Bird Watcher II (The Bird Watcher Book 2)

Birdwatching

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This is not a place of beauty. Beauty is found in the pursuit of birds, in nature and in the sea. Birds are a passion for Bob and South. We get a real sense of the devotion that birders have. View all 5 comments. Jun 26, Abby Crime by the Book rated it really liked it. Read my full review here: This book snuck up on me. It took me about pages to get into the swing of things, but once I did, I found myself fully engrossed in this mystery.

It's most definitely a slow-burning mystery throughout, so do be aware of that! But fans of classic British crime will absolutely love this one. This novel has probably one of the best first paragraphs I've read in quite a while: The first was that it was October. The migrating birds had begun arriving on the coast. The second was that, though nobody knew, he was a murderer himself.

Doesn't this just make you want to keep reading? Well done William Shaw! William South lives alone in a tiny coastguard cottage in Dungeness, Kent near the nuclear power stat This novel has probably one of the best first paragraphs I've read in quite a while: William South lives alone in a tiny coastguard cottage in Dungeness, Kent near the nuclear power station. South has been a policeman for over twenty years. An ordinary copper, he is assigned to support the new Detective Sergeant as she is unfamiliar with the area.

DS Alexandra Cupidi has just moved to Kent with her daughter. Her previous job was with the London Metropolitan Police. He writes all his observations down in his notebook, a discipline that all birders work to acquire. Birding has made him patient. Birdwatching has been his passion ever since he was a child. It is an occupation for a solitary boy, and a solitary man.

You spent your days looking for anomalies. Things that were just a little different. When William South learns that the murder victim is his good friend, fellow birder, and close neighbor, he is deeply troubled. Bob Rayner had been a nice gentle man, a private man, much like South himself. His murder was brutally violent causing South to re-access his love of the place where he lives. South lives alone partly because he does not want to inflict his 'baggage' on another person.

He grew up in Armagh, Northern Ireland during a time when school children practiced running in a zigzag pattern so as to avoid being shot at. Back then his name was Billy McGowan and his father was in the paramilitaries. His experiences in during "The Troubles" have indelibly colored his life and he lives with guilt on a daily basis. DS Cupidi works all the hours God sends. She is not getting along at her new school and fights with her classmates. The murder investigation spurs other crimes. One of which is connected to South's past in Northern Ireland. DS Cupidi, at first very friendly toward South, turns distant and decidedly cool.

Will South's career survive the secrets he carries? This was a great read! All of the characters were so real that you felt compassion for them and you become invested in their fate. The Dungeness, Kent setting was atmospheric and perfectly suited to the story. Like many novels the action was divided between a past narrative Billy's boyhood in Northern Ireland , and a present narrative his adult life as a policeman in Kent. The author skillfully alternated between the two time periods and linked them up in a cohesive manner. The suspense-filled final pages will delight all those who relish crime thrillers and police procedurals.

All in all - reading time well spent! When I finished reading the book I found myself wishing the characters would return in another novel - though "The Birdwatcher" was touted as being a stand-alone.

I received a digital copy of this book from Mulholland Books via NetGalley in consideration of my honest and unbiased review. View all 6 comments. Jan 06, Pat rated it really liked it Shelves: William South is a policemen in Kent and lives on a rocky beach near the ocean. He lives a very quiet life, doing small town policing and birdwatching. William carries a secret that he has never revealed to anyone but memories begin to come back as his neighbor, Bob, is murdered.

It turns out that Bob's life was as secretive as William's. I really enjoyed the character of William and the slow reveal of this book. It is written in alternating chapters betwe 4 solid stars I really enjoyed this book. It is written in alternating chapters between present day and William's childhood past and contains a bang-up ending. So many things happen that secrets have to come out. I see from the title this is a prequel to a series about DS Alexandra Cupidi. She is a homcide investigator who along with her daughter Zoe, befriend William.

My hope is that author William Shaw will continue to find a role for William South. The beautiful wooden homes set against the menencing presence of a nuclear power plant.

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All this is captured in this wonderful book set in this isolated place; as locations go it makes an impact as much as any other character in this novel. William South is the star of the story both in his role as a neighbourhood police officer and as a 13 year boy during the troubles in Northern Ireland; memories which are stirred when he is forced to attend the murder of a neighbour and friend. The magic that bridges the years is that he is a loner and a birder; his methods of recording his sightings similar to his routine police notes.

