A Siege of Bitterns

DCI Domenic Jejeune's last case was solved with much fanfare, making him a media darling. Now, he's been transferred to Saltmarsh, a small town in Norfolk & unfortunately the acclaim has followed him. Dom has always felt ambivalent about his job & is a reluctant hero. At least here, he can indulge his passion for bird watching.
His boss, DCS Shepherd, makes it clear she expects the positive PR to continue & it's not long before he's put to the test. Cameron Brae, a well known environmental activist, is found hanging from a tree. Dom & his unit catch the case & Shepherd wants this wrapped up PDQ.
But Dom faces many obstacles, inside the department & out. Saltmarsh is an insular place where people mind their own business & don't open up to show more strangers. He's regarded with suspicion by the locals & even his fellow cops are slow to warm to their new boss. Political pressure comes from Beverly Brennan, the local MP. She's an ambitious woman with her own agenda & close friend to Shepherd. Neither one is impressed by Dom's initial theory. He thinks Brae's death may have something to do with the competition among birders to reach 400 verified sightings of different species in the marsh. Clues are hard to come by & while the cops are struggling to gather evidence, another body is found & many start to doubt the new DCI.
There is no lack of suspects. Brae was a difficult man with an ex-wife, an estranged son & a famous (much younger) second wife. He fought with local land developers & fell out with other experts in academia.
There are many side plots to this story. Professionally, Dom has to deal with a cop in his unit only too willing to undermine his boss, his lack of local knowledge & growing unease that Shepherd & Brennan aren't telling him everything. Personally, he wonders if his girlfriend regrets moving with him & if he even wants to be a cop anymore.
The author does a good job fleshing out these stories with well rounded characters & atmospheric descriptions of the setting. The location itself is a major character in this book & we get an education in its' history & the world of bird watching.
Dom is a sympathetic & compelling guy. He's a quiet, self reliant man & not much of a team player. Add the fact he's Canadian & you have a natural outsider. Ironically, he has a gift for solving crimes but would rather be out on the marshes alone with his binoculars. You feel his frustration as the cases drag on & the pressure builds to live up to his reputation. Is this the case that will make him walk away from his career?
There are red herrings everywhere & plenty of twists before the murders are finally solved. Hidden alliances & motives are slowly revealed as the police chip away at alibis & the identity of the killer will catch many readers by surprise.
I really enjoyed this novel. It's not a flashy thriller full of car chases & shootouts. Instead, it's a moody, character driven story about rural life where the isolation of the setting is mirrored by the isolation of our hero. You get drawn into the story because of the believable characters & smart complex plot. You keep reading because you have to know what will become of them all & ultimately, who done it. For fans of Louise Penny, Peter May, Elly Griffiths & Ann Cleeves. show less

DCI Dominic Jejune, Canadian ex-pat in Britain, has a knack for solving cases, a talent which has brought him fame and a new position in Norfolk. Unfortunately, he would rather spend his time indulging in his real passion, birding and Norfolk is a birder’s paradise. So when a celebrity ecologist is murdered and it looks like it might have something to do with a rare bird sighting, Dom should be in his element.

However, as he and his team delve deeper into the case, it becomes clear that the solution isn’t going to be that simple. When Dom’s main suspect turns up dead, his whole case seems to have crumbled and when one of the members of his team is injured, he knows he has little time to start all over again before there is another show more murder.

In fact, there is nothing simple or simplistic in this novel. A Siege of Bitterns is a very complex and interesting police procedural. Rather than a simple line from A. crime to B. solution, the investigation takes many wrong turns and hits many dead ends, much, I suspect, like a real investigation. The characters are very well-drawn and believable – they are complicated people with complicated motives and actions. If sometimes what they do seems to be somewhat out of character, rather than seeming like author Steve Burrows is looking for a way out of a poorly written corner as it might in a less nuanced novel, the reader quickly learns that, in fact, it will make sense when viewed later in the light of the evidence as it is slowly uncovered. Nothing is out of place here and the payoff for the reader’s patience is always rewarded.

As interesting and complex as the rest of the story is, the setting in the marshes of Norfolk adds even more colour and atmosphere to this tale with Burrow’s depictions of a very unique ecosystem with all of its delicacy and biodiversity.

A Siege of Bitterns moves at a somewhat slow pace as the story builds layer upon layer to its conclusion. It is intelligent and nuanced with complex characters and setting and, for the reader who prefers smart to fast, this is definitely well worth the read. show less

Highly recommended by a trusted source, I began reading A Siege of Bitterns with a great deal of anticipation. I love British police procedurals as well as watching birds, so this book had all the earmarks of a winner. Alas, it was not meant to be. For a first book, the main things are good: the story, the setting, and the characters. Burrows puts us right in the marshes of Norfolk, and the mystery is genuinely puzzling. Jejeune, on the whole, is an interesting character, but.

