A Dance of Cranes

Birder Murder Mystery #6

by Steve Burrows

A trail of murder leads Domenic Jejeune across a vast continent.



Newly estranged from his girlfriend, Inspector Domenic Jejeune returns to Canada, where he soon receives news that his brother has gone missing in Wood Buffalo National Park while conducting field research on Whooping Cranes. Jejeune immediately heads out West to try to find him.



Meanwhile, back in the U.K., Jejeune’s plan to protect his ex-girlfriend from a dangerous adversary has failed, and she has also gone missing. In Jejeune’s absence, it falls to his trusty sergeant, Danny Maik, to track her down. But there is far more to the situation than either of them anticipated. And time is running out for all of them.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Canada, Birds, British Literature, Nature, Animals

392 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2019

About the author

Steve Burrows has pursued his birdwatching hobby on five continents, while researching articles on a wide range of environmental issues. He has a degree in English from York University and is a past editor of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society Magazine. After travelling the world together, Steve and his family now live in Oshawa, Ontario.

Reviews

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this book was a treat--I had a volunteer job long ago where I exercised Whooping Crane chicks, which were subsequently released to the wild in Florida. I spent many hours doing what I came to call my walking meditation, wearing a baggy white costume which covered my head and interacting with the chicks using a hand puppet. Left to their own devices, the chicks would linger by the food bowl and grow so fast that their long toes would curl. My job was to convince them to go walking with me, wearing off some calories and keeping their limbs and toes nice & straight. It could often be hot, boring work, but I considered it my personal National Geographic moment and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

I have also visited Wood Buffalo National Park, where Domenic Jejune ends up in this installment of the birder murder mysteries. My time was spent merely on the safe periphery, rather than out in the muskeg, where Jejune seeks his brother, but it is a large, lonely land and the bugs are out of this world! Between mosquitoes and black flies, my friend and I came to regret that we were camping!

I enjoyed the book very much, despite the pattern that seems to be developing of Inspector Jejune nearly dying in each story. His investigations take him into wilderness and the associated risks of those locations can support this plot device to some extent, but I hope there aren’t any near-death experiences in the next book.

That is, I’m assuming there will be a next book, as Mr. Burrows seems to have left us with enough unanswered questions about the general story arc to require another volume!

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded down for ending issues

I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA LIBRARYTHING. THANK YOU.

My Review: The sixth book in an ongoing series, this entry has two things I enjoy...Canadian setting, birding events...and two things I really don't...family dynamics that are absurd and coercive, woman-in-jeopardy driving the plot.

Domenic's brother Damien is TSTL and has needed rescuing a LOT in the series. This time he simply does not take reasonable precautions! He does careless things a lot and Domenic always scrapes up the mess. Why? No excuse works for this long for this reader.

Lindy, who is notionally Domenic's ex at this point, gets kidnapped, and that is of course a huge deal...but she's back in the UK not in Canada so Domenic isn't involved in the search...but of course is upset by it. This is called "fridging" in the comics genre, and it makes me nutso.

This explains my under-four-star rating, and honestly the wide-open place the book stops felt like a cheat not an ending, so permaybehaps I won't be on to book seven.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve really enjoyed this series, but have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with this one. I really like the main character, Domenic Jejeune, and his (former) partner Lindy. I like the members of the police force. I really dislike Domenic’s brother Damien - he finally gets out of a bad situation that lasted for several books, and promptly gets himself into another one and needs rescuing by Domenic (again!!). Then he basically refuses to disclose what happened. Ugh. Go away Damien.

As an aside, who goes into the Canadian wilderness without at least a tent, a small camp stove, and a plan for purifying water (even by boiling). Also, presumably Damien and his companion would have taken enough supplies, with contingencies??

There were several distinct plot lines; the murder mystery being solved by the newly qualified Sergeant Salter stands alone and gets a bit lost in the shuffle. Lindy is under threat by a former arrest of Domenic’s. With few exceptions, I don’t really enjoy an overarching “bad guy” storyline that spans multiple books. This was finally resolved by the end of the novel. However, I just don’t know how the series can recover from the ending of this book. I’m hopeful it will continue but everything will be very different.

[writer... · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently ensconced in the familiarity of DCI Domenic Jejeune's intuitive responses to his brother Damien being beyond contact in the isolated Northern Canadian wilds ...
Whilst in UK , Sgt Danny Maik realizes a major faux pas re-guarding his charge, Lindy...
And in the US, a car delivery is about to be abandoned...
The heat is on and rising .



