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The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird
A true-crime adventure about a rogue who trades in rare birds and their eggs—and the wildlife detective determined to stop him.
On May 3, 2010, an Irish national named Jeffrey Lendrum was apprehended at Britain’s Birmingham International Airport with a suspicious parcel strapped to his stomach. Inside were fourteen rare peregrine falcon eggs snatched from a remote cliffside in Wales.
So begins a tale almost too bizarre to believe, following the parallel lives of a globe-trotting smuggler who spent two decades capturing endangered raptors worth millions of dollars as race champions—and Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdom’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, who’s hell bent on protecting the world’s birds of prey.
The Falcon Thief whisks readers from the volcanoes of Patagonia to Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park, and from the frigid tundra near the Arctic Circle to luxurious aviaries in the deserts of Dubai, all in pursuit of a man who is reckless, arrogant, and gripped by a destructive compulsion to make the most beautiful creatures in nature his own.
On May 3, 2010, an Irish national named Jeffrey Lendrum was apprehended at Britain’s Birmingham International Airport with a suspicious parcel strapped to his stomach. Inside were fourteen rare peregrine falcon eggs snatched from a remote cliffside in Wales.
So begins a tale almost too bizarre to believe, following the parallel lives of a globe-trotting smuggler who spent two decades capturing endangered raptors worth millions of dollars as race champions—and Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdom’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, who’s hell bent on protecting the world’s birds of prey.
The Falcon Thief whisks readers from the volcanoes of Patagonia to Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park, and from the frigid tundra near the Arctic Circle to luxurious aviaries in the deserts of Dubai, all in pursuit of a man who is reckless, arrogant, and gripped by a destructive compulsion to make the most beautiful creatures in nature his own.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 11, 2020
473 people are currently reading
4643 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Hammer
27 books141 followersJoshua Hammer was born in New York and educated at Horace Mann and Princeton University, graduating with a BA in English literature. In 1988 he joined Newsweek Magazine as a business and media writer, transitioning to the magazine's foreign correspondent corps in 1992. Hammer served, successively, as bureau chief in Nairobi, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Berlin, Jerusalem, and Cape Town, and also was the magazine's Correspondent at Large in 2005 and 2006. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in the 2004-2005 academic year.
Since leaving Newsweek in 2006 Hammer has been an independent foreign correspondent, a contributing editor at Smithsonian Magazine and Outside, and a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, GQ, the New York Times Magazine, and other US publications. He was a finalist for the National Magazine Award in reporting in 2003, and won the award, for his writing about the Ebola crisis in West Africa, in 2016. He is the author of 5 non-fiction books, including the New York Times bestseller, "The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu," which was published by Simon & Schuster in April 2016. Hammer is currently based in Berlin.
Since leaving Newsweek in 2006 Hammer has been an independent foreign correspondent, a contributing editor at Smithsonian Magazine and Outside, and a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, GQ, the New York Times Magazine, and other US publications. He was a finalist for the National Magazine Award in reporting in 2003, and won the award, for his writing about the Ebola crisis in West Africa, in 2016. He is the author of 5 non-fiction books, including the New York Times bestseller, "The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu," which was published by Simon & Schuster in April 2016. Hammer is currently based in Berlin.
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February 6, 2020
The below review originally appeared on Open Letters Review.
Packing for a flight can be stressful. Fitting all of a trip’s necessities into a bag that falls below an airline’s weight limit is often challenging for the overpackers among us. One savvy flier in 2010 found a way around this modern concern by testing out an innovative concept: taping his cargo to his body. The only problem? This man was actually acting as a human incubator for fourteen eggs of the bird of prey species, the peregrine falcon.
Perfect for readers of Kirk Wallace Johnson’s The Feather Thief, Joshua Hammer’s similarly titled The Falcon Thief unravels the bizarre tale of Jeffrey Lendrum, beginning with his early egg snatching during his childhood in Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe). His boyhood hobby prepared him for his eventual side job as an adult: the profitable, yet illegal procurement of the offspring of wild falcons for Middle Eastern elites.
Lendrum’s initial head-scratching crime was, as so many things are, motivated by a simple case of supply and demand. As the author explains, overflowing pockets and a new sport of falcon racing in the Middle East created a lust not only for the rarest birds in the world, but ones not merely purchased from an aboveboard breeder:
This money-fueled globalization also has an underside: a thriving black market for wild birds of prey, driven by wealthy enthusiasts who believe that falcons stolen from nests are innately superior to those bred in captivity, and who are willing to break the law to get them.
Exact price tags for the eggs on the black market are not known, but estimates figure one alone could bring in tens of thousands of dollars, depending on what bird is inside. One doesn’t have to think too hard about why Jeffrey Lendrum would rappel down a cliff to scoop up the equivalent of golden eggs.
People like Jeffrey Lendrum, eggs strapped to his stomach like a middle-aged, mummy-Easter bunny hybrid, contribute to a trade that would strip the Earth bare if there was a dollar in it. His actions, in line with most wildlife crime, demonstrate an astonishing level of entitlement. Lendrum even dares to excuse his behavior with claims that the birds would be better off, safer in captivity than amid the threats of the wild. It makes one wonder if such a person could ever see themself as just another predator of the species, no more moral than a nest-raiding snake.
Yet, as Hammer skillfully draws, Lendrum is frustratingly likeable, winning over not just readers, but authorities with his personable charms. Even Andy Williams, the wildlife detective called into handle the strange egg smuggling case at the core of this book, was eventually disarmed, so to speak, by Lendrum. Hammer characterizes the rapport and extended relationship between the lawman and the tree climber in a way that feels like a natural history spin on Catch Me If You Can.
By sympathizing with the devil, Hammer is able to dig deeper into Lendrum’s psyche, proposing that the falcon thief’s motives may be more complex than mere cupidity. These arguments appear to have weight to them, but perhaps that’s merely wishful thinking on the part of the audience, wanting to believe that the antihero can turn hero. Each time Lendrum is caught with a figurative basketful of eggs, his heartfelt proclamations in the aftermath about getting back on the straight and narrow almost have us believing his line that he’s done with the nature heists. Almost.
