Death Shoots a Birdie

Table of Contents

 

 

Praise for the Birdwatcher’s Mystery series by

DEATH TAKES A GANDER

“A great mystery . . . intriguing.”—
The Best Reviews

 

“A very tidy murder mystery story . . . A person doesn’t have to have an interest in birds or birdwatching to enjoy this story as the characters, setting, action, and dialogue carry the plot well. A good read, enjoyable from start to finish.”—
Roundtable Reviews

 

 

A NEST IN THE ASHES

“[A] light mystery for those that desire to kick back and do a bit of ‘inside’ birding . . . A good alternative for any birder who needs a little evening or weekend R&R!”

—Tehachapi Mountains Birding Club

 

“An interesting and timely book . . . It entertains and challenges readers to consider environmental issues at the same time that it enlivens them with its many twists and turns.”—
Scribe and Quill

 

“Well written . . . very informative yet an enjoyable read . . . I recommend this cozy. I look forward to reading others.”—
Books ’n’ Bytes

DEATH OF A SONGBIRD

“An entertaining amateur sleuth(s) tale that contains a story line that smoothly sings a bird song . . . [a] soaring series.”—
BookBrowser

 

“An interesting twist . . . If you are in the mood for a light murder mystery with a definite avian twist,
Death of a Songbird
is a good read.”

—Tehachapi Mountains Birding Club

 

“Interesting facts about birds and birdwatching enliven this meticulously plotted tale.
Death of a Songbird
will intrigue all who are fans of traditional stories.”—
Romantic Times

 

 

A RANT OF RAVENS

“An engaging and believable heroine . . .
A Rant of Ravens
is a deft and marvelous debut mystery set in the complex and colorful world of birdwatching. A smart, informative, and entertaining read . . . its Colorado setting is well-drawn and captivating.”

—Earlene Fowler, author of
The Saddlemaker’s Wife

 

“
A Rant of Ravens
has what you expect from a good mystery—a smart detective (the sometimes too-smart-for-her-own-good Rachel Stanhope) and a plot that takes some surprising twists as it careens toward the final page.”

—Margaret Coel, author of
The Drowning Man

 

“
A Rant of Ravens
stars a gutsy heroine in fast-paced action with a chill-a-minute finale.”

—Carolyn Hart, author of
Dead Days of Summer

“Rachel Stanhope has the potential to grow into a very strong heroine. She is very gutsy . . . and is willing to go out on a limb, literally, to save her aunt. A quick-paced read with an unusual hook and a lively protagonist will leave readers eager for Rachel’s next outing.”

—
The Mystery Reader

 

 

“Unfolds at a solid, leisurely pace that allows the reader to relish the plot and ponder what will happen next.”

—
BookBrowser

 

 

“Fans of traditional cozies will welcome the debut of this series that also offers wildlife facts.”—
Romantic Times

 

 

“[Christine Goff] knows how to write an intriguing, entertaining mystery peopled with interesting, colorful characters (including the birds)—and the birding lore is an added bonus.”—
Mysterious Galaxy Books

 

 

“Goff knows how to add in bird lore, the vivid Colorado landscape, and a vengeful parakeet whose hobby is dive-bombing visitors in this nifty debut . . .
A Rant of Ravens
soars.”—
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

 

 

“A fresh new series featuring birds, suspense, the Rocky Mountains, a spunky heroine, and plenty of complications . . . what more could anyone ask?”

—Christine T. Jorgensen, author of
Dead on Her Feet

DEATH OF A SONGBIRD
A RANT OF RAVENS
A NEST IN THE ASHES
DEATH TAKES A GANDER
DEATH SHOOTS A BIRDIE

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

DEATH SHOOTS A BIRDIE

 

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / March 2007

Copyright © 2007 by Christine Goff.

