Murder with Puffins / Donna Andrews

 

3.75 stars out of 5

The second book in this long running series and, in my opinion, very much a second book. I really enjoyed the first one, but in this installment, I could really tell that Andrews was really looking for her shtick, the way forward. The whole puffin theme was a bit over done, what with each chapter title including puffins in some way, plus the general obsession with them in artwork and stuffed animals and other tourist tempting items. She hadn't yet found her trademark book titles substituting a bird species into a well known saying.

I wonder if she ever regretted solidifying Meg and Michael’s relationship at the end of book one? Obviously it hasn't done her any harm, as there are 30 books so far in the series. But losing that plot tension of a pending romance is hard to compensate for. Mind you, she puts an impediment in their plans by producing a whole platoon of Meg's family who have previously arrived at the rustic cabin where Meg and Michael were hoping to find some privacy.

I realized pretty quickly that this novel was yet another homage to Murder on the Orient Express, and it reminded me quite a lot of two other books that I've read recently, Mayhem at the Orient Express and The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend those two as well.

I was amused to find herds of birders in this book, out to enjoy the fall migration on an island off the coast of Maine. Andrews portrayed their behaviour quite accurately—a tendency toward dull clothing with numerous pockets, lots of waterproof gear, and enough lenses of various kinds to amaze non-birders. She only slipped up once, when a supposed birder talked about “seagulls.” There's no such thing, as any birder will tell you—they are gulls, no adjective required. Not my favourite bird family, as the juveniles are difficult to identify to species level and nothing bores me more than a flock of gull guys talking about two-year versus three-year gulls.

So, not quite up to the standard set by book one, but still very enjoyable. I will definitely be reading book three as soon as I can wiggle it into my reading plans.