Hammer covers all sides (or is it surfaces?) of this egg-shaped story, giving readers a full picture of the situation with judicious research and insider information gleaned from lengthy interviews, not only with individuals connected to the headline-making saga, but even with the falcon thief himself. The book is expertly organized and the writing is sharp; Lendrum’s risky adventures obtaining eggs, sometimes in the most inaccessible nooks and crannies of a cliff wall, come to life, and the balanced storytelling will give readers an aerial view of this story, a case study of the war between the thriving wildlife black market and crime fighters working, at times in vain, against it. Slipping as perfectly into the newly developing natural history-true crime subgenre as it does into a carry-on, The Falcon Thief both informs and thrills.
Packing for a flight can be stressful. Fitting all of a trip’s necessities into a bag that falls below an airline’s weight limit is often challenging for the overpackers among us. One savvy flier in 2010 found a way around this modern concern by testing out an innovative concept: taping his cargo to his body. The only problem? This man was actually acting as a human incubator for fourteen eggs of the bird of prey species, the peregrine falcon.
Perfect for readers of Kirk Wallace Johnson’s The Feather Thief, Joshua Hammer’s similarly titled The Falcon Thief unravels the bizarre tale of Jeffrey Lendrum, beginning with his early egg snatching during his childhood in Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe). His boyhood hobby prepared him for his eventual side job as an adult: the profitable, yet illegal procurement of the offspring of wild falcons for Middle Eastern elites.
Lendrum’s initial head-scratching crime was, as so many things are, motivated by a simple case of supply and demand. As the author explains, overflowing pockets and a new sport of falcon racing in the Middle East created a lust not only for the rarest birds in the world, but ones not merely purchased from an aboveboard breeder:
This money-fueled globalization also has an underside: a thriving black market for wild birds of prey, driven by wealthy enthusiasts who believe that falcons stolen from nests are innately superior to those bred in captivity, and who are willing to break the law to get them.
Exact price tags for the eggs on the black market are not known, but estimates figure one alone could bring in tens of thousands of dollars, depending on what bird is inside. One doesn’t have to think too hard about why Jeffrey Lendrum would rappel down a cliff to scoop up the equivalent of golden eggs.
People like Jeffrey Lendrum, eggs strapped to his stomach like a middle-aged, mummy-Easter bunny hybrid, contribute to a trade that would strip the Earth bare if there was a dollar in it. His actions, in line with most wildlife crime, demonstrate an astonishing level of entitlement. Lendrum even dares to excuse his behavior with claims that the birds would be better off, safer in captivity than amid the threats of the wild. It makes one wonder if such a person could ever see themself as just another predator of the species, no more moral than a nest-raiding snake.
Yet, as Hammer skillfully draws, Lendrum is frustratingly likeable, winning over not just readers, but authorities with his personable charms. Even Andy Williams, the wildlife detective called into handle the strange egg smuggling case at the core of this book, was eventually disarmed, so to speak, by Lendrum. Hammer characterizes the rapport and extended relationship between the lawman and the tree climber in a way that feels like a natural history spin on Catch Me If You Can.
By sympathizing with the devil, Hammer is able to dig deeper into Lendrum’s psyche, proposing that the falcon thief’s motives may be more complex than mere cupidity. These arguments appear to have weight to them, but perhaps that’s merely wishful thinking on the part of the audience, wanting to believe that the antihero can turn hero. Each time Lendrum is caught with a figurative basketful of eggs, his heartfelt proclamations in the aftermath about getting back on the straight and narrow almost have us believing his line that he’s done with the nature heists. Almost.
Hammer covers all sides (or is it surfaces?) of this egg-shaped story, giving readers a full picture of the situation with judicious research and insider information gleaned from lengthy interviews, not only with individuals connected to the headline-making saga, but even with the falcon thief himself. The book is expertly organized and the writing is sharp; Lendrum’s risky adventures obtaining eggs, sometimes in the most inaccessible nooks and crannies of a cliff wall, come to life, and the balanced storytelling will give readers an aerial view of this story, a case study of the war between the thriving wildlife black market and crime fighters working, at times in vain, against it. Slipping as perfectly into the newly developing natural history-true crime subgenre as it does into a carry-on, The Falcon Thief both informs and thrills.
March 24, 2021
4.5 stars
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer is a fascinating read about a man, Jeffrey Lendrum, who spent his life stealing and smuggling rare bird eggs and UK Detective Andy McWilliam who eventually brought Lendrum to justice. The story is a mix of adventure, history, and true crime and provides a glimpse into the world of rare bird and rare bird egg obsession. The Falcon Thief spans the globe from the Middle East to Canada to Africa to the United Kingdom and is truly a fascinating story. Reading about the detrimental impact on numerous bird species and the singular focus and obsession demonstrated by those involved in the bird egg theft and bird capture was both depressing and mind boggling. Numerous men went to prison repeatedly for these crimes and seemed almost unable to turn away from their obsession. Once I started this book, I could not put it down.
For more reviews, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro... and my newsletter: https://www.cfapage.net/subscribe.
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer is a fascinating read about a man, Jeffrey Lendrum, who spent his life stealing and smuggling rare bird eggs and UK Detective Andy McWilliam who eventually brought Lendrum to justice. The story is a mix of adventure, history, and true crime and provides a glimpse into the world of rare bird and rare bird egg obsession. The Falcon Thief spans the globe from the Middle East to Canada to Africa to the United Kingdom and is truly a fascinating story. Reading about the detrimental impact on numerous bird species and the singular focus and obsession demonstrated by those involved in the bird egg theft and bird capture was both depressing and mind boggling. Numerous men went to prison repeatedly for these crimes and seemed almost unable to turn away from their obsession. Once I started this book, I could not put it down.
For more reviews, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro... and my newsletter: https://www.cfapage.net/subscribe.
May 16, 2020
Thoughts soon.
January 5, 2023
Month of November 2022 - The Thief Books
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer (2020) 317 pages.
Setting: England, Africa, Chile, Brazil, Dubai
If you are interested in reading a ‘true-crime investigative report’, then you will probably love reading this and give it a much higher rating. Unfortunately, I found it a very, very dry read. For me, there was too much written on the different political wars in Africa, 1970's Rhodesian wars, which I know absolutely nothing about, and not sure why it's even mentioned. Too much botanical name dropping of the many different kinds of birds and plants over and over. Too many ‘super-long’, unpronounceable names of so many elite figures, at the time, in Africa and the Middle East. This book was just exhausting to get through.
