A Nest In The Ashes: A Birdwatcher's Mystery [Large Print] [Paperback]

Christine Goff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2004

National Park Service ranger Eric Linenger has been asked to oversee a "prescribed burn" of 1,000 acres of Rocky Mountain National Park. Although necessary, the fire threatens the habitat of Green-Tailed Towhees and Virginia Warblers and Eric's friends at EPOCH are strongly opposed. Once lit, the flames spread out of control - and the body of Eric's boss is found near the origin. As Eric investigates, he discovers that many people had reasons for wanting the burn to go to blazes . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One needn't be a bird lover to fall in love with Christine Goff's charming Birdwatcher Mysteries."
-- Tony Hillerman

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; 1 edition (April 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587246422
• ISBN-13: 978-1587246425
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,128,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first two, but..., February 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Nest in the Ashes (Birdwatcher's Mysteries) (Paperback)

Christine Goff is making a name for herself as an author of birding mysteries. I am no fan of the genre, but my curiosity and a good review of the series in _Birding_ magazine convinced me finally to read the books. This third installment starts quite well indeed, with fire-fighting scenes that rise a time or two from the merely convincing to the nearly gripping. But soon it falls into the tired pattern of the first two books in the series: the birding content is a bit jejune, and the mystery and its resolution are uncompelling. I bristled, too, and have not finished bristling, at the narrator's comment that ATV's are kept from some federal lands by an "excess" of regulation. If this is not just a severe slip in diction, it is outrageous on the part of an author who hopes to sell books to members of the birding community.
But you know what? I'll probably read the next one anyway.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Park Service burn gone bad, April 1, 2003

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Nest in the Ashes (Birdwatcher's Mysteries) (Paperback)

Eric Linenger works for the National Park Service in the Rocky Mountain National Park. His boss and close friend, Wayne Devlin, goes missing when they are starting a prescribed burn. The plan is to burn off 1000 acres of dense vegetation to remove fuel to reduce the risk of a catastrophic wildfire. Eric does not wan the burn to take place because this is the prime habitat for the green-tailed towhees and the Virginia's warblers. Nora Frank, who is Devlin's 2nd in command, begins the burn against his recommendations.

Linda Verbiscar, news reporter for KEPC-TV, is on hand with her cameraman Charlie to document this prescribed burn. This is one of the reasons Nora continues with the burn.

The burn quickly gets out of hand. They have to evacuate the visitor's center, Shangri-La housing development, east end of Beaver Meadows Wildland Center, and Youth Mountain. When Eric arrives at Youth Mountain to oversee the evacuation, Vic Garcia, Elk Park County Sheriff, discovers that 2 boys are missing. Unfortunately with the fire out of control, they don't have the time or manpower to search for the boys now. They evacuate everyone else and go to help contain the fire.

Lark Drummond who owns Drummond Hotel and is a partner in the Warbler Café is also a volunteer firefighter. She is also dating Eric. Once she discovers that the burn is out of control, she joins to help.

Devlin is charged with deliberately setting this fire. Eric, with Lark's help, sets out to clear Devlin's name. In the process he discovers many people had reasons for ensuring the burn got out of hand.

I like the characters in this book. I hope they will continue in the series, but I have been told this is not the case.

My only complaint about this book is that it is billed as a Birdwatcher's Mystery series. There was very little bird watching. It was more a National Park Service series. I hope that in future books, bird watching will play a bigger role.

I think the plot and setting are well written. The characters are very believable. I found the topic interesting as well. It was very informative yet an enjoyable read.

I recommend this cozy. I look forward to reading others.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Nest' rises above previous installments, December 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Nest in the Ashes (Birdwatcher's Mysteries) (Paperback)

In this third book in the series, author Christine Goff takes a great leap forward in her already accomplished birdwatcher series. Goff weaves Colorado mountain lore into the standard mystery elements of intrigue and suspicion in a very enjoyable way, and introduces a new protagonist in each book. In this one it's Eric Lininger, a park ranger who must not only set, and then battle, a forest fire, but grill his acquaintances to figure out who set it--and why. Highly readable!