The Conjuror's Bird - book review

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The Conjuror's Bird by Martin Davies
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An interesting read written in two time frames. The earliest period focuses on Joseph Banks a renowned naturalist who joins Captain Cook on his first voyage of discovery. The second period, two centuries later focuses on John 'Fitz' Fitzgerald and those around him who embark on the search for a missing piece of taxidermy - the one and only known mystery bird of Ulieta.

A mystery which works at a reasonable pace with not over convoluted plots but sufficient twists to keep you reading. A light read. [/face]

Product Description (courtesy of Amazon)
It seems a long time ago that Fitz and Gabby were together, with his work on extinct species about to make him world-famous. Now, it's his career that is almost extinct. Suddenly, though, the beautiful Gabby reappears in his life. She wants his help in tracing the history of The Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, a creature once owned by the great 18th Century naturalist Joseph Banks. It soon becomes clear that Fitz is getting involved in something more complicated -- and dangerous -- than the search for a stuffed bird. To solve the puzzle, he must uncover the identity of the amazing woman Banks loved -- a woman who has disappeared from history as effectively as the specimen he is hunting. A mixture of detection, romance and history, THE CONJUROR'S BIRD has all the makings of a word-of-mouth bestseller.

From the Publisher
Martin Davies' novel is a great read, and the audiobook edition really catptures the atmosphere of the two narratives, one from the present, one from the past. Martin himself carefully fine-tuned the abridgement to make sure that this audio is both an excellent extra dimension for anyone who enjoyed the book, and a great listen for fans of fiction on audio who are coming to it for the first time. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author
Martin Davies grew up in North West England. He has travelled widely, including in the Middle East and India, and his plan for THE CONJUROR'S BIRD was put together on a trekking holiday in Greenland. He lives in South West London and works for the BBC as a producer.