He is a loner. He has few friends and he takes the death of his mate more deeply than he imagined. A narrative packed full of secrets, relationships with secrets and lies and a bobby who is a much better detective often than those around him. I love the character of South both young and old, and his interaction with Zoe who he empathises with immediately as an outsider in a strange new home.

One of the delights is their new found love and understanding of birds. The crimes committed are gruelsome and slowly reveal that perhaps the murderer is not just a killer but perhaps will not be satisfield while they believe their secrets might be exposed. A very satisfying read by a writer who is a natural storyteller and has produced a book that will thrill and delight all who pick it up. William Shaw has written an excellent thriller with clear crisp prose, that is wonderfully descriptive, observant and at times quite bleak.

Police Sergeant William South is a uniformed officer who happily works his beat around the Kent coast, around Dungeness where at times the landscape may be rather bleak, but to a twitcher like South it is an ideal area.

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South has never worked on a murder, he has worked deaths and road traffic accidents where deaths have occurred but that is all in the life of a uniformed officer. He is asked by a colleague to babysit a new Detective Sergeant who has transferred in from London, help her find her feet around the area, something he is not pleased about. When he first meets DS Alexandra Cupidi, he notes how she seems out to impress in her new post.

When they meet he is to take her to a murder scene, something he is would rather not do. South has never wanted to investigate murder as he is a murderer himself and that would mean facing a few truths he would rather keep down. The only thing he is sure of is that Cupidi is the sort of Police Officer that would and could find his secret if the opportunity arose. He is even more shocked when he finds that the murder scene and the victim happens to be his friend, neighbour and fellow twitcher, Bob Rayner.

So begin a series of events that he would rather not happen even more so when a drifter from Northern Ireland appears to be the primes suspect, Donnie Fraser. Shaw takes the reader seamlessly from the storm lashed coast of Kent to the world of the Irish borderlands during the Troubles of the 70s and 80s where the common theme is the bleakness of it all. The Birdwatcher is an intelligent crime thriller packed full of suspense that asks the characters to face their inner demons and challenges their fear and guilt.

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A thoroughly enjoyable read that just draws you in and the bleakness is the one things that breathes life in to the story while reflecting the characters and the background to the story. Jun 20, Jessica Woodbury rated it really liked it Shelves: When I read crime novels these days I'm looking for something that doesn't feel like the same old thing.

Not the same old grizzled detective, not the same old protagonist haunted by unspeakable loss, not the same old addictions and vices. William South is a cop, but he's not in a big city, not a detective, not grizzled. He's the eponymous birdwatcher, a m When I read crime novels these days I'm looking for something that doesn't feel like the same old thing. He's the eponymous birdwatcher, a man who keeps mostly to himself in a little house near the sea.

He is also, as he tells us from the very first page, a murderer. But he isn't a hardened killer or a ruthless man, and we get regular flashbacks to his youth to understand more about this murder and who William is then and now. The lead detective on the case, Cupidi, may look a little more familiar: She brings South into a murder investigation mostly because the victim is his neighbor and friend, normally South wouldn't even touch this kind of case. It also means Cupidi lets her guard down with him a lot and is more often portrayed as harried and overwhelmed than as the solid detective she clearly is, my main quibble.

The flashbacks don't have much suspense, but they do a lot for the pacing and the character-building, and bring in an unexpected backstory that ends up tying in to the current case though the full weight of it is mostly left unexplored, sadly. A good fit for readers of procedurals, including fans of Tana French and Denise Mina. Not quite at the depth of writing and character you'll find there, but it'll help sate your appetite while you wait for their next ones. What a fantastic narrative.

This already has a place in my top reads of ! What can I add? Despite the bloody crimes — in the past and the present spaces, there is an underlying optimism that permeates the narrative, tightly grasp hold of this emotion as you stagger bloodied, battered and emotionally drained towards the resolution of this narrative. Personal isolation looms large not only in his main protagonist, William South for reasons that are slowly revealed during the course of the book, but also to a certain degree in DS Cupidi, following her relocation to the area. As much as South struggles with the ghosts of the past coming back to haunt him, Cupidi is seeking to make her mark in this investigation as the new face on the squad, and there is an intuitive use of her daughter, Zoe, to provide South with a path back to normal human interaction that he has so solidly distanced himself from outside of his professional career.

