Search - A Nest in the Ashes (Birdwatcher's Mysteries, Bk 3)

A good, quick story with exciting action and interesting characters, strong plot, and a satisfactory motive and ending. I enjoyed how the fates of the birds and other wildlife were expertly woven into the story.

In this narrative, a perscribed burn is the Colorado Rockie forest that has gone horribly out of control, threatening a nearby town and a camp for troubled teenagers, provides a backdrop for a complex story of murder and danger.

However, I debated about giving this book a "Favorites" star, and finally decided against. I think that what held me back were the occasional uses of cliche, silly, or author's favorite terms and phrases. Not a lot, but enough to be annoying. The worse was variations of the phrase: "His heart leaped in his chest." (I have read this phrase in other books as well. It seems to be a favorite among some authors to denote surprise, sudden fear, aprehension, etcl)

Ummmmmm...exactly where else is the heart supposed to be????

I know it sounds picky and silly, and maybe I was just in a mood, but I feel that those kinds of cliches substract from the effectiveness of the phrase or description. Wouldn't it have been better to have just said: "His heart leaped"? Or even better, perhaps the author could have come up with a new way to describe fear or whathaveyou that still fit in with the writing style.

Still, this book provided me with a great read. I would recommend it.

National Park Service ranger Eric Linenger is overseeing a "prescribed burn" of 1,000 acres of Rocky Mountain National Park. But he know it's threatening the habityat of Green-Tailed Towhees and Virginia Warblers. The body of Eric's boss, Wayne Devlin, is
found near the origin of the blaze. Eric is determined to found out who set the blaze that may spin out of control.

Great book!