A Parliament of Owls

March 1, 2016
A special agent focused on protecting nature looks for clues there when a local detective won't share any information that might help her solve the murder of a woman found in her park. Angela Dimato isn't thrilled when she's assigned to lead a tour for a bunch of middle schoolers on a field trip to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal's Visitor Center. Even if the kids pay no attention to what she has to share, though, Angela thinks the natural history of the area is pretty interesting. Protecting the area and its inhabitants is why she became a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent to begin with, before her job veered into investigating some human cases (Death Takes a Gander, 2015, etc.). Unfortunately, Angela's tour is also the start of another investigation into a human death: she and the students come upon the body of a murdered woman in the prairie dog habitat. On top of that, the victim, Sheila Henderson, happens to be the mother of one of the boys in the class. Worst of all, Angela suspects a connection between Sheila's death and several other local crimes. This connection forces Angela to get information from Adams County Sheriff's Detective Sykes, a man with whom she has a romantic past. Sykes acts like such a jerk that it reminds Angela why it didn't work out in the first place--he's rude, entitled, and too handsome for his own good. Instead of pairing off with him again, Angela opts to work the natural world's side of the case. Why was Sheila way out in the prairie dog habitat, and why would anyone have been unhappy that she was there? Though Angela can't rely on human help, it's possible the eponymous local owls may have clues to the case. Although her stories are billed as bird-watchers' mysteries, Goff's writing is accessible, and her plot--cozy and predictable yet enjoyable--may well appeal to a wider audience.

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April 1, 2016

Special Agent Angela DiMato of U.S. Fish and Wildlife is trying to get her life back on track after the murder of her partner. Today, however, she has to lead a student group on a tour of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge Complex to see prairie dogs and maybe a nesting pair of eagles. When their bus arrives at the prairie dog village, she and the students are aghast to find a body near the home of a rare burrowing owl. The victim is an unpopular soccer mom who made a habit of suing the town of Commerce City. The suspect list is long and tangled. VERDICT Fans of this avian series have been waiting for almost ten years (after 2007's Death Takes a Gander) for this sixth installment. They won't be disappointed; birders and fans of outdoors mysteries will find the natural history lore quite fascinating. In addition to this new title, the publisher has reissued the previous books, originally released by Berkley.

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