A Shimmer of Hummingbirds
CBC Books | CBC | Posted: March 14, 2017 3:26 PM | Last Updated: July 10, 2017
Steve Burrows
Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is hoping an overseas birding trip might hold some answers in his fugitive brother's manslaughter case. But there are people on the tour who seem keen to keep their secrets and the rainforest can be a dangerous place for those who ask too many questions.
Back in the U.K., in Jejeune's absence, Marvin Laraby, his former boss and longtime nemesis has been brought in to investigate the murder of an accountant. He is proving so effective that Superintendent Colleen Shepherd is considering making his replacement of Jejeune a permanent arrangement.
With the manslaughter case poised to claim another victim, Jejeune learns that an accident back home involving his girlfriend, Lindy Hey, is much more than it seems. Lindy is in imminent danger. And only Jejeune can help her. But to do so, he must sacrifice his working relationship with Shepherd, opening the door for Laraby's appointment as Saltmarsh's new DCI.
When Jejeune discovers the truth about Laraby's current case, he is faced with a dilemma. He can speak up, knowing it will cost him his job on the north Norfolk coast he loves. Or he can stay silent, and let a killer escape justice. As he weighs his alternatives, Domenic Jejeune begins to realize that, sometimes, the wrong choice is the only choice you have. (From Dundurn Press)
From the book
The cold lay across the land like a punishment. Along the lane, the grassy verges bowed with their burdens of frost, and lacy collars of ice fringed the edges of the puddles. On the far side of the lane, beyond the hedgerow, the skeleton shapes of bare trees lined the boundaries of the fields. Stands of pale grass moved uneasily beneath metallic skies. Winter was stretching its fingers over the landscape, and if it had not yet drawn them in, to clasp the land fully in its grip, the time was surely near.
From A Shimmer of Hummingbirds by Steve Burrows ©2017. Published by Dundurn Press.