A Shimmer of Hummingbirds by Steve Burrows - Revision history

Sue at 11:08, 6 January 2024

2024-01-06T11:08:25Z

Sue at 13:22, 16 August 2020

2020-08-16T13:22:01Z

Sue at 09:41, 11 March 2018

2018-03-11T09:41:25Z

Sue at 13:54, 3 February 2018

2018-02-03T13:54:19Z

Sue at 12:54, 3 February 2018

2018-02-03T12:54:55Z

Sue at 12:54, 3 February 2018

2018-02-03T12:54:30Z

Sue at 12:53, 3 February 2018

2018-02-03T12:53:01Z

Sue: Created page with "{{infobox |title=A Shimmer of Hummingbirds |sort=Shimmer of Hummingbirds |author=Steve Burrows |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Crime |summary=The fourth book in the DCI Domenic Jej..."

2018-01-26T09:58:22Z

Created page with "{{infobox |title=A Shimmer of Hummingbirds |sort=Shimmer of Hummingbirds |author=Steve Burrows |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Crime |summary=The fourth book in the DCI Domenic Jej..."

New review

{{infobox
|title=A Shimmer of Hummingbirds
|sort=Shimmer of Hummingbirds
|author=Steve Burrows
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Crime
|summary=The fourth book in the DCI Domenic Jejeune series reads well as a stand alone - but bewaare - you're probably going to want to go back and read the first three books. Birders will love it, but even if you don;t know a sparrow from a sparrowhawk it's still a good police procedural.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=384
|publisher=Point Blank
|date=April 2018
|isbn=978-1786072337
|website=http://www.abirdermurder.com/
|video=
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1786072335</amazonuk>
}}

Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is on a birding trip to Colombia: well it's ''ostensibly'' a birding trip, but the reality is that he's trying to establish what really happened in the manslaughter case which has left his brother a fugitive. It's a difficult situation as the police force don't want him to do this and the Colombian authorities are understandably reluctant, but Jejeune has always been a law unto himself. Meanwhile in Saltmarsh on the North Norfolk coast there's been a brutal murder of a woman, and DI Marvin Laraby, Jejeune's nemesis, has been drafted in to replace Jejeune during his absence. How's that going to work out?

I wouldn't describe myself as a birder, but I love to watch them and second to the area where I live, the north Norfolk coast is my favourite place, so this book was going to demand to be read. There was only one problem: this is the fourth book in the 'Birder Murder' series and I haven't read the first three. I'm always reluctant to join a series well down the line, as it can be a disappointing read and that's not fair on the author. A sleepless night and nothing else to read settled the dilemma - and I have to say that it worked out well.

The birds are not your average garden birds - you're going to meet some once-in-a-lifetime representatives in Colombia along with some that are native to north Norfolk. If you're a birder - or, like me, an interested watcher - they're birds to drool over. ''A Shimmer of Hummingbirds'' could have been a birder's book with a police procedural loosely stitched on, but Steve Burrows treads a fine line: there's enough of birding here to keep the enthusiast reading avidly, but it's an accomplished mystery which carries the book.

The characters are good too: Jejeune's Canadian by birth and a deep thinker. He reasons where others dash in without a thought. Sometimes you wish that he could be a little more, well, ''accommodating'', a little less ''principled'', but then he wouldn't be Jejeune. Even his journalist girlfriend, Lindy, understands that. Marvin Laraby's a complex character. He's come from the Met and there's history between him and Laraby: Laraby even suggests that Jejeune was the cause of his divorce. He fits in well at Saltmarsh too: there are those who would admit that the atmosphere around the station is better when Laraby's there. Perhaps Jejeune should worry about keeping his job?

So - the book read well as a standalone. You get hints of what has gone on in the past but there's nothing there that you think is an obvious spoiler. The main problem that I could see is that you're really going to be tempted to go back and read the three earlier books in the series. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

For more crime from Norfolk we can recommend [[Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries in Chronological Order|Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries]].

