The Scarlet Kingfisher:
Discovery of a New Species
by Robert Henry Benson
(CreateSpace / 1-500-71684-7 / 978-1-500-71684-4 / August 2014 / 328 pages / Paperback $9.95 / Amazon $8.96 / Kindle $4.99)
Reviewed by Dr. Al Past for PODBRAM
When I was a
youngster I went through a period when I read some of my father's whodunnits.
One series he particularly loved was by Dick Francis, a one-time British jockey
turned mystery writer. Frances must have written forty books set within the
world of horse racing and I probably read ten before I went on to something
else. Each one featured a different angle on horse racing, from the points of
view of a jockey, trainer, bookie, owner, or the like. With each one I felt I
had been given an inside glance by an expert into an interesting field I'd
never have known about otherwise. To this day I've never seen a horