Title: A Murder of Crows
Author(s) Name(s): Sarah Yarwood-Lovett
Published in: July, 2022
Why You Might Like This Book: Read this book if you enjoy
- whodunit mysteries,
- murder mysteries,
- ecology and environmental science,
- organic character arcs,
- even-paced fiction,
- unexpected, fast-paced action,
- witty humour,
- multiple secrets, and
- romance sub-plots.
Who Should Avoid This Book: Avoid this book if you are triggered by or dislike
- abusive partners or abusive ex partners,
- online harassment,
- victim shaming,
- sex scandal,
- divorce,
- murder,
- guilt,
- death, or
- grief and loss.
A Murder of Crows is unlike most other thriller novels you will read. One, the story grows organically, two, at no point is there a fall in the pace that makes it boring, and three, it comes with unexpected lessons in ecology that only blend really well with character development and the main crime plot. If it’s been a long time since you read intersting thriller books and you have a weekend to spare, this will be a good pick!
On a Wednesday, between 4 and 6 pm, Sophie Crows was murdered inside a tunnel, near the Manor House Farm, so brutally attacked that there was blood all around the body, with small parts of broken bones on the blood, and her brain matter was oozing out of her head. The last person who could have seen her alive is Nell.
Dr Nell Ward is an ecologist and a pretty-looking woman. She lives alone, with just her cat, in a house in the outskirts, a house that is a blend of sophistication and vintage ideas, and her home is also highly secure with many security settings in place. She loves her job as an ecologist and also volunteers to help animals. Her home is unlike any other home, more like an ecologist’s laboratory, with worms bottled to feed animals she takes care of, droppings of birds and mammals stored in containers, pipettes used to feed small animals with water, medicines, a microscope, academic books, and such things. She also likes to keep her home clean and tidy. And Nell is also mysterious; there are things she doesn’t share with anyone, not even with the people she is close to. She does not have many friends either , except for her long-term close friend Percy and a few co-workers, Adam, a handsome, well-built young man, a fellow ecologist and endangered bat species enthusiast, just like her, and their marketing specialist, Sylvia, an odler woman but one who has a friendly, extroverted demeanour and an active social life.
As DS James, along with his teammates, begins questioning Nell, they learn that she is more than just a pretty face. Nell, who mostly does bat surveys, looking for endangered species, is physically athletic, mentally agile, highly observant, very detail-oriented, formally trained to climb up trees, is used to spending long hours at a stretch even in the dark, especially in the late hours, in the woods, around the trees and lakes, to look for minute signs of the lives and habits of different species of animals, bats, and birds, rides sports bikes, and is quite smart. They notice that while she might seem cooperative, she must be hiding something.
The police question David Stephenson, Sophie’s husband who is also a developer, according to whom Sophie worked with on the developing the Manor House Farm, Nell, who David’s project manager Anna confirmed had a meeting scheduled with Sophie, and Anna. Mostly, even though suspects turn up now and then, they hit a wall or they can only arrive at theories that make Nell the prime suspect. The more they dig into her past, they find out shocking information about her, which only strengthens their theories that she might be the culprit after all. Nell, thankfully, has some help, but that is not enough. She feels the need to prove that she was not the one who murdered Sophie, so she actively starts doing the detective work without consulting the police, using her knowledge of ecology and local surveys. The plot thickens as the story progresses, and a few shocking twists.
In parallel, there are also a couple of heartfelt romance sub-plots, which don’t get diluted into forced erotic content like what happens in most romance plots nowadays. These moments add a touch of gentle rom-com-ness to the thriller mystery but remain just enough to not outpower the main plot or distract the user for too long. As a romance lover, I enjoyed how beautifully the romance developed, as the author familiarized us with the different characters involved. The story also explores the dark side of the Internet and how it can be misused and gives us a reminder on how the media should be responsible in reporting such crime. The character arcs also fit really well; as we get to know Nell better, we would want to empathize with her more. And to top that, there is also some unexpected James Bond style, heavy action, which comes as surprising, to make the story even more engaging. There are several adorable characters, except for one character, written intentionally to come across as rude, so that makes the reader connect with the story instead of simply wanting to find out who kileld whom and leave it there!
A Murder of Crows is a promising, feel-good page-turner. The author’s writing is so good that you don’t notice how time passes by or pause to see how many more pages are left. Starting from the smart word play in the title to the ability to beautifully blend in details of ecology with a murder mystery, the storytelling is almost perfect. The narration also smoothly alternates between light moments and the more serious ones, as we experience spontaneous, witty humour, romance that feels deep, and the curiousity to learn what happens next. Sarah Yarwood-Lovett delivers the complete package, not just a thriller story, thereby making this a compelling read, wanting the reader to pick the next book in the series soon after this one ends. I would happily give this one a 5-star rating because I can’t find anything negative about this one. Don’t be surprised if you take a special interest in ecology after reading this story! My only regret about this experience is not having read this earlier!