{{amazontext|amazon=1786072335}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=1786072335}}

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 |date=April 2018
 |isbn=978-1786072337
 |cover=Burrows_Hummingbirds
 |aznuk=1786072335
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 For more crime from Norfolk, we can recommend [[Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries in Chronological Order|Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries]].  For something a little different, you might like to try [[Broadlands (DI Tanner Book 1) by David Blake]].
 {{amazontext|amazon=1786072335}}

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 }}
-[[image:Burrows_Hummingbirds|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1786072335?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1786072335]]
+[[image:Burrows_Hummingbirds.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1786072335?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1786072335]]
 Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is on a birding trip to Colombia: well it's ''ostensibly'' a birding trip, but the reality is that he's trying to establish what really happened in the manslaughter case which has left his brother a fugitive.  It's a difficult situation as the police force don't want him to do this and the Colombian authorities are understandably reluctant, but Jejeune has always been a law unto himself.  Meanwhile in Saltmarsh on the North Norfolk coast there's been a brutal murder of a woman, and DI Marvin Laraby, Jejeune's nemesis, has been drafted in to replace Jejeune during his absence.  How's that going to work out?

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 }}
-[[image:Burrows_Hummingbird|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1786072335?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1786072335]]
+[[image:Burrows_Hummingbirds|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1786072335?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1786072335]]
 Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is on a birding trip to Colombia: well it's ''ostensibly'' a birding trip, but the reality is that he's trying to establish what really happened in the manslaughter case which has left his brother a fugitive.  It's a difficult situation as the police force don't want him to do this and the Colombian authorities are understandably reluctant, but Jejeune has always been a law unto himself.  Meanwhile in Saltmarsh on the North Norfolk coast there's been a brutal murder of a woman, and DI Marvin Laraby, Jejeune's nemesis, has been drafted in to replace Jejeune during his absence.  How's that going to work out?

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:53, 3 February 2018
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		+	[[image:Burrows_Hummingbird\|left\|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1786072335?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1786072335]]
	Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is on a birding trip to Colombia: well it's ''ostensibly'' a birding trip, but the reality is that he's trying to establish what really happened in the manslaughter case which has left his brother a fugitive. It's a difficult situation as the police force don't want him to do this and the Colombian authorities are understandably reluctant, but Jejeune has always been a law unto himself. Meanwhile in Saltmarsh on the North Norfolk coast there's been a brutal murder of a woman, and DI Marvin Laraby, Jejeune's nemesis, has been drafted in to replace Jejeune during his absence. How's that going to work out?		Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is on a birding trip to Colombia: well it's ''ostensibly'' a birding trip, but the reality is that he's trying to establish what really happened in the manslaughter case which has left his brother a fugitive. It's a difficult situation as the police force don't want him to do this and the Colombian authorities are understandably reluctant, but Jejeune has always been a law unto himself. Meanwhile in Saltmarsh on the North Norfolk coast there's been a brutal murder of a woman, and DI Marvin Laraby, Jejeune's nemesis, has been drafted in to replace Jejeune during his absence. How's that going to work out?

