Customer Reviews

Death Takes A Gander: A Birdwatcher's Mystery

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Angela is a U.S. Fish and wildlife Agent being trained by Ian a senior agent. He calls dispatch who calls her to meet Ian for backup at Barr Lake but by the time she gets there, Ian is dead. She notices a swan acting peculiarly but her attention is mainly on Ian who the coroner says committed suicide. Without an experienced agent to train her, Angela's boss assigns her to Elk Park's first Annual Ice Fishing Jamboree to make sure the anglers don't catch any greenback cutthroat trout.

The event is sponsored by Donald Tavern, CEO of Agriventures, Inc. Before the Jamboree begins, there are a lot of sick geese on the ice with similar coloring to what Angela noticed when she found Ian's body. They treat the surviving geese for lead poisoning. Angela investigates how the lead got into their bodies. She rescues an unconscious agent from the icy water and lands a plane when her pilot succumbs to poisoning. Angela thinks that the incidents are linked, but how and why remains to be proven.

DEATH TAKES A GANDER is a great mystery because the heroine refuses to give up her investigation even when her boss takes her off the case. Angela is a feisty and independent woman who is not afraid to think outside the box seeking the connecting thread that ties the incidents together. Christine Goff creates an intriguing mystery with lots of action without resorting to blood and gore so that fans of cozies will appreciate his work.

Harriet Klausner

Special Agent Angela Dimato of US Fish and Wildlife discovers the body of her supervisor in a field with a sick trumpeter swan. An investigation finds his death a suicide, but Angela can't accept the ruling. Weeks later, Angela discovers a field covered with sick and dying Canadian geese. She recruits a local bird watching group to care for the sick birds, then begins to investigate what happened to the birds and the connection between the geese and the death of her supervisor.

When another man is nearly killed and people become sick after eating wild geese, Angela begins to suspect several local businesses allied with various sectors of agribusiness. She has to work against pressure from financial interests, government bureaucracy and red tape to find out what's going on.

This is an interesting plot with lots of twists and turns. But I learned more than I want to know about birds, toxins, government agencies and big business. Also, there seemed to be more interest in determining what happened to the birds than what happened to the two men. But if you're a bird watcher or a nature lover, this mystery will keep you interested and entertained.

I've read a lot of mysteries of all sorts, and I really got into the characters and problems in this book. The main character, Angela, new to the Division of Wildlife sees some suspicious stuff involving sick birds and maybe dead people. Her boss doesn't trust her insights because she's still new, so her wings are clipped, as it were.

I like a mystery where, in addition to a great plot and great characters, I learn something I didn't know before. I'm not usually a fan of bird watching, so I know nothing about it. I learned a little - and about the department of wildlife, and about flying a plane in Colorado. Chris Goff really did her homework, got her facts clear, and then didn't over-burden the story with them.

A pleasant, quick read. Ms. Goff does understand birders, a quirky sort of group.

Angela Dimato is a Special Agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department. She is called to serve as backup by her partner, but when she reaches him, she discovers that he is dead. She is assigned to help with a fishing tournament, and while there she discovers a flock of Canada Geese which exhibit the symptoms of lead poisoning. She begins to suspect that her partner's demise had some connection with the poisoning of the geese, and she begins to investigate with help from the local birders' group.

This is my first Birdwatcher's Mystery, but it won't be my last. I am an avid birder, and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of birds and bird activities which are part of this series.

This is way too "birdy" for me. I don't mind birds, but this was way too much and too in depth. If you adore birds and learning about them, then you will probably like this book. Otherwise, you will be overwhelmed with the world of the US Fish and Game agent. Angela, the main character, isn't too annoying, just that most of the rest of the characters are and the situation is a frustrating one. Not a series that I will read any more of.