On its way to my library reserved shelf...
Can.Not.Wait!
I just maaaay be Celebrating Canada Day reading this one !!😉

The 13th Annual Canadian Book Challenge begins Today! #CanBookChallenge 13 🍁
Jump in ! The Reading's Excellent 😊

[John Geary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. It could be easily argued that Book #6 in this series is the best yet. It's incredibly complex, weaving together four different story lines that eventually converge.
The writing is top-notch, the author manages to keep the reader on a real roller coaster, even at the very end. It takes a real art to do that. And many enigmas still remain after the dust had settled.
So why just a "3-star" rating?
Well...
As I've mentioned before in some of my reviews, I'm a paddler. I've been canoeing since 1964, and I continue to paddle.
There are several paddling sequences in the book that are inconsistent and as far as I'm concerned, contain erroneous terminology and descriptions.
In all my years of paddling, I've never come across "oarlocks" for a canoe paddle; yet in one scene, Jejeune "drew up his paddle and laid it across the oarlocks." Then he "began paddling again." It's possible he could be rowing the canoe with a pair of oars which would require oarlocks - but you can't do both. And paddle is singular in the line of the book. He is only using one. Later on in the story, the paddles are called "oars." They're NOT the same thing - those words are NOT interchangeable any more than gasoline engine and electric motor are (even though they're both motors).
It's either poor research or sloppy/poor editing (maybe an editor changed those words and the author missed the changes when reading the galley proofs?)
The average person who is not a paddler would not notice these things; but I am, so I do.
Oddly enough, another birding mystery story I read about 12 or 15 years ago did the same thing (the author called them oars and also wrote that a canoe is steered from the bow, not the stern. ARGH!)
Steve Burrows writes incredible mysteries - I just wish he'd gotten the paddling aspects correct. For me, it took away from what was otherwise an incredible book.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a disappointment after the previous books in the series.

I didn't mind Jejeune getting knocked down a peg or two, but I didn't like the same for Danny Maik, and I didn't believe Maik's behavior. There were too many plot threads to follow, and they were wrapped up too neatly. I didn't like anything about what was going on between Jejeune and his girlfriend Lindy. References to birding mainly seemed to be excuses to list a lot of collective nouns for types of birds. And the whole thing ended with an unanswered question, which I think is a cheap trick.

I hope the next book is a LOT better.

[Frances J. Holm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fasinating, as always!

As a birder, I always enjoy the interesting birder information Steve Burrows includes in his stories. It's amazing the way this author can weave together three mysteries, three investigations, across two continents, and bring them all to conclusion.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more contrived than the others in the series. My belief was not suspended much. It was like I was watching the author trying to make the story work.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Newly estranged from girlfriend Lindy Hey, DCI Domenic JeJeune receives news that his brother has gone missing while tracking Whooping Cranes on their migration flight from the US to Canada”
As a backyard birder, I enjoyed A Dance of Cranes, the 6th installment in the ‘Birder Murder’ series.
DCI Jejeune has returned to Canada to investigate the disappearance of his brother Damien; Lindy has remained in the UK and is kidnapped. All the story lines were compelling, but the search for Lindy by Danny Maik was absolutely thrilling.
This is the 6th book in the series and as always there is much about birds and birding, but the writing to me is so descriptive I’m transported to the locations and can practically smell the air.
I appreciate the copy I was provided by LibraryThing, One World Publishing and Steve Burrows. I look forward to more stories in the Birder Murder series.

[Chris Leuchtenburg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series continues to lean away from the mystery genre and towards the thriller genre. There are plenty of bird references for us bird lovers, but I prefer mysteries to thrillers. In addition, the narrative switches between three largely independent story lines. This tended to reduce the impact of the tense, thriller sections.

[Dilia Narduzzi]

I really enjoy the birder murder mysteries; this one is the 6th in the series and it was almost as good as the others. This one had a bunch of different threads going on at the same time, which made the read a little stilted, but overall I still liked it. I enjoyed the jaunt to the Canadian wilderness. 3.5 stars.

[Ryan Maybee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8

[Julie Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had hugely enjoyed Burrows first three books in this mystery series and awaited The Dance of Cranes eagerly.
His protagonist, detective and bird watcher, Dominic Jejeune is back in Canada on leave from Norfolk in the UK and separated from his partner in the hopes of improving her safety.
His brother Damian is overdue in the northern Canadian wilderness.
It's a complicated business, and I'm not going to tell you and spoil the novel.
Burrows writes with authority and ramps up the tension till I couldn't stop reading this story. The complex plot doesn't clarify for the reader until the end. Masterly, well characterised, and compelling.
Highly recommended to all who love a good mystery!

