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I like the detective James most of the time, but there are a few instances where he really acts like a jerk, in the name of just doing his job. Their suspicions grow when they learn that Nell has been hiding a major part of her identity, and that she has a past link to the victim.
Murder of Crows: A Dunderdale Mystery A Christmas Murder of Crows: A Dunderdale Mystery
Some of the characters were particularly unlikeable, some were difficult to warm to but each of them drew me towards them like a moth to a flame as I followed DCI Jack Russell's race to catch the killer. Usually a story which ends with the villain not being caught would be unsatisfying, and yet it seemed much more realistic and believable. Plus, it also felt too long and too much like hard work, which a successful cosy cannot afford to be. With a credible and colourful cast of characters, a compelling plot and a solid narrative this is a wholly immersive one sit read.
The second thing I found, if not confusing perhaps a little passé, was that Nell has a secret identity.
A Murder of Crows - Goodreads
There is so much drama and ridiculous convoluted *unnecessary* sighing and angst which could be resolved with a one sentence explanation that I had to just power through. I know that this is planned to be the first in a series of books featuring Dr Nell Ward, with the next one, "A Cast of Falcons" being due out at the end of 2022, but I am not convinced that the protagonists or the format are strong enough to draw me back. Elsewhere, the dogged protagonist – DC Jack Russell – is a character you like to spend time with, while there are others – his colleagues – who are irritating in an entirely convincing way. And a leash of hawks was modeled on the name for a group of hunting greyhounds, another animal favored by the gentry.So hawks came in casts, for two kept in a nobleman's hawking tower, or leashes, for three kept in a tower. I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Mike’s review of A Murder of Crows - Goodreads
The book is full of science trivia so if you don't like that then A Murder of Crows will not be for you. The threads of the story are all pulled together well at the end and the final twist was entirely unexpected. The main protagonist is a conservation ecologist and it's a profession which she shares with the author. A Murder of Crows is an excellent debut novel from Ian Skewis and I look forward to seeing where he takes us next.She also has a crush on the investigating officer (aaaargh bad times) and on her partner in crime, Adam, who is the other ecologist doing the bat survey. I really didn't enjoy the format of the novel as it's extremely choppy and some of it irrelevant to the main thrust of the plot.
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