I loved the interplay and shifting dynamic between these three characters, albeit with some hard decisions arising from their interactions, and the way that the slowly unfurling trust between them comes to be so sorely tested. In the same way as Scandinavian authors so routinely return to reference the Second World War, Shaw uses the Irish upbringing of his central protagonist, Police Sergeant William South to provide this gravitational axis to conflicts of the past. In the story of South we see an individual who has laboured under this shadow for many years, and Shaw beautifully controls the gradual reveal of the more shadowy and violent previous life.

I found it interesting that Shaw had then cast South in the role of protector and policeman, and the sharp contrast this reveals between his younger and older self, which added a certain frisson to the story overall. It goes without saying that this also serves well in manipulating the empathy of the reader, and if, like me, the psychological quirks and anomalies of protagonists is a real draw in your crime fiction reading this will serve you well.

Once again Shaw has produced, in my opinion, an exceptionally perceptive and sensitive crime novel, that raises as many questions on human nature and redemption as it answers. Intelligent and thought provoking. Will definitely be reading more by this author. Jul 28, Lynn rated it really liked it.

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The Birdwatcher is a slow suspense building character driven police procedural located in the Kent area of England. The first lines of the book are maybe some of the best beginning lines in any book I have read. The Sergeant William South is letting the reader know that he has committed murder in the past. He is now a policeman. The book alternates between the now and the childhood of William South. William South has always been a devout birdwatcher. Another reviewer on Goodreads related how the The Birdwatcher is a slow suspense building character driven police procedural located in the Kent area of England.

Another reviewer on Goodreads related how the book could be compared to the patience one must have watching birds and letting the viewing unfold. It was compared to the plot of this book where the reader must have patience and the plot or story will slowly unveil it. I thought the reviewer nailed it. I hadn't thought of this but she was right.

The book was slow at the beginning for me but the ending was quite exciting.

I hope William South will make appearances in future books. The next book or series will be based on DS Alexandra Cupidi. I did not care for her at all in this book.

I am wondering if I will go on with the series due to my dislike of her. I will give it some time and will probably read the next book. View all 3 comments. Jul 30, Truman32 rated it really liked it. The Birdwatcher from William Shaw is a quiet character driven crime novel that packs an emotional wallop like an uppercut from Mike Tyson, like a karate chop from Bruce Lee, like a bicycle kick to the testicles from Pele. W The Birdwatcher from William Shaw is a quiet character driven crime novel that packs an emotional wallop like an uppercut from Mike Tyson, like a karate chop from Bruce Lee, like a bicycle kick to the testicles from Pele.

William South, the police sergeant working the community beat on the coast of Kent, England is quiet, thoughtful, observant, and a bird watcher. He is hiding something from his past—a murder he committed while young-- though the details of this remain murky. He is the type of man consistently minimized and underestimated. In my mind I pictured him in height and characteristics as the sensational actor Martin Freeman.

Bird Watching For Dummies. Added to Your Shopping Cart. Description Millions of people worldwide enjoy bird watching; it offers them a chance to get back to nature and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. Bird Watching For Dummies covers all the basics of bird watching, leading you on a guided tour of the gorgeous world of birds. No matter what your level of experience, this guide offers everything you need for unforgettable bird watching: He has edited more than a dozen other bird watching booklets and has a bird watching life list of more than 1, bird species worldwide.

Bird Watching For Dummies

Bird Watcher's Digest is the oldest and most popular bi-monthly magazine devoted to birds and bird watching enthusiasts around the world. Table of contents Foreword.

Why You Need This Book. How to Use This Book. How This Book Is Organized. Binoculars are 4 x The illustrations in the Norfolk Diary are a joy to behold. Teach Yourself Bird Watching: The classic guide to ornithology. Bird Watching in Mallorca A Cicerone guide. Watching Birds in Ireland. Beginner's Guide to Bird-watching. Thank you for looking at our current available product which is brand new and ready for quick despatch.

The Puffin by Jim Flegg. Shire Booklets are usual and informative and cover various and different subjects.

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