 

All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form
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eISBN: 9781101224441

 

BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
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The name BERKLEY PRIME CRIME and the BERKLEY PRIME CRIME design are trademarks
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My deepest thanks to Lydia Thompson, artist and birder extraordinaire, who supplied me with insider information on the birds of Coastal Georgia; to the tour guides, who escorted my father and me through the swamp, for sharing their knowledge of the wildlife and legends of the Okefenokee; and to Suzanne Proulx for her friendship and expertise in all things writing.

Additional thanks to Gwen Shuster-Haynes, Margie Lawson, and the women of the “Think Tank” (Christine Jorgensen, Leslie O’Kane, Cheryl McGonigle, Kay Bergstrom, and Carol Caverly) for their unflagging help, support, and encouragement; and to Averill Craig for submitting the winning title for this novel.

And finally, I would like to thank my editor, Cindy Hwang, for her patience; Peter Rubie, my agent, for his unflagging confidence; and my family, my biggest cheerleaders, who continue to believe I can do anything—well, almost anything.

R
achel Wilder studied Guy Saxby’s photograph in the Hyde Island Birding and Nature Festival brochure, and compared it to the man standing near the bird feeders. He had the same square jaw, the same sharp eyes, and the same light hair, though he looked blond in the photograph and gray in the sunlight. She would swear it was him. Tamping down her excitement, she drew a deep breath of the humid Georgia air, and pushed back an errant curl.

“Rae, are you coming?”

“Lark!” Rachael called in a stage whisper, waving her hand in the universal signal for “Come here.” “Come here!”

Her friend stood her ground. Anchored to the bottom step leading to the entrance of the Hyde Island Nature Center, Lark planted her hands on her hips. “What is it?”

Rachel gestured again, and Lark reluctantly stepped down. Rachel met her halfway.

“Isn’t that Guy Saxby?”

“How should I know?” said Lark. “I’ve never met him.”

“Lark, you have to have seen him at some point, or at least seen pictures of him.” Guy Saxby was a big birder, huge, and so was Lark. Their paths must have crossed somewhere. “Look at his photograph.”

Rachel shoved the brochure into Lark’s hands. She looked down at the photo, then at the man nearby. “Now that’s what I call a really old headshot.”

“Granted. But is it him?”

Lark scrunched up her face and tipped her head sideways, her long blonde braid whipping side to side. “I think so.”

“Yes.” Rachel shot her arm into the air then dropped her elbow to her waist.

“He’s the guy, isn’t he? The one Kirk wants you to cozy up to?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

Rachel had briefed her traveling companions on her assignment during the ride up from the airport. Lark Drummond, Cecilia Meyer, and Dorothy MacBean had flown in from Colorado to attend the Hyde Island Birding and Nature Festival. It had been two years since she’d seen them, and they had been more interested in hearing about what she had been up to than what she had planned. They wanted to know how she liked living in New York. How well she liked her job. Was she in love with Kirk Udall?

To their credit, they had a vested interest. They were all there when she met him, during the investigation into his colleague’s murder in Elk Park. A reporter for
Birds of a Feather
magazine had been murdered, and Rachel’s aunt was implicated in the crime. Rachel had been staying with her. Together Rachel and Kirk, with the help of the Elk Park Ornithological Chapter, had cracked the case. She and Kirk had been dating ever since.

“He asked you to spy on the man,” said Lark.

“Kirk didn’t actually use the word
spy
.”

But that was the gist.
He had been all set to join them himself when the magazine decided to send him to Sri Lanka at the last minute. They wanted a piece on how bird populations weather natural disasters, which left
her
to ferret out Saxby’s secret.

Kirk was doing an expose on Saxby, an icon in the birding world. As a young professor, he had written a book entitled
A Sacrifice of Buntings
about the plight of the painted bunting on the Eastern Seaboard and his observations had proved prophetic. Now he was a world-renowned expert on endangered species, and set to unveil a new project. Something big. Something that would “rock the bird world.” Kirk wanted the inside scoop.