The author gathered his research from sit-down interviews, videotaped interrogations, newspaper reports, and trial transcripts. I wouldn’t exactly say this was full of adventure, nor treacherous, as the title suggests, because it was so impersonal and so much on everything else except “the falcon thief”, himself.
Joshua Hammer is a journalist, writing for The Times, GQ and other publications, who happened on a tiny article, while on vacation in London, about Jeffrey Lendrum, who was a bird’s nest egg snatcher as an adolescent, and now a 55-year-old bird’s nest egg snatcher outlaw. He was caught in Birmingham International Airport (England) for smuggling falcon eggs for wealthy Middle Eastern royal clients who paid up to $400,000 per bird or eggs from nests, if from the wild, which were considered faster and stronger than ones bred and raised in captivity. The Arabs were, and still are, practicing the art of falconry, except now they race them. This created a huge black market for wild falcon eggs for hatching.
Falcons were nearly wiped out of Europe and North America in the ‘50’s and 60’s when we were into heavily spraying DDT pesticide that infected their prey- wood pigeons and pheasants. Now, their nests are mostly found on cliff ledges and rock quarries in England, Wales and Scotland.
Obsessive egg collectors, which is what this book is mostly about, suffer the same obsessive-compulsive disorders as hoarders, many of them lonely and depressed as well. Jeffrey Lendrum may have also been addicted to the adrenaline rush of the dangers in snatching those elusive falcon eggs. One egg collector was discovered with over 4,000 rare eggs locked up in his attic. He had 12 golden eagle eggs, when there were only 250 golden eagles in the whole of United Kingdom at the time of this discovery.
With security the way it is today in airports, I’m sure it’s much harder today for falcon thieves to smuggle eggs in and out of countries. I wonder how they are handling that today?
Documentary, following the lives of several egg collectors
Poached: When Passion Becomes Obsession (2015)
YouTube video of Jeffery Lendrum, the falcon thief (mentioned on page 124), catching a cobra in the wild
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kPKbKOF...
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer (2020) 317 pages.
Setting: England, Africa, Chile, Brazil, Dubai
If you are interested in reading a ‘true-crime investigative report’, then you will probably love reading this and give it a much higher rating. Unfortunately, I found it a very, very dry read. For me, there was too much written on the different political wars in Africa, 1970's Rhodesian wars, which I know absolutely nothing about, and not sure why it's even mentioned. Too much botanical name dropping of the many different kinds of birds and plants over and over. Too many ‘super-long’, unpronounceable names of so many elite figures, at the time, in Africa and the Middle East. This book was just exhausting to get through.
The author gathered his research from sit-down interviews, videotaped interrogations, newspaper reports, and trial transcripts. I wouldn’t exactly say this was full of adventure, nor treacherous, as the title suggests, because it was so impersonal and so much on everything else except “the falcon thief”, himself.
Joshua Hammer is a journalist, writing for The Times, GQ and other publications, who happened on a tiny article, while on vacation in London, about Jeffrey Lendrum, who was a bird’s nest egg snatcher as an adolescent, and now a 55-year-old bird’s nest egg snatcher outlaw. He was caught in Birmingham International Airport (England) for smuggling falcon eggs for wealthy Middle Eastern royal clients who paid up to $400,000 per bird or eggs from nests, if from the wild, which were considered faster and stronger than ones bred and raised in captivity. The Arabs were, and still are, practicing the art of falconry, except now they race them. This created a huge black market for wild falcon eggs for hatching.
Falcons were nearly wiped out of Europe and North America in the ‘50’s and 60’s when we were into heavily spraying DDT pesticide that infected their prey- wood pigeons and pheasants. Now, their nests are mostly found on cliff ledges and rock quarries in England, Wales and Scotland.
Obsessive egg collectors, which is what this book is mostly about, suffer the same obsessive-compulsive disorders as hoarders, many of them lonely and depressed as well. Jeffrey Lendrum may have also been addicted to the adrenaline rush of the dangers in snatching those elusive falcon eggs. One egg collector was discovered with over 4,000 rare eggs locked up in his attic. He had 12 golden eagle eggs, when there were only 250 golden eagles in the whole of United Kingdom at the time of this discovery.
With security the way it is today in airports, I’m sure it’s much harder today for falcon thieves to smuggle eggs in and out of countries. I wonder how they are handling that today?
Documentary, following the lives of several egg collectors
Poached: When Passion Becomes Obsession (2015)
YouTube video of Jeffery Lendrum, the falcon thief (mentioned on page 124), catching a cobra in the wild
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kPKbKOF...
May 10, 2020
This book isn't badly written or anything (altho there's a lot of filler) but having now read several true crime books in a short period of time, it always seems like there comes a point in these things where the author's like, "yeah what he did was bad but you gotta be impressed by his intellect" and I'm like, "actually there's nothing impressive about an adrenaline-junkie narcissist who believes he's so invincible as to not even bother password protecting his laptop". Journalists... please be less impressionable?? consume more works in the genre you write?? idk.
Read
February 27, 2020DNF - I got about a third of the way into this one and I’m bored. Back to the library it goes!
November 18, 2019
The authors desire to write this book occurred after reading an article in the newspaper about a thief who had stolen falcon eggs and had jumped bail. He did not believe that there is a black market that has the potential for someone to make a lot of money. But with a little research this book came about. When I read the description of this book it was one I could not wait to get my hands on it.
The majority of this book follows two individuals one being Andy McWilliam who is a police officer who develops a deep interest going after who commit various crimes against animals and wildlife and the trafficking of wildlife and their parts. The other Jeffery Lendrum who is from South Africa and Rhodesia ( which is now the nation of Zimbabwe. Jeffery from an early age learned to be an oologist ( a collector of bird eggs) which included many that are rare and endangered. He is a world traveler and criminal who traffics in Falcon eggs.
