The Boreal Owl Murder: A Bob White Birder Murder Mystery

Who says birding is boring? Certainly not Jan Dunlap, the author of this birding mystery novel. While I’ve never thought of birding as boring, I’m not sure I would want my birding to be as exciting as it is in this story, either!

Bob White (yes, the author clearly had some fun in naming her characters) is an ace Minnesotan birder. On this particular birding outing, he and a friend are hiking deep in the woods, hoping to find a Boreal Owl. Instead, they find something even more exciting – a human body.

This grisly discovery propels Bob along a dangerous path that finds him threatened and even shot at as he helps a police detective solve this crime. Suspects are certainly plentiful: a creepy birder, a snubbed researcher, crazy environmentalists, and poachers. Will Bob find himself dragged in way over his head? Can he figure out who the killer is? And, perhaps even more importantly, will he get his Boreal Owl?

I really enjoyed the story. Sure, it’s improbable, there are many coincidences, and some twists were obvious. But it’s fun. The plot outline may sound serious, but Dunlap keeps it from becoming grim. I kept thinking that it reminded me of something Dave Barry would have conjured up (a very high compliment from me). And it could be quite amusing.

The tale is presented in first person, from Bob’s point of view. This approach seemed awkward to me, and, honestly, a little amateurish. It just didn’t work well for me, personally. But I must say that as I kept reading, the story sucked me in so that, while it was never completely out of mind, it didn’t really bother me.

I was pleased to see that the birders in the story were presented well, and fairly accurately. I appreciated the fact that even when the main character found himself in the tense position of having a weapon pointed at him, he still couldn’t help blurting out the identity of a distant calling owl. I can see some birders doing that. However, a few little things may bother some birders. For instance, the term lifer was defined incorrectly. But nothing that really detracted from the story.

Recommendation

This amusing debut novel is a good, light read. Although birders will find more to appreciate in it, it should be accessible and enjoyable for all readers.