A Shimmer of Hummingbirds, by Steve Burrows, Oneworld Publications, 368 pages, Release date 8 May, 2017.
There’s a new edition of A Shimmer of Hummingbirds out, and if you haven’t read it yet, this is the time to grab a copy and get reading. This is the fourth title in the “Birder Murder” series featuring Inspector Domenic Jejeune—and if you’re thinking a little old man with binoculars who watches the bird feeders in his backyard, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Jejeune, a Canadian relocated to Norfolk, England, solved a highly publicized case a few years ago, and since then the eyes of the press have been on him and he’s expected to work miracles when investigating. He’s the kind of birder who is happy poking about the local salt march, but he’s also traveled globally looking for birds. A quiet, intensely private man, with reasoning always several steps ahead of those around him, Jejeune is a Holmesian figure. He’s tacturn and socially awkward, but he’s also a man of action.
Part of what makes Jejeune such a wonderful character is the intensity and complexity of his inner life. Readers see a bit more of him than his colleagues do, but we still have to work to fill in gaps. I love the time I get to spend with him. In fact, for several years now, this has been my favorite detective series by far—and I do a good bit of reading.
Volume five in this series, A Tiding of Magpies, is coming out in June. Because Hummingbirds is a pivotal book in the series, I highly recommend reading it before you start Magpies. Better yet, start with the first book in the series, A Siege of Bitterns.