There are a variety of birds discussed in this book with as you would guess from the title the main focus is the Falcon family as the are the fast prey bird and the desire of many especially royal families in the middle east. They have developed falcon racing. Can you imagine thinking about paying $400,000 for one bird ? There are many adventures following individuals in this book and the methods they will go to steal eggs. I received an ARC copy from Netgalley for an honest review
The majority of this book follows two individuals one being Andy McWilliam who is a police officer who develops a deep interest going after who commit various crimes against animals and wildlife and the trafficking of wildlife and their parts. The other Jeffery Lendrum who is from South Africa and Rhodesia ( which is now the nation of Zimbabwe. Jeffery from an early age learned to be an oologist ( a collector of bird eggs) which included many that are rare and endangered. He is a world traveler and criminal who traffics in Falcon eggs.
There are a variety of birds discussed in this book with as you would guess from the title the main focus is the Falcon family as the are the fast prey bird and the desire of many especially royal families in the middle east. They have developed falcon racing. Can you imagine thinking about paying $400,000 for one bird ? There are many adventures following individuals in this book and the methods they will go to steal eggs. I received an ARC copy from Netgalley for an honest review
April 12, 2020
Bird crime is pretty much my favorite true crime.
Read
January 27, 2020Talk about a breathlessly-paced adventure story that is 100% true. This is the kind of bloodless true crime I find utterly fascinating and engaging, and this book would be a perfect one to pass along to fans of The Feather Thief.
In May 2010, Jeffrey Lendrum was arrested in the UK at an airport after a security guard in one of the lounges thought something suspicious was going on. Lendrum had left his partner in the lounge while he went into the bathroom for twenty minutes. The guard went in after and noticed nothing had been touched while he was in there -- no shower, no running water. But there was a suspicious looking egg in the garbage can. Before long, it was discovered Lendrum had numerous eggs secured to his body, along with numerous eggs in his luggage. These were the eggs of falcons, each of which -- were they to make it alive to his destination in Dubai -- would net him a lot of money from political leaders in the region who practiced the art and sport of falconry.
From here, the book follows the rise of falconry in the middle east and how it ties into their history, as well as how it is Lendrum got caught up in the theft of some of the world’s most rare raptor eggs and how he traversed some of the most dangerous places in order to steal the eggs and make a profit. It’s a fascinating and infuriating story, not only because of how it plays into disturbing nature and causing further harm to hurting species, but also because of how Lendrum’s passion for nature went so off-course from his boyhood days in South Africa.
Books that marry true crime and history like this scratch such an itch for me. This one, besides its obvious exploration of theft of eggs, has some moments of animal harm, but it’s one I think those who are sensitive to that might be able to stomach without too much problem. Hammer offers a fair assessment of why Lendrum would partake in such illegal acts, while balancing the history and legacy of falconry in the middle east. It’s not an apology nor excuse for his behavior; rather, it’s context and conjecture for the whys, particularly where Hammer was unable to get the information first-hand.
I blew through this one and will forever look at birds in a new way.
In May 2010, Jeffrey Lendrum was arrested in the UK at an airport after a security guard in one of the lounges thought something suspicious was going on. Lendrum had left his partner in the lounge while he went into the bathroom for twenty minutes. The guard went in after and noticed nothing had been touched while he was in there -- no shower, no running water. But there was a suspicious looking egg in the garbage can. Before long, it was discovered Lendrum had numerous eggs secured to his body, along with numerous eggs in his luggage. These were the eggs of falcons, each of which -- were they to make it alive to his destination in Dubai -- would net him a lot of money from political leaders in the region who practiced the art and sport of falconry.
From here, the book follows the rise of falconry in the middle east and how it ties into their history, as well as how it is Lendrum got caught up in the theft of some of the world’s most rare raptor eggs and how he traversed some of the most dangerous places in order to steal the eggs and make a profit. It’s a fascinating and infuriating story, not only because of how it plays into disturbing nature and causing further harm to hurting species, but also because of how Lendrum’s passion for nature went so off-course from his boyhood days in South Africa.
Books that marry true crime and history like this scratch such an itch for me. This one, besides its obvious exploration of theft of eggs, has some moments of animal harm, but it’s one I think those who are sensitive to that might be able to stomach without too much problem. Hammer offers a fair assessment of why Lendrum would partake in such illegal acts, while balancing the history and legacy of falconry in the middle east. It’s not an apology nor excuse for his behavior; rather, it’s context and conjecture for the whys, particularly where Hammer was unable to get the information first-hand.
I blew through this one and will forever look at birds in a new way.
April 18, 2020
If you enjoyed The Feather Thief this is a must-read. Also, this is a great read for fans of narrative nonfiction, nonviolent true crime, adventure, and nature. Look, I know this sounds boring like The Feather Thief and Bad Blood because, whatever, how exciting is bird stealing or a Silicon Valley startup? SO VERY MUCH when the stories are kind of bonkers. And in the case of The Falcon Thief you get adventure stories, and an opening that could be in Ocean’s Eleven–if they were after falcon eggs–and really interesting animal facts, and history. Plus, it’s all narrated like a fantastic story taking you into the world of rare egg smuggling (after being stolen from nests!), falconry, the UK’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, and plenty of finger pointing “it wasn’t me, they’re lying.” If you’re a fan of being told a story and British narrators, go with the audiobook.
(TW talks of past crime cases that include suicide, detail; rape, no detail; child deaths, no detail/ some animal harm, but I’d say more what you find in animal documentaries)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: https://link.bookriot.com/view/56a820...
(TW talks of past crime cases that include suicide, detail; rape, no detail; child deaths, no detail/ some animal harm, but I’d say more what you find in animal documentaries)
--from Book Riot's Unusual Suspects newsletter: https://link.bookriot.com/view/56a820...
February 26, 2020
A very thorough and interesting recounting of Jeffrey Lendrum's life as an egg thief extraordinaire. Lendrum had all of the right skills to become a great ornithologist yet he instead chose a life of crime, stealing the live eggs of threatened and endangered falcons to sell to buyers in the Middle East.
While focusing primarily on Lendrum, the reader gets a good layman's introduction into falcons, falconry and the lengths to which some people will go to obtain the perfect falcon and those who are willing to support the obsession. It's neither too academic nor too "true crime"; it hits the sweet spot right in between making it a story that keeps your interest without having to suspend your disbelief.
If you're interested in birds, endangered animals, or international intrigue you'll likely enjoy this.
While focusing primarily on Lendrum, the reader gets a good layman's introduction into falcons, falconry and the lengths to which some people will go to obtain the perfect falcon and those who are willing to support the obsession. It's neither too academic nor too "true crime"; it hits the sweet spot right in between making it a story that keeps your interest without having to suspend your disbelief.
