🐦🛩️ "Olive Bright, Pigeoneer" (2020) 🛩️🐦- Book Review

 

MY REVIEW

 

Series: (Book #1 – Untitled Series)
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Kensington (December 29, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1496731514
ISBN-13: 978-1496731517
Click Picture for Purchase Information

 

“Set in a charming British village during World War II, Stephanie Graves' new charming historical mystery introduces Olive Bright, a spirited young pigeon fancier who finds herself at the heart of a baffling murder...

Though war rages across mainland Europe and London is strafed by German aircraft, the little village of Pipley in Hertfordshire bustles along much as it always has. Adrift since her best friend, George, joined the Royal Air Force, twenty-two-year-old Olive Bright fills her days by helping at her father's veterinary practice and tending to her beloved racing pigeons. Desperate to do her bit, Olive hopes that the National Pigeon Service will enlist Bright Lofts' expertise, and use their highly trained birds to deliver critical, coded messages for His Majesty's Forces.

 The strangers who arrive in Pipley are not from the NPS. Instead, Jameson Aldridge and his associate are tied to a covert British intelligence organization known as Baker Street. If Olive wants her pigeons to help the war effort, she must do so in complete secrecy. Tired of living vicariously through the characters of her beloved Agatha Christie novels, Olive readily agrees. But in the midst of her subterfuge, the village of Pipley is dealing with another mystery. Local busybody Miss Husselbee is found dead outside Olive's pigeon loft. Is the murder tied to Olive's new assignment? Or did Miss Husselbee finally succeed in ferreting out a secret shameful enough to kill for? With the gruff, handsome Jameson as an unlikely ally, Olive intends to find out--but homing in on a murderer can be a deadly business...”

 

Thank you in advance to the publisher, Kensington Books, for providing a complimentary review copy through Bookish First. A positive review was not required nor requested and all words are my own. 

 

This is one of those books that when I saw it … I HAD TO HAVE IT. And, so … I used my points to redeem it.

While not initially a fan of historical fiction, sometimes books come along that tend to steer you in a different direction. And, after a while you don’t hesitate to seek out those books.

 

I really love World War II (WWII) stories as my grandfather served in that war and it is, to me, one of the penultimate wars that changed the landscape of the world. Thus any WWII book is one I really want to check out – especially different perspectives – this one takes place in England, which was devastated by Nazi Germany. The cover is a complete opposite of that depicting hope and inspiration.  

 

I found this “perspective” rather fascinating due to the use of carrier pigeons (those birds some tend to think are pests) and how useful they were during the war. So useful in fact, that the Nazis were gunning for them. Thus some elements were based on actual events and situations.

 

This is definitely a clean read – no foul language and there is not intimacy, barely a relationship. Most of the plot is centered on Olive’s quest to get her pigeons into service as well as trying to solve a murder-mystery. This also features elements of an espionage-type suspense. I didn’t exactly know what genre this was trying to fit into – mystery, espionage, young adult.  

 

Other than Olive, there are a lot of characters which makes for quite a few suspects in the mystery. There are a lot of characters to keep up with told in third person with moments from the victim’s diary in first person. 

 

The writing at times can drone on without getting anywhere in advancing the story. It tends to go day by day, some days take multiple chapters. This style really didn’t keep my interest. My over all interest was more “this is okay, but I’d rather be doing something else”. There were some interesting moments, but nothing that stood out. It definitely draw me in the way I had hoped it would. And, it wasn’t because Graves is a “new-to-me” author either. 

 

It begins with Olive seeing childhood friend George off for the military, her brother is already serving. Chapter one was a long and tedious beginning, at one point I almost just gave up. 

 

Olive’s parental background is established here. Her birth mother is deceased, but was hailed as a WWI hero. Serena died of tuberculosis. Olive’s relationship with her step-mom is wonderfully cordial and sweet. Harriet’s debilitating struggle with M.S (multiple sclerosis) is accurately portrayed. 

 

Olive, because of her mother’s heroic work, wants to do more for the WWII effort and sees her pigeons as a chance. And, when two men drop by – she thinks she has it. Of course, they are not from the National Pigeon Service (NPS). And, Olive is drawn into the spy game. Though, there is very little spying and espionage here. 

 

Olive is forced to present one of the men, Jamison, as Jamie – her date for a dance. This is where the story turns into more mystery than espionage/spy suspense when the local “busy body”, Mrs. Husselbee is found dead. Olive, because the woman was found on her property and had uttered Serena’s name, is determined to find out what happened. 

 

But, Verity Husselbee was also reporting for an organization known as “MASS OBSERVATION”. The reader will learn nothing from this – only that Verity was keeping diaries and mailing them in. 

 

In between investigating Verity’s “murder”, Olive is also inquisitive about Station17, and ends up getting hired on as a First Aid Nursing Yomanry (FANY). She feels she will finally be able to honor her mother and live up to an expectation. Though she has to keep things secret from her father and step-mother. 

 

Olive, despite being told to let it go, is trying to solve the mystery. Even more so since her mother’s name was mentioned. There are, as I said, quite a few suspects whose own shady pasts could’ve been motive for murder. 

 

However, Verity’s death is ruled “death by misadventure”. Still, Olive persists. 

 

There were a few suspects I had in mind, but the final reveal is somewhat a let-down, despite being a surprise. Verity’s isn’t the only murder mentioned. There is also blackmail involving one of Olive’s friends (an illegitimate pregnancy referred to as “in the pudding”) and drug addiction is mentioned. There is also some “experiment” being conducted as well by a local doctor. So, there are a lot of “sub plots” floating about in this story. They tend to not lead to much of anything.

 

Jamison is impressed by Olive’s pigeons though there are some casualties. 

 

The most stunning part of the story is the truth about Olive’s birth mother, something that smacks her in the face by her “handler”, Jamison. He at first thinks Olive knows, and then it becomes apparent that she doesn’t. Thus proving how damaging lies can be to others. But, he is there to “rescue” her when she gets into trouble at the end though. 

 

The whole story/mystery takes part over two weeks (14 days), with the end around two weeks later (June 8^th). 

 

While Olive is thinking of George, one can’t help but wonder what will come of her and Jamison as they embark on their new missions together. 

 

In addition to how the story plods along at times, another weakness is how much it relies on the Agatha Christie mysteries as well as one of the heroes of the books – Hercule Poirot. The references do become tedious and tiresome. There is also the “Pride & Prejudice” play that consumes part of the book, which also seems to add extra filler to the story. 

 

This is the first book in an untitled series, and with the open-end, readers who are interested in finding out what happens next will want to check out the next book. I might check out the second book if I could borrow it from the library or happen to get a complimentary review copy down the road. 

 

This is more for fans of the author or those who enjoy this type of read. 

 

 

 

RATING:

 

2 ⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads (“It Was Ok”)

 

3 ⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub (“Okay”)

3 ⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Stephanie Graves is the author of Olive Bright, Pigeoneer, as well as four novels under the pseudonym Alyssa Goodnight. As a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, she worked in Austin as a product engineer on automotive application microcontrollers before returning to Houston and becoming the mom of two boys.  She is a self-professed connoisseur of British mysteries of all sorts and has done extensive research on the little-known role of pigeons during the war, as well as the Special Operations Executive, particularly their school for sabotage, Station XVII: Brickendonbury Manor. Please visit her online at www.MsStephGraves.com.

 

 

 

You can follow her on the following social media accounts:

 

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msstephgraves/

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msstephgraves/

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/a_goodnight

 

 

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