Every Trick in the Rook

by Marty Wingate

If you are looking for a fun, engaging read—a good mystery, but nothing to keep you awake at night, look no further than Every Trick in the Rook. The bottom line is that I had a good time with this book. The main character Julia is predictably at odds with law enforcement as she both finds herself in bad situations not of her own doing and also pursues investigations putting herself in harm’s way.

I especially enjoyed meeting the young Tennyson and her trained rook, Alphie, who plays an important part in solving the mystery. I kept wanting Julia to help Tennyson’s mother find a good job, but since it was hinted at a few times, perhaps it will happen in the next novel. Every Trick in the Rook is the third book in the Birds of a Feather Mystery Series, but I didn’t feel I had missed anything by jumping into the series with this book.

The overarching theme of Every Trick in the Rook is obviously birds, but you don’t have to be an ornithologist to enjoy it. It has the typical small town feel of a cozy mystery with the added interest of a special setting, a small village that is part of Lord Fotheringill’s estate. Julia (Jools) wears many hats as she manages the Tourist Information Center and promotes the village through public relations efforts to draw tourists to the village for hiking, birding, and special events. she is the daughter of a famous ornithologist, a former Cambridge professor, and is therefore well acquainted with “all things bird.” She has a busy, happy life until her ex-husband, Nick, shows up unexpectedly in the village after a five year absence—dead. And so the mystery begins…

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Alibi for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: Part of a series but works well as a standalone

Publication: March 7, 2017—Alibi

Memorable Lines:

Their leaves had only just begun to unfurl, turning the wood into a shimmer of fluorescent green that glowed in the last of the sun that peeked out from beneath the clouds.

For the first half of my journey back to Smeaton, I dutifully slowed down every time I saw a warning for a speed camera.

I marveled at how easy it was these days to throw up a website and toss out a load of lies.