsApparently 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.

[mexico24 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was asked to review this book by Real Readers and what a treat as I had previously been asked to review the authors debut novel – a Siege of Bitterns by Real Readers.This is Birder novel 2.For readers who have not come across this author, this is murder on a different slant – this is a story set around bird watching and in an interesting setting in Norfolk. The author has an interesting background pursing bird watching on five continents and editor of bird watching journals.Inspector Domenic Jejeune returns still not mad keen on policing as he would rather be bird watching. Another murder a senior attaché of the Mexican Consulate is found murdered alongside the director of a local bird sanctuary. (Thus a another dilemma for Jejeune as this means that with the directors death there is a position now for a research position studying birds) His moral duty is to solve the crime and solve it he will.A great read by this new up and coming author whose love of bird watching is infectious to the reader. His style of writing is good. The descriptions of the Norfolk coast are absolutely stunning. The author cleverly uses a few twists and turns and as there is a third book on the horizon so there is room for the characters to develop further. A thoroughly recommended read.