The Case of the Hook-Billed Kites

Sarah Deane Mystery #1

by J.S. Borthwick

Sarah Deane takes a break from graduate school to join her boyfriend, Philip, on a birdwatching expedition, but when Philip ends up strangled by his binocular straps, Sarah teams up with Dr. Alex McKenzie for a crash course in detecting. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 1982

About the author

J. S. Borthwick is the pseudonym of Jean Scott Creighton. She lives on the Maine coast. She is the creator of 'Sarah Deane', a professor of English and amateur sleuth.

Series:
* Sarah Deane Mystery

Reviews

[❂ Murder by Death]

The first in the Sarah Deene and Alex McKenzie series, this is not only the first mystery but the story of how to two got to know each other better. One of the better written cozies and much closer to the traditional style of mystery writing, before everyone got their knickers in a knot over silly things like language.

Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/103329...

[Sam]

This is a delightfully quaint and cozy mystery set in a Texan wildlife refuge and packed with eccentric and socially awkward birders with a couple of criminal lepidopterists thrown in for good measure (but of course). This isn't an action packed thriller by any means but the slower steady pace was a delight to read as Borthwick focuses on the different characters and uses them to drive the story forward, something that is often missing from crime thrillers. I even loved all the extroneous bird details, including latin names and species descriptions, it added to the eccentricities of the characters as they managed to delve deep into their geekdoms even in the face of cold blooded murder (I hope I can be that cool if I'm ever in a similar situation).

[Denise]

I loved the birding references as that is a hobby of mine. Also, the south Texas setting was great…it is quite a well known birding hotspot. (I have been there.)
But the writing is not too compelling and definitely dated.
Body shaming, other comments that are not acceptable in 2021.

[Antoinette]

Set in a fictional Texas wildlife Refuge along the Rio Grande, birdwatchers from across the country converge to look for birds to add to their life lists. A graduate student from Boston, a physician, and a detective who hates birds, come together to investigate the murder of a bird watcher who was a friend of the doctor, and boyfriend of the young grad student. Interesting, multiple plots lines, plenty of red herrings. Published in 1982 it has a bit of a retro feel from the days before cell phones.

[Eugene]

My, my. Another winner, even if it’s the first of the Sarah Deane mysteries. Having seen these on the shelves at the used book shops for some time but not having picked one up, I recently decided to try one to see if I could add another enjoyable series to my rota of good reading. Happily, I totally enjoyed The Down East Murders (2nd in the series) and have now followed it up with this very excellent debut mystery. Eleven more to look forward to - woo hoo!

[Heather]

3.5 stars

It's somewhat dated, and there were way too many characters, but otherwise a decent cozy mystery that [thankfully] didn't slide into cutesy. That's the problem with a lot of contemporary cozies - I think I need to stick with older cozies (from the latter part of the 20th century) if I want to avoid it.

[Carol Mello]

Sarah and Alex meet. Alex likes Sarah but Sarah is not crazy about Alex who is an avid bird watcher. Good literate mystery. Lots of information about birds, binoculars, cameras for recording bird sightings, and the area where the story takes place.

[Vjera]

Cheesy descriptions (the square woman with the square face, the girl that looked like a basketball in shorts) and too many characters, but I enjoyed it more toward the end, when it was more action and less description. Some language and crude talk.

[Bethany]

Really liked this! The birding aspect was a well done theme and the mystery was compelling. The writing is quick and engaging. The characters are sympathetic and I can’t wait to read more books with the leads.

[Linda]

Read this in preparation for a birding trip that didn't happen (thanks Southwest). Clunky writing, with cringeworthy fat-shaming description. I liked the birds...

[Fredrick Danysh]

Bird watchers gravital to a refuge in South Texas along the Rio Grande. Included in the mix are a couple taking illegal specimens of butterflies and a doctor investigating an unapproved cancer drug being smuggled into the US. Two murders occur and their solution hinges on sightings of two rare hook-billed kites.

[Rae]

I only read The Case of the Hook-Billed Kites which is a hilarious mystery that revolves around birdwatching behavior.

[Ellen]

Sarah Deane #1

[Elizabeth]

The story was interesting but the cast of characters was too extensive to keep straight.

[Linda]

Some what slow reading and had way too many birds for my taste. I did like the characters and am interested to see what happens to them in the next book.

[ChrisGA]

I loved the whole series.

[Homerun2]

3.5 stars

Promising series debut, appealing characters.

[Khanson919]

Really slow and never picked up it's pace. Even the ending was dull.

[Charles]

The cover on the paperback is a black and gray graphic. One of my favorite covers.

[Dee]

Murderous birdwatchers.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: graduate student Sarah Deane is bird-watching in Texas when her boyfriend is murdered.