If you're interested in birds, endangered animals, or international intrigue you'll likely enjoy this.
March 21, 2020
A calming read during week 1 of the quarantine. I listened to the audiobook, which I recommend because the narrator has a British accent, which I found easy and soothing to listen to. This was like a meditation where I coincidentally learned about the insane international crime ring of endangered raptor eggs.
November 10, 2021
> Ribbons of white surgical tape were wrapped around his abdomen. Tucked snugly beneath the tape were one green, one black, and one blue woolen sock. Plastic zip ties divided each sock into five segments, and inside each segment was an oval-shaped object.
> Lendrum would find a suitable tree, carry up “tons of sticks, and build a rudimentary nest there,” Tarr says. “The next year the crowned eagles moved in.” Lendrum would wait until the female laid her eggs in the aerie he had built, and then would climb into her nest and snatch them.
> he had a real competitive streak. Waller remembers clambering into nests as an adolescent to take the live eggs of the common sparrow hawk. “I’d climb a tree and there would be a chicken egg in the nest with a sign on it saying, ‘Too late sucker,’” he recalls.
> In 1911, three members of Robert Scott’s doomed Antarctica expedition trekked seventy miles through blizzards and minus-eighty-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures to collect eggs from an emperor penguin colony. The explorers were out to prove a theory advanced by the nineteenth-century biologist Ernst Haeckel, that the development of an embryo from fertilization to gestation or hatching replicates the evolutionary stages of the same species
> Lendrum would find a suitable tree, carry up “tons of sticks, and build a rudimentary nest there,” Tarr says. “The next year the crowned eagles moved in.” Lendrum would wait until the female laid her eggs in the aerie he had built, and then would climb into her nest and snatch them.
> he had a real competitive streak. Waller remembers clambering into nests as an adolescent to take the live eggs of the common sparrow hawk. “I’d climb a tree and there would be a chicken egg in the nest with a sign on it saying, ‘Too late sucker,’” he recalls.
> In 1911, three members of Robert Scott’s doomed Antarctica expedition trekked seventy miles through blizzards and minus-eighty-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures to collect eggs from an emperor penguin colony. The explorers were out to prove a theory advanced by the nineteenth-century biologist Ernst Haeckel, that the development of an embryo from fertilization to gestation or hatching replicates the evolutionary stages of the same species
May 14, 2020
As a bird and nature lover, I loved this true-crime tale, with a smart, arrogant and adventurous thief as it's lead. I knew nothing about the lucrative black market on raptor eggs, and the ingenious ways that the eggs are snatched from nests and smuggled out of the various countries. Good audio too. Highly recommended.
April 12, 2020
With Easter almost here, many peoples’ thoughts are turning to the annual Easter egg hunt. But for some people, the hunt for eggs never stops, as you will learn in Joshua Hammer’s new book,
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird
(Simon & Schuster UK, 2020). This is the true story of an incorrigible egg thief who has been caught five times on three continents with the chicks and eggs of endangered birds of prey, and the British wildlife crime detective who was determined to stop him.
Although Jeffrey Lendrum’s criminal activities began when he was just a boy, the author begins recounting his story in May 2010 at Britain’s Birmingham International Airport. A former security guard, working as a janitor at the Emirates First Class Lounge, initially became suspicious of a passenger who somehow managed to spend 20 minutes in the lounge bathroom without touching anything. But the janitor did discover a mysterious egg, dyed blood-red, in the trash can. Puzzled, and worried that this odd passenger might be smuggling illegal narcotics, the janitor notified airport security. Closer inspection revealed that this man had fourteen live eggs secured to his body in a special belt. It turned out that these eggs had been stolen from several peregrine falcon nests on remote cliffs in Wales.
Thus begins the cat-and-mouse story that follows the life of a globe-trotting smuggler who devoted at least two decades to stealing endangered raptor chicks and their eggs from the wild to sell to wealthy Middle-eastern men — and Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdom’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, who’s determined to protect the world’s birds of prey.
Part travelogue, part adventure and part character study, the reader accompanies the author as he retraces Lendrum’s footsteps from the volcanoes of Patagonia to Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park, from the frigid tundra near the Arctic Circle to luxurious aviaries in the deserts of Dubai. Along the way, we meet falcon breeders, scientists and conservationists as well as lawyers and detectives. The reader also learns some amazing facts about peregrine falcons in particular: for example, they dive faster than a skydiver falls, and Emirate sheiks will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for one live peregrine falcon egg.
There is an undercurrent of tragedy that runs through this meticulously researched expose. First, there’s the tragedy of why birds of prey are endangered in the first place. A massive population decline in raptors throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere was caused by the widespread and reckless use of the pesticide, DDT, which causes egg shells to thin to the point where an incubating bird crushes them. Then there are those who trap young wild raptors during their first migration to sell to falconers and falcon racers in the Middle East. These factors are compounded by poaching and habitat destruction and, in Britain, by the juvenile obsession with egg collecting. Also known as oology, egg collecting is popular amongst some disaffected British men who blindly pursue it without any regard for the damage it causes.
Then there’s Lendrum, a swashbuckling and arrogant white Irish national born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) who developed a deep understanding of and passion for wildlife as a child growing up in Africa. Early on, his father shared his passion for collecting bird eggs with the impressionable boy. As an adult, Lendrum continued to hone his skills, becoming a daring cliff climber and expert naturalist. Lendrum’s tragedy was how his passion for nature was perverted into an obsession for oology which then was bastardized into an unwavering delusion that he was somehow “saving” endangered birds of prey by stealing their eggs and selling them to the highest bidder.
This breathlessly-paced adventure is extensively researched, informative and beautifully written. The author does a remarkable job of interweaving classical research with contemporary interviews to provide a compelling portrait of the history of falconry in Europe and the Middle East, the peculiarly obsessive nature of oology and its destructiveness, of wildlife crime and its punishment (mostly in the UK), and of falcon breeding and conservation.
Combining adventure and true crime, this gripping narrative is a fascinating and infuriating story that reads more like a novel than nonfiction. The Falcon Thief will appeal to those who also were enthralled by The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson and The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, and to anyone who enjoys reading about birds, nature and travel.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. Originally published at Forbes on 30 March 2020.
