01/28/2025
A Bird in the Hand by Ann Cleeves
Consider this the portrait of a master as a young, new fledged, writer. A Bird in the Hand was Ann Cleeves debut novel, first published in 1986, the days before ubiquitous cellphones. Which matters a lot to the story as the inability to communicate instantly changes the whole tenor of the investigation.
Tom French, a well-known and respected 'twitcher', is dead, to begin with. This is the story of the investigation into his murder, an investigation that is hampered by the disturbed nature of the killing ground, the even more disturbed nature of several of the witnesses and suspects, and last, but absolutely not least, the unskilled investigator attempting to solve the murder in spite of all those roadblocks. Including his own angst about his questionable abilities to solve the case.
Admittedly, George Palmer-Jones is the one doing most of the questioning of his own capabilities.
The story is fascinating as an example of a great writer at the very beginning of her craft, as well as a look at a closed community of aficionados AND a look back at a time when we could actually get away from it all and out of touch with the world no matter how inconvenient it might be for everyone else.
But it's also a story where no one is all that likeable, not the victim, not the investigators in their first outing, and damn few of the witnesses. Which doesn't mean that the case doesn't drag the reader and keep the reader 'ringed' until the very last page.
