A Siege of Bitterns

By: Steve Burrows

Narrated by: David Thorpe

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Newly appointed police inspector Domenic Jejeune doesn't mind ruffling a few feathers. His success has elevated him into a poster boy for the police. The problem is Jejeune doesn't really want to be a detective at all; he much prefers watching birds.

Recently reassigned to the small Norfolk town of Saltmarsh, Jejeune's two worlds collide with the grisly murder of a prominent ecological activist. Jejeune must call on all his birding knowhow to solve the mystery and deal with unwelcome public acclaim, the mistrust of colleagues and his own insecurities. For in the case of the Saltmarsh birder murders, the victims may not be the only casualties....

©2014 Steve Burrows (P)2016 Isis Publishing Ltd

Nice Surprise

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I bought it because I like to feed our local birds and this book combined birding with a mystery. Overall I really enjoyed the book. It takes place by the saltmarshes in Norfolk. It was fun to look up the location and the birds mentioned in the book. I learned so much from the book about that area and birding in general. The mystery itself was great too. My one negative observation is that it dragged a bit in the middle, but once you get through that it really has a thrilling climax. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery and is interested in birds (they do play a part in the solution) and getting to know that area of Britain. I look forward to reading the next book!

Birds Identify the Murderer

This is the first in a series of three books about a serious "birder"detective new to a small community on the coast in England. Being from Canada, it takes him a while to know the land. He's a celebrity for solving earlier murders and must work hard to uphold his reputation although he doesn't care to be in the limelight. His first crime here involves a complex understanding of environmental issues of the salt marshes and the passions of the residents whose lives revolve around protecting them. Not an easy case to solve. He also has a leadership style that doesn't fit well with his new team or his supervisor. I enjoyed the narrator as his voices fit the story well. I hope there will be more books from this author in the future. The birding element of all three books keeps my interest.

Wow! I really liked this book

I have come across this title in the past, probably on sale pages. It simply did not appeal to me. Recently, I noticed it was performed by David Thorpe. Having recently put him on my list of absolute favorite readers I decided to give the bird series a chance. So glad I did. Expect I will read them all, having already downloaded the next book. It was not too long, the characters are entertaining, the bird information interesting but not overdone, and finally the mystery was quite good.

Excellent

Great, exciting story, and the narrator was fun to listen to. He did a great job giving the characters their own unique voices and quirks.

I need more birder murder mysteries in my life...

How could I pass on a book that's sub-titled a Birder Murder Mystery... As, 1) I love birds, and 2) the Audubon society recommended it, and 3) you can't beat a good mystery.
This is D.I. Domenic Jejeune's first appearance for us. He's just been reassigned from London, to the small Norfolk town of Saltmarsh... His introduction is brief, as he is briskly sent off to investigate Saltmarsh's newest crime... a murder! He and D.S. Danny Maik have to make the best of the situation as they try to form a working relationship on-the-fly, whilst also working out who would kill a well known environmentalist...
You're soon made aware that Domenic would rather be bird-watching than being the chief Detective Inspector investigating a murder. On top of that he's really not sure if he can trust his new team so while he has them doing seemingly trivial research he's holding all the cards...
This is actually a wonderfully contemporary British murder mystery, taking on today's environmental issues, and the tensions that arise among the avid bird watchers, in a bleak, wind swept stretch of marsh, fronted by the ocean... Does the sun ever come out in a British murder mystery? Just to prove my point, here's one of my favorite quotes from the story:
  “Domenic Jejeune drove without haste, beneath a sky the colour of sorrow.” 
David Thorpe's narration was spot on capturing the moods of this book and I look forward to hearing more books with him as narrator!

David is extraordinary!

He uses different voices for every character! He’s truly an actor and I’d listen to him no matter what book he was reading!!

Good mystery, superb narrator - excellent listen!

Not exactly a page turner but intriguing enough to keep me listening, especially after a somewhat slow start. Stay with it - as you get to know the well drawn characters it gets more exciting. Steve Burrows is an excellent writer - his prose is almost poetic.

An environmental theme with some interesting bits of information about birds. The way the murder is solved is very cool.

David Thorpe is one of the best narrators and does a splendid job in this book. His regional accents are fun and distinctive and I like the way he does Canadian.

I highly recommend A Siege of Bitterns to lovers of British mysteries, especially those who like intelligent plots and are fond of nature. I hope many readers discover this book and enjoy it as much as I did.

Good Mystery, with Clues to Discover

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, there were a lot of different turns in the plot, and subtly buried details that made it important to stay attentive

Birders will love it, perhaps their partners too

I usually listen to more fantasy action genre titles. At a recent birding walk this book was recommended by another birder as a good read. I checked online to see if it was available on Audible and put it in watching before we all started out on our weekly birding excursion. Purchased/downloaded it shortly thereafter for an upcoming long driving trip. My (non-birder) husband and I listened to it during our recent many hour drive. We both totally enjoyed it! There is much more to the book than birding, in fact it is NOT what the book is about, it is a mystery/crime solving story. But, the birder's mind is on full display here and is woven into the story line. My husband (mostly) understands the birding thing and we had many good laughs as the book poked some fun at the obsessive nature of some birders (me). He is also a bit of an Anglophile so the setting worked well for his enjoyment. As one of the passionate birder types referenced in the book I understood and reveled in the birding references, although I was saddened by the marsh. The story had many twists and turns and the "who done it" aspect was well done. The narrator was absolutely fantastic. Even while driving it was always clear which character was speaking. I highly recommend this book, and will be purchasing the rest of the series - although I don't know if I can wait until our next driving trip to listen to them!

Good story, interesting characters

I enjoyed this book but would have to agree with other Canadian reviewers that while David Thorpe does a good job of regional British accents, his Canadian accent is atrocious, a shifting mixture of Maine and California but certainly not Canadian. And why a French-Canadian name without any French-Canadian context? I stopped listening after about a third of the book and switched to a print version from my library.