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |reviewer=Sue Magee
 |genre=Crime
-|summary=The fourth book in the DCI Domenic Jejeune series reads well as a stand alone - but bewaare - you're probably going to want to go back and read the first three books.  Birders will love it, but even if you don't know a sparrow from a sparrowhawk it's still a good police procedural.
+|summary=The fourth book in the DCI Domenic Jejeune series reads well as a stand-alone - but beware - you're probably going to want to go back and read the first three books.  Birders will love it, but even if you don't know a sparrow from a sparrowhawk it's still a good police procedural.
 |rating=4
 |buy=Yes
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 }}
-Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is on a birding trip to Colombia: well it's ''ostensibly'' a birding trip, but the reality is that he's trying to establish what really happened in the manslaughter case which has left his brother a fugitive.  It's a difficult situation as the police force don't want him to do this and the Colombian authorities are understandably reluctant, but Jejeune has always been a law unto himself.  Meanwhile in Saltmarsh on the North Norfolk coast there's been a brutal murder of a woman, and DI Marvin Laraby, Jejeune's nemesis, has been drafted in to replace Jejeune during his absence.  How's that going to work out?
+Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is on a birding trip to Colombia: well it's ''ostensibly'' a birding trip, but the reality is that he's trying to establish what really happened in the manslaughter case which has left his brother a fugitive.  It's a difficult situation as the police force don't want him to do this and the Colombian authorities are understandably reluctant, but Jejeune has always been a law unto himself.  Meanwhile, in Saltmarsh on the North Norfolk coast there's been a brutal murder of a woman, and DI Marvin Laraby, Jejeune's nemesis, has been drafted in to replace Jejeune during his absence.  How's that going to work out?
 I wouldn't describe myself as a birder, but I love to watch them and second to the area where I live, the north Norfolk coast is my favourite place, so this book was going to demand to be read.  There was only one problem: this is the fourth book in the 'Birder Murder' series and I haven't read the first three.  I'm always reluctant to join a series well down the line, as it can be a disappointing read and that's not fair on the author.  A sleepless night and nothing else to read settled the dilemma - and I have to say that it worked out well.
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The birds are not your average garden birds - you're going to meet some once-in-a-lifetime representatives in Colombia along with some that are native to north Norfolk.  If you're a birder - or, like me, an interested watcher - they're birds to drool over.  ''A Shimmer of Hummingbirds'' could have been a birder's book with a police procedural loosely stitched on, but Steve Burrows treads a fine line: there's enough of birding here to keep the enthusiast reading avidly, but it's an accomplished mystery which carries the book.
-The characters are good too: Jejeune's Canadian by birth and a deep thinker.  He reasons where others dash in without a thought.  Sometimes you wish that he could be a little more, well, ''accommodating'', a little less ''principled'', but then he wouldn't be Jejeune.  Even his journalist girlfriend, Lindy, understands that.  Marvin Laraby's a complex character.  He's come from the Met and there's history between him and Laraby: Laraby even suggests that Jejeune was the cause of his divorce.  He fits in well at Saltmarsh too: there are those who would admit that the atmosphere around the station is better when Laraby's there.  Perhaps Jejeune should worry about keeping his job?
+The characters are good too: Jejeune's Canadian by birth and a deep thinker.  He reasons, where others dash in without a thought.  Sometimes you wish that he could be a little more, well, ''accommodating'', a little less ''principled'', but then he wouldn't be Jejeune.  Even his journalist girlfriend, Lindy, understands that.  Marvin Laraby's a complex character.  He's come from the Met and there's history between him and Laraby: Laraby even suggests that Jejeune was the cause of his divorce.  He fits in well at Saltmarsh too: there are those who would admit that the atmosphere around the station is better when Laraby's there.  Perhaps Jejeune should worry about keeping his job?
 So - the book read well as a standalone.  You get hints of what has gone on in the past but there's nothing there that you think is an obvious spoiler.  The main problem that I could see is that you're really going to be tempted to go back and read the three earlier books in the series.  I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
-For more crime from Norfolk we can recommend [[Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries in Chronological Order|Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries]].
+For more crime from Norfolk, we can recommend [[Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries in Chronological Order|Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries]].  For something a little different, you might like to try [[Broadlands (DI Tanner Book 1) by David Blake]].
 {{amazontext|amazon=1786072335}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=A Shimmer of Hummingbirds
 |sort=Shimmer of Hummingbirds
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 |isbn=978-1786072337
 |website=http://www.abirdermurder.com/
-|video=
+|cover=Burrows_Hummingbirds
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1786072335</amazonuk>
+|aznuk=1786072335
 }}
 Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is on a birding trip to Colombia: well it's ''ostensibly'' a birding trip, but the reality is that he's trying to establish what really happened in the manslaughter case which has left his brother a fugitive.  It's a difficult situation as the police force don't want him to do this and the Colombian authorities are understandably reluctant, but Jejeune has always been a law unto himself.  Meanwhile in Saltmarsh on the North Norfolk coast there's been a brutal murder of a woman, and DI Marvin Laraby, Jejeune's nemesis, has been drafted in to replace Jejeune during his absence.  How's that going to work out?