Although Jeffrey Lendrum’s criminal activities began when he was just a boy, the author begins recounting his story in May 2010 at Britain’s Birmingham International Airport. A former security guard, working as a janitor at the Emirates First Class Lounge, initially became suspicious of a passenger who somehow managed to spend 20 minutes in the lounge bathroom without touching anything. But the janitor did discover a mysterious egg, dyed blood-red, in the trash can. Puzzled, and worried that this odd passenger might be smuggling illegal narcotics, the janitor notified airport security. Closer inspection revealed that this man had fourteen live eggs secured to his body in a special belt. It turned out that these eggs had been stolen from several peregrine falcon nests on remote cliffs in Wales.
Thus begins the cat-and-mouse story that follows the life of a globe-trotting smuggler who devoted at least two decades to stealing endangered raptor chicks and their eggs from the wild to sell to wealthy Middle-eastern men — and Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdom’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, who’s determined to protect the world’s birds of prey.
Part travelogue, part adventure and part character study, the reader accompanies the author as he retraces Lendrum’s footsteps from the volcanoes of Patagonia to Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park, from the frigid tundra near the Arctic Circle to luxurious aviaries in the deserts of Dubai. Along the way, we meet falcon breeders, scientists and conservationists as well as lawyers and detectives. The reader also learns some amazing facts about peregrine falcons in particular: for example, they dive faster than a skydiver falls, and Emirate sheiks will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for one live peregrine falcon egg.
There is an undercurrent of tragedy that runs through this meticulously researched expose. First, there’s the tragedy of why birds of prey are endangered in the first place. A massive population decline in raptors throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere was caused by the widespread and reckless use of the pesticide, DDT, which causes egg shells to thin to the point where an incubating bird crushes them. Then there are those who trap young wild raptors during their first migration to sell to falconers and falcon racers in the Middle East. These factors are compounded by poaching and habitat destruction and, in Britain, by the juvenile obsession with egg collecting. Also known as oology, egg collecting is popular amongst some disaffected British men who blindly pursue it without any regard for the damage it causes.
Then there’s Lendrum, a swashbuckling and arrogant white Irish national born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) who developed a deep understanding of and passion for wildlife as a child growing up in Africa. Early on, his father shared his passion for collecting bird eggs with the impressionable boy. As an adult, Lendrum continued to hone his skills, becoming a daring cliff climber and expert naturalist. Lendrum’s tragedy was how his passion for nature was perverted into an obsession for oology which then was bastardized into an unwavering delusion that he was somehow “saving” endangered birds of prey by stealing their eggs and selling them to the highest bidder.
This breathlessly-paced adventure is extensively researched, informative and beautifully written. The author does a remarkable job of interweaving classical research with contemporary interviews to provide a compelling portrait of the history of falconry in Europe and the Middle East, the peculiarly obsessive nature of oology and its destructiveness, of wildlife crime and its punishment (mostly in the UK), and of falcon breeding and conservation.
Combining adventure and true crime, this gripping narrative is a fascinating and infuriating story that reads more like a novel than nonfiction. The Falcon Thief will appeal to those who also were enthralled by The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson and The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, and to anyone who enjoys reading about birds, nature and travel.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. Originally published at Forbes on 30 March 2020.
February 29, 2020
Synopsis
The narrative is well written in the style of a crime thriller and is interlaced with twists and turns worthy of that title. The eclectic mix of characters makes for a compelling story, all the more so as it is a true tale.
Hammer begins with the chance apprehension of Jeffery Lendrum, the raptor thief. Lendrum commits a rookie mistake and is apprehended, and just like that the chase is on to find his clients. He subsequently reveals the tragic context that leads to Falcons becoming an endangered species. The negligent use of chemical DDT leads to a massive reduction in bird populations thus placing them on the verge of extinction in a number of British Isles.
The ancient and noble sport of Falconry turns a previously innocent pastime into a thriving black market. Buyers and suppliers traverse the globe in pursuit of their chosen birds of prey. The suppliers use any and all means to obtain the elusive birds without any consideration to the impact on the species.
The suspense builds as Andy McWilliam; the investigating detective uses all his acumen, resources, and cunning in the hunt for the buyers of illegal birds of prey. Hammer transports us from the gritty streets of Liverpool, in Great Britain to the opulent abodes in the desert heat of the Middle East, and then farther on into the Arctic in this epic pursuit.
Hammer weaves a compelling case for the plight of the falcons and highlights the very real and present danger that poachers such as Lendrum pose to wildlife populations. Lendrum’s antics in the pursuit of his prey verges at times on that of an anti-James Bond. He guides us through the interconnected panoply of Lendrum’s criminal enterprise, and does it in a gripping narrative.
Conclusion
This yarn has everything to satisfy those wanting to escape the drudgery of everyday existence: falcons that can out pace falling parachutists, a criminal who flouts International Law, Emirate Sheiks who will pay hundreds of thousands for a single Falcon egg, and a police detective who’s experience and dedication leads to a satisfying and acceptable conclusion. The characters discussed in this book don’t even begin to come close to the magnificence of the Falcon Family and their agility, speed, and unique ophthalmic.
I firmly believe that the reader will come away with a greater respect and understanding of the threats posed to our wildlife; particularly the threat to endangered species globally. Lendrum’s work is precise and without verbosity. The pages just fly by and all too soon the journey is over. I highly recommend this book to you. It is definitely a “buy it now” kind of book.
Acknowledgments
My sincere thanks go out to NetGalley, Joshua Hammer, and publishers Simon and Schuster for affording me the opportunity to review The Falcon Thief.
The narrative is well written in the style of a crime thriller and is interlaced with twists and turns worthy of that title. The eclectic mix of characters makes for a compelling story, all the more so as it is a true tale.
Hammer begins with the chance apprehension of Jeffery Lendrum, the raptor thief. Lendrum commits a rookie mistake and is apprehended, and just like that the chase is on to find his clients. He subsequently reveals the tragic context that leads to Falcons becoming an endangered species. The negligent use of chemical DDT leads to a massive reduction in bird populations thus placing them on the verge of extinction in a number of British Isles.
