Junie Carmichael stars in a lively, cosy mystery series set in the coastal town of Thistleberry Point. As a bookstore manager, she has made a lot of friends. The town has invited birdwatchers to visit for a festival celebrating the local bird sanctuary. This sparks MURDER WITH A SIDE OF SEAGULL.
I need to say at the outset that we see far fewer wild birds than I expected. Most scenes are set in the bookshop or streets, and the main bird in the picture is a cheeky African Grey parrot. This can be explained by Junie getting extra store trade and needing to have conversations with lots of people. The birdwatchers flock to her, instead.
Tragedy strikes with the body of a birdwatcher, Millicent Vale, found at the base of a cliff. This upsets everyone and threatens to ruin the festival. With her assistant Flo at The Next Chapter, and Edgar, her parrot, Junie starts asking around for any witnesses to the fall or anything suspicious. Some of the birders just want to feel important, like Mark Mercer, who claims to have spotted a rare Ivory Gull. Rina Dodd has made careful notations, but some organisers dismiss her efforts. And trendy young Trevor Holt tells Junie he was piloting a drone in the vicinity. He has to keep it quiet, as a lot of the senior members dislike drones around nesting birds.
The story slides into technological detail, for instance, about tracking bird movements via radio tags. As with any bird sanctuary, the Thistleberry Point area wants to know which birds arrive and leave at what seasons. The only bird nobody seems to keep tabs on is Edgar, which appears in all sorts of places and repeats snatches of conversations. He’s a smart bird who’ll do anything for sunflower seeds.
I enjoyed the storyline and how modern the field has become, with out-of-town experts and influences called upon to add to the impression of a bird sanctuary as valuable land in more ways than one. The contrast between standing in a store and getting healthy outdoor exercise is strong. Tracy Auten has previously written culinary mysteries and MURDER WITH A SIDE OF SEAGULL is the third in this Junie Carmichael Coastal Mystery series. I’m hoping for more nature fun and games next time.
Darcy Finnegan expected gingerbread and handcrafted toys at the famous Christkindlmarkt—not a murder. But when a powerful toy magnate is found crushed beneath the golden gears of a newly unveiled carousel, the festive glow turns ominous.
With panic spreading and a beloved toymaker blamed, Darcy can’t walk away.
Teaming up with her bestie, Lizzie, her clever Schnoodle Mozart, and Interpol Agent Marcus Evans, she follows a trail of cinnamon and sawdust threaded through a glowing market.
A business partner with everything to gain and an artisan with too much to lose make every stall a potential trap. But when Mozart uncovers an unexpected clue, Darcy knows one thing: behind the sugar-dusted treats, someone will kill to protect a very profitable lie. And when the snow finally settles, Darcy is blindsided by the one twist she never expected.
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