You were waiting for that, weren't you? The execution did not live up to the promise. The book needed more editing to tighten it up and make the story flow smoother and faster. One of my pet reading peeves is when we are constantly told about a character instead show more of letting us find out for ourselves. This is what happens with Domenic Jejeune. At almost every turn, we are told what an exceptional person he is instead of simply being shown by his words and actions. I hate to say this, but midway through the book, I found myself fighting to stay awake, and that continued throughout the rest of the story.

As I've said before, this is a first book, and the issues I had with it can all be fixed. I'm just not sure that I want to venture into book number two. Your mileage may certainly vary-- and I hope that it does! show less

I am a huge fan of Elly Griffiths’ series that takes place near Saltmarsh in Norfolk and was excited to learn about a second series set in the same area. While Ruth Galloway (Griffiths’ protagonist) is an archaeologist, DCI Domenic Jejeune is a Canadian police detective who would rather spend his days birdwatching. Soon after his arrival in Norfolk, Jejeune is assigned to solve the murder of a prominent ecological activist. Jejeune is a likeable and intelligent protagonist, and the resolution of the murder is a bit convoluted but still entirely plausible and satisfactory.

Burrows calls attention to the saltmarshes of Norfolk, and the effects pollution and human activity have on that sensitive and important habitat. That focus and show more learning about the bittern were my favorite parts of the book. He strikes just the right balance between the mystery elements and the ecological and nature aspects of the story.

A Siege of Bitterns was a great read, and I look forward to reading the next few books in the series. show less

This was a slow burn. I wasn't impressed by yet another detective with an unexpected side: in this case, DI Domenic Jejeune is a bird watcher.

Once I had put this 'interesting' detective bit out of mind, I found an enjoyable tale, with the required twist and clues that should have, but didn't, lead me to solve the crime.

That's my idea of a perfect crime story.

What I liked most about this book was that it was smartly written.

At times I was certain this was a 4-1/2 to 5 star book, but ultimately I felt like the story bogged down for no good reason and then many of the clues to the mystery were dropped in during the summing up. For me that last bit is like... thank you for explaining what wasn't contained in the book (which could be any damn thing you dreamed up to make it work).

Within the mystery is a knowledgeable account of birds and birding, but at the same time does not spare birders from light disparagement. The story ranges from the finer points of field identification to bird lore to mocking those who choose to spend valuable time chasing birds.

This is the kind of stuff I really liked, show more the "birders versus the real world."

************

"But murdering someone over a bird list? I mean, it's so preposterous. Even a fanatical birder like you must admit that, for God's sake. Just to be the first to see four hundred birds. Who cares? Well, you would, obviously, but I mean among normal people."

Birders versus the real world was a discussion they had held before, at various levels of seriousness, and Jejeune had little hope that this one would turn out any different, especially given Lindy's current mood.

************

This passage being a bit of "who knew?" as well as a look at those inside and those outside the bird world.

************

"Why a siege, for God's sake?"

Senior smiled. "Ah well, you would have to ask Juliana de Berniers. She's the one who first catalogued these wonderful collective nouns. Some do say it's a corruption of sedge, but there are enough strange entries in Ms. de Berniers' 'Book of St Albans' to suggest that it was probably siege right from the beginning."

"But why have a collective noun for bitterns at all," asked Lindy, "if it's so unusual to see more than one at a time? I mean, nobody's ever felt the need to come up with a collective noun for intelligent men, have they?"

Senior barked his delighted laugh again. "Ah well, I suspect it's back to the dinner table for that one. As in, 'I understand you are entertaining tonight, my Lord, I'll have cook prepare a siege of bitterns for your supper.' But it's an interesting question.

************

It's a fun read. show less

Many thanks to the blog reader who recommended this title, the winner of the 2015 Arthur Ellis award for best first novel.

Although this is the debut novel in a series, it tries to give the impression that it isn't: there is some history about why Domenic Jejeune has accepted this appointment in the marshlands of North Norfolk. The story is hinted at, never fully revealed in one place.

And the reader's curiosity is piqued on two levels: Jejeune is Canadian, so what is he doing in the British police force? And the author is Canadian - what is he doing setting his novel in England?

And then there is the character of Jejeune himself. We are told he has risen rapidly through the ranks, that he is a clever detective. But we are also told by show more Jejeune himself that it is case of what he is good at rather than a case of what he enjoys doing. He hates the need to be meticulous, to dot the i's and cross the t's. He would much rather be bird watching.

And then that brings us to the plot and the setting: the heart of bird watching in Britain, the competition between bird watchers to be the best there is, to record the biggest personal totals. Can any of this possibly be related to the hanging of an outspoken ecological activist or is the perpetrator much closer to home?

I have concluded that this is certainly an author worth following. The plot of A SIEGE OF BITTERNS was satisfyingly complex, full of twists and turns, as well as red herrings. show less