The ancient and noble sport of Falconry turns a previously innocent pastime into a thriving black market. Buyers and suppliers traverse the globe in pursuit of their chosen birds of prey. The suppliers use any and all means to obtain the elusive birds without any consideration to the impact on the species.
The suspense builds as Andy McWilliam; the investigating detective uses all his acumen, resources, and cunning in the hunt for the buyers of illegal birds of prey. Hammer transports us from the gritty streets of Liverpool, in Great Britain to the opulent abodes in the desert heat of the Middle East, and then farther on into the Arctic in this epic pursuit.
Hammer weaves a compelling case for the plight of the falcons and highlights the very real and present danger that poachers such as Lendrum pose to wildlife populations. Lendrum’s antics in the pursuit of his prey verges at times on that of an anti-James Bond. He guides us through the interconnected panoply of Lendrum’s criminal enterprise, and does it in a gripping narrative.
Conclusion
This yarn has everything to satisfy those wanting to escape the drudgery of everyday existence: falcons that can out pace falling parachutists, a criminal who flouts International Law, Emirate Sheiks who will pay hundreds of thousands for a single Falcon egg, and a police detective who’s experience and dedication leads to a satisfying and acceptable conclusion. The characters discussed in this book don’t even begin to come close to the magnificence of the Falcon Family and their agility, speed, and unique ophthalmic.
I firmly believe that the reader will come away with a greater respect and understanding of the threats posed to our wildlife; particularly the threat to endangered species globally. Lendrum’s work is precise and without verbosity. The pages just fly by and all too soon the journey is over. I highly recommend this book to you. It is definitely a “buy it now” kind of book.
Acknowledgments
My sincere thanks go out to NetGalley, Joshua Hammer, and publishers Simon and Schuster for affording me the opportunity to review The Falcon Thief.
March 22, 2020
Fascinating read of a subject [birding, egg stealing, protagonist] of which I knew nothing. Sometimes too many details to keep my interest but I very much enjoyed this out of the usual for me.
May 16, 2022
This was ok. But didn’t love it. Very hard to read.
February 19, 2025
This was a fascinating book about a man who knew birds of prey intimately, and loved stealing their eggs to sell for big money.
Our thief grew up in Rhodesia, and found his happy place in climbing trees and scaling cliffs. He and his father got involved with the bird conservation community there, but double-crossed them by stealing eggs from what were secret entrusted locations. They collected them, meticulously labeling and carefully storing. But they got caught.
Lendrum didn’t have much success at school, or in the work world. So soon enough he was back to stealing eggs, now selling them to collectors or breeders or to Middle Eastern falconers. He got caught again when he was taking eggs from the nests of protected birds in Arctic Canada (daredevil alert! Hanging by a rope from a helicopter to grab the eggs!). And he got caught again when he had eggs strapped to his body as he was flying from the UK to Dubai. And he got caught again when he was in Patagonia, where he had rappelled down cliffs to get the eggs, and was incubating the eggs to keep them alive.
The book also followed a wildlife detective in the UK. There was much frustration with how insignificant the penalties were for getting caught abusing, killing, or stealing the birds’ eggs from their natural habitat, especially compared to how much money they could be sold for.
The author and many others who came into contact with him were intrigued by his skills, despite knowing how destructive this ecological crime was. That’s an interesting part of this tale, as was Lendrum’s not stopping (or being able to stop?) his collecting even when he became a known criminal entity.
Our thief grew up in Rhodesia, and found his happy place in climbing trees and scaling cliffs. He and his father got involved with the bird conservation community there, but double-crossed them by stealing eggs from what were secret entrusted locations. They collected them, meticulously labeling and carefully storing. But they got caught.
Lendrum didn’t have much success at school, or in the work world. So soon enough he was back to stealing eggs, now selling them to collectors or breeders or to Middle Eastern falconers. He got caught again when he was taking eggs from the nests of protected birds in Arctic Canada (daredevil alert! Hanging by a rope from a helicopter to grab the eggs!). And he got caught again when he had eggs strapped to his body as he was flying from the UK to Dubai. And he got caught again when he was in Patagonia, where he had rappelled down cliffs to get the eggs, and was incubating the eggs to keep them alive.
The book also followed a wildlife detective in the UK. There was much frustration with how insignificant the penalties were for getting caught abusing, killing, or stealing the birds’ eggs from their natural habitat, especially compared to how much money they could be sold for.
The author and many others who came into contact with him were intrigued by his skills, despite knowing how destructive this ecological crime was. That’s an interesting part of this tale, as was Lendrum’s not stopping (or being able to stop?) his collecting even when he became a known criminal entity.
March 30, 2020
I love reading about obsessive collectors and the lengths they go to to secure rare finds. It is an under-appreciated sliver of the True Crime genre. The Falcon Thief joins other favorites such as The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession and The Feather Thief... I just noticed all these titles have the word "thief" in them... in the list of nonfiction books I would recommend to people who are not fans of nonfiction. Amazing read that took this armchair traveler to remote corners of the world and introduced me to bird species that I had never heard of before.
March 19, 2020
What a heartbreaking story! A history of evil people stealing falcons and rare bird eggs for their own pleasure. Imagine having ripped eggs from their parents, blowing out the fetuses, then hiding the precious eggshell away because it’s illegal to have them! Or sending the vital eggs of Falcons to rich people so they can play with the birds and race them. It’s just not right. They are wild creatures, some being extremely endangered, not domesticated pets! Ok, I’ll stop ranting now. READ THIS BOOK!
March 7, 2021
Like The Feather Thief. But birdier.
July 18, 2025
“Крадецът на соколи” е книга, която силно ме впечатли. Темата ме интересува - бракониерство и кражба на яйца на грабливи птици, но истината е, че Джошуа Хамър просто умее да поднася документална информация по начин, който тотално да те заплени.
В тази книга той разглежда живота до момента на залавянето на интересния бракониер Джефри Лендръм - човек, който от съвсем ранна възраст започва да се занимава с опасна и много рискована контрабанда на яйца на грабливи птици. През целия си живот той не разкрива каналите и хората, на които ги продава, но се смята, че само той е отмъкнал десетки хиляди яйца от гнездата им. Някои от тези гнезда са на изключително опасни места и само малцина биха дръзнали да се опитат дори да се изкачат до там. А и се оказва, че далеч не е единствения, който се занимава с тази дейност, но е може би един от най-големите контрабандисти на яйца.