[Anne, Unfinished Woman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are three threads going on in this story that switch back and forth between Britain and Canada. Each story puts characters' lives in jeopardy. Dominic and his brother Damien nearly die on a hummock of reeds in the middle of a lake of rising water, enduring bitter cold, after an accident with their canoe. Lindy and Danny Maik nearly die at the hands of Peter Mahler, a man who is intent on framing Ray Hayes for Lindy's murder, thus getting revenge. Having spent time together in prison, tormenting each other, both now out, Peter's revenge would be to put Ray, who suffers from carcerophobia, back in prison for life. Danny sets out to find the missing Lindy, thereby leading Mahler to the cottage where Ray is holding them.

Newly promoted Lauren Salter is out to solve her first case, the murder of Wattis Wright, who had supposedly just finished selling the rights to the dance moves for the Shammalars, which he had not developed of his own, but with Jennie Wynn. She uses all the moves Dominic and Danny have shown her to deftly figure out and land the killer. (Hallelujah...Danny and Lauren seem to come together in the resolution of this one.)

And Traz Perez and his new lady love come to the rescue of the stranded brothers, after taking part in a chase of the exalted whooping cranes who travel from Aransas, Texas Wildlife Refuge to Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada for nesting. Damien had joined the project with Annie Prior, who then drowns in the Class Six rapids of the Little Buffalo River. Being pursued by unknown men, Damien disables their inReach devices and goes silent. Dominic goes in to find him, when the RCMP and Park Service will not start a search. In stead of the publicized project however, Annie had made a trade with Gaetan Robideau, a Dene, to give up picture taken from cameras attached to the migrating cranes for the location of sites of generations of Dene feasting, an anthropological unknown to date. The pictures would reveal the issues with water in the Territories, being destroyed by human activities and global warming, which Robideau needs to use in his campaign to save the land.

An excellent story, once again, in this fascinating series, also about some lovely birds, and the environmental issues surrounding us. Hopefully there will be another installment in the near future.

[June]

This was a very enjoyable police novel; the bird information/stories and descriptions of nature, especially Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada, make it unique. It's a story about people, yet both the birds and the park play an active role in moving the story forward. Domenic JeJeune is a likable character and the same qualities that make him an expert birder also make him a good detective. I would like to read more of this series.
I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I “read” AKA listened to this book only when I went for an hour’s walk. I had made a promise to myself to walk more, and that was my incentive. Lots of other things intervened: it was too hot; I had missed my morning window to walk; and I REALLY did not like the narrator! I wouldn’t have listened at all, if the book had been available on Kindle, but alas, it was not. I trudged through the last hour or more, but I am done with recorded books!

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. The other two that I read in this series were mildly interesting, but this instalment of the Birder Series, not so much. It has too many story threads (three plus), and way too much long drawn-out detail in each one for a mystery story, which, by definition should be plot-driven.

I searched for logic in the cabin hostage/murder section but couldn’t find much, and that finally made my decision easier. Although I read to the end of this one, I won’t bother with any more Birder Mysteries.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with another reader that with this book the author has moved towards thriller rather than mystery. It is for that reason I give this book three stars rather than my normal five star review for his books. I enjoy intrigue rather than highly intense and unsettling thrilling stories. The birding references as always add interest to this book but are overwhelmed by the thriller content.
I hope he returns to mystery content if he writes a next book.

[Annelies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read a few reviews before diving into this one. The series is become a perpetual cliffhanger, which is totally unnecessary. More focus on mystery, and less on loved ones being threatened by arch enemies (that particular trope annoys the heck out of me, because it is basically an excuse not to have to introduce new characters.) The net result is that I did not finish the book and will just skim over it until I get all the salient points.

[Bertha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok book. I think for me it would have been better if I had read the previous books in the series.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a birdwatcher by hobby other than enjoying the birds I do see everywhere I travel and where I live. I wasn't sure what to think at first about the book when I first started reading it. I honestly thought it was going to be an amateur sleuth mystery with the title and premise of the series title. It's a police procedural with birdwatching as a central focus.
I liked that the birds names were capitalized throughout the book. It makes them stand out nicely.
I started reading the book a long while back then life got in the way and I hadn't as much time for reading what I call 'purse books', handheld print books instead of my audiobooks or ebooks. I worried that I'd have trouble getting back into the story, but I apparently stopped reading just before it got supremely interesting. The pages flew yesterday and today.
I have added this series to my WWBL and I plan to start at the beginning. It didn't keep me from enjoying this one by not knowing any of the characters or what the premise was.
I can definitely recommend this book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character, DCI Domenic Jejeune, has gone to Canada to search for his brother who has gone missing in the vast wilderness of Wood Buffalo National Park with scientist who hired him to trap Whooping Cranes. Domenic has also ended his relationship with his girlfriend Lindy in an effort to protect her from Ray Hayes who has attempted to kill her twice. Back in Saltmarsh, Norfolk, England, his Sergeant has been shadowing Lindy and a murder has been committed. The case has been given to newly promoted Sergeant Susan Salter and Jejeaune's sergeant, Danny Maik is to discreetly oversee her as things progress. In the meantime Jejeune's brother has involved their friend Juan "Traz" Perez by sending him coordinates that coincide with Whooping Crane stop overs and military bases plus someone just happens to meet Traz when he stops in Aransas saying he's headed her way. Then Lindy disappears after surveillance was lifted on her. There's a lot going on in this book and I was surprised at who committed the Saltmarsh murder and why Lindy was kidnapped.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get a real kick out of this series. Since “A Siege of Bitterns” I have been involved with Dominic Jejeune and his friends, particularly his girlfriend, Lindy, and fellow policeman Danny Maik. This book is quite different as the action takes place on two continents... Jejeune has returned to Canada and the disappearance of his brother Damien, Lindy remains in the UK and is kidnapped by a killer. There are multiple story lines, each one compelling, but Danny Maik’s desperate search for the missing Lindy was riveting in its intensity.

In the midst of all this intrigue and intensity there is all the wonderful birder info. In Burrows’ series, everyone is a birder, is in love with a birder, admires a birder or is in the process of becoming a birder. Such passionate obsessions makes for wonderful books.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooooo good! Book 6 in the series - these books just get BETTER! Loved it. Love Jejeune. Love the birding references (something I know absolutely nothing about)...soooooo good.

Jejeune breaks it off with long-time girlfriend, Lindy, to protect her from a bad-actor seeking revenge against him and flees home to Canada. While home, Domenic's brother Damien goes missing in Wood Buffalo National Park and Jejeune launches a rescue effort. Meanwhile, Jejeune's colleague, Danny Maik, is tasked with keeping an eye on Lindy back in Saltmarsh and making sure she is safe from Jejeune's enemy. Long story short: things go badly for everyone involved in this page-turner mystery.
A smashing book., #6 in a series. (I dislike series', but LOVE this one.)
If you want something to dig into, this series could be it!

[Heather Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mainly love mysteries for their settings, more than the riddle-solving. I like the geography and ongoing personal dynamics of the characters. In the Birder Murders there is a great setting, the Norfolk coast. The shores and waterways and birds of Norfolk were first brought to my attention by Arthur Ransome's wonderful books, Coot Club, The Big Six, Secret Water. But A Dance of Cranes, the sixth volume of this series, has wowed me with a great twist of deduction by Sgt Salter, and surprised me with a cliff-hanger ending. I have just started this series after a Christmas recommendation and now I have reached the last book so far and I am hooked and wanting MORE.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 6th book in the Birder mysteries. DI Domenic Jejeune has travelled to the Canadian Wilderness, Wood Buffalo National Park in search of his missing brother who was researching Whooping Cranes.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Danny Maik has series problems of his own, Domenic’s former girlfriend, Lindy has disappeared and she may have been kidnapped by psychopath. Domenic had asked Danny to keep Lindy safe and to watch out for her.
There are three distinct and compelling stories that slowly come together in a thrilling conclusion.
I love learning about the habitat of the Whooping Cranes and how the author melds them into the mystery.

[Pam Howard-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series, Birder Murder Mysteries, is amazing! The detail of the landscapes and the bird species draws you into DCI Jejeune's world, whether you're a birder or not. The characters are very well defined and it's refreshing to find characters that, although they may not seem immediately appealing, quietly grow on you because of their very human complexities. Each one of these mysteries, six so far, is beautifully written, with sensitivity towards the environment and human nature, an intriguing and exciting plot and wonderfully subtle humour. Excellent read!

[Kayla Cork · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I read this book because my dad LOVES birds and watching/looking for birds and I love a good mystery book. So when he said he thought it was a perfect balance between us I had to read it (he also read it so it’s nice to chat about)

It took a while to understand it and realize who was who with all the similar names. Though it was hard to follow and get through the description of the forests and the birds was real pretty though.

Also love that it was partly set in Canada and written by a Canadian.

[Janet Sketchley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plots and twists, action, mystery, danger, and gorgeous scenery. Oh, and birds. This one has DCI Domenic Jejeune in Canada searching for his brother, their friend Traz on a road trip through the US, and the UK constabulary handling a murder case without Jejeune while Sergeant Danny Maik keeps a lookout for the ex-con who had a grudge against Jejeune.

This book has too many well-crafted lines to quote here, but I appreciated them all. There were aspects of the ending, and of its delivery, that annoyed me, but overall this is still a solid 5-star.

[Jo-anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a series for anyone who has even the smallest interest in birds and the environment. With four storylines on the go, there is plenty to interest the reader. I regret that I didn’t read this series in order instead of starting with book 6. With some series, you can leap in anywhere and get the full experience. I would have benefited from a deeper understanding of the central characters to fully appreciate their interactions.