Всъщност в “Крадецът на соколи” са разгледани множество случаи на бракониери, контрабандисти и колекционери, които по един или друг начин са ограбили дивата природа и по-специално гнезда на редки и защитени птици - нещо, което от психологическа гледна точка е интересно за проследяване. По-лесно мога да разбера контрабандистите, които печелят от продаването на яйцата, отколкото колекционерите, които просто ги събират.
Друг интересен образ в книгата е детектив Анди Макуилям от Националното звено за борба с престъпленията срещу дивата природа в Обединеното кралство - бивш полицай, сега той се е отдал на залавянето на престъпници, които ограбват природата и е специализирал в контрабандата на птици, тъй като пернатите са от особен интерес за него самия.
Покрай Джефри Лендръм научаваме и много любопитна информация за соколарството, особено в Арабския свят, където то е издигнато на почит и борбата за най-бързата (и скъпа) птица е голяма.
Препоръчвам книгата “Крадецът на соколи” не само на любителите на природата и книги, свързани с опазването ѝ, но и на всички останали, които харесват true crime сюжети и предавания от типа на “Арестувани зад граница”.
А ако се интересувате от книги, свързани по-конкретно с бракониерството, и то в България, то прочетете “Вой” на Александър Скалд.
В тази книга той разглежда живота до момента на залавянето на интересния бракониер Джефри Лендръм - човек, който от съвсем ранна възраст започва да се занимава с опасна и много рискована контрабанда на яйца на грабливи птици. През целия си живот той не разкрива каналите и хората, на които ги продава, но се смята, че само той е отмъкнал десетки хиляди яйца от гнездата им. Някои от тези гнезда са на изключително опасни места и само малцина биха дръзнали да се опитат дори да се изкачат до там. А и се оказва, че далеч не е единствения, който се занимава с тази дейност, но е може би един от най-големите контрабандисти на яйца.
Всъщност в “Крадецът на соколи” са разгледани множество случаи на бракониери, контрабандисти и колекционери, които по един или друг начин са ограбили дивата природа и по-специално гнезда на редки и защитени птици - нещо, което от психологическа гледна точка е интересно за проследяване. По-лесно мога да разбера контрабандистите, които печелят от продаването на яйцата, отколкото колекционерите, които просто ги събират.
Друг интересен образ в книгата е детектив Анди Макуилям от Националното звено за борба с престъпленията срещу дивата природа в Обединеното кралство - бивш полицай, сега той се е отдал на залавянето на престъпници, които ограбват природата и е специализирал в контрабандата на птици, тъй като пернатите са от особен интерес за него самия.
Покрай Джефри Лендръм научаваме и много любопитна информация за соколарството, особено в Арабския свят, където то е издигнато на почит и борбата за най-бързата (и скъпа) птица е голяма.
Препоръчвам книгата “Крадецът на соколи” не само на любителите на природата и книги, свързани с опазването ѝ, но и на всички останали, които харесват true crime сюжети и предавания от типа на “Арестувани зад граница”.
А ако се интересувате от книги, свързани по-конкретно с бракониерството, и то в България, то прочетете “Вой” на Александър Скалд.
July 8, 2025
This book begs to be adapted into a screenplay. Loved it!
September 28, 2025
i wasn't expecting so much background story, but it ultimately makes sense to explain the history and it was interesting (and sickening) to learn more about the topic.
i appreciate the investigation the author did, bringing together as many aspects of the thief's life as possible. I hope Jeffrey, and others like him, lingers or expires in jail.
i appreciate the investigation the author did, bringing together as many aspects of the thief's life as possible. I hope Jeffrey, and others like him, lingers or expires in jail.
March 12, 2023
Did this one as a buddy read! It was interesting, but average. It started off really strong with the uncovering of someone actively smuggling eggs in an airport lounge, but it went off the rails for a bit trying to give you like everyone’s entire life story including a deep dive of African politics. It eventually came back around to the good stuff, though! It was interesting and insane to see the lengths people will go to in order to steal/smuggle bird eggs both for private collections and for the falconry trade. The book alluded a lot to the middle eastern falconry being a big market, but kind of left you without anything concrete since the primary smuggler in this book never really owned up to that being true. At the end you get a “yeah maybe, but I couldn’t talk about it without consequences”. I wish the story was able to dive into that a bit more, but I’m sure it’s not exactly easy or safe to get that info.
May 10, 2020
This is a really interesting story. Normally, I might ding it for being a little repetitive, but, because I was half-distracted by an unfolding world-wide pandemic while reading this, I really appreciated the reminders and reiterations of who was who and how they knew each other.
As for the Falcon Thief himself, the book does a good job of explaining the seriousness of his crimes and how he happened to become obsessed with stealing eggs, without being either overly sympathetic or gleeful at the wreck that becomes of his life. It is similarly even-handed when discussing the difficulties investigating and prosecuting wildlife crimes, painting a realistic portrait of a dedicated investigator without mythologizing him. And, it gives credit to various individuals the world over - from hotel clerks and airport custodians to environmental researchers and helicopter pilots - who all played a role in bringing the Falcon thief to justice.
As for the Falcon Thief himself, the book does a good job of explaining the seriousness of his crimes and how he happened to become obsessed with stealing eggs, without being either overly sympathetic or gleeful at the wreck that becomes of his life. It is similarly even-handed when discussing the difficulties investigating and prosecuting wildlife crimes, painting a realistic portrait of a dedicated investigator without mythologizing him. And, it gives credit to various individuals the world over - from hotel clerks and airport custodians to environmental researchers and helicopter pilots - who all played a role in bringing the Falcon thief to justice.
January 2, 2022
Equally fascinating and horrifying, this book was immersive. I could not put it away once I started it. I hate people so much, and this book only makes me hate them more. There were some wildly discursive bits that didn't add much to the book.
June 12, 2024
I went into this expecting just a guy stealing eggs... and though that's literally what I got, my expectations were subverted over and over again. I was dumbfounded, especially in the second half, with this guy's actions!! What the heck Jeffrey!! Not cool 🙁
April 29, 2020
3.5!
This was really interesting in parts!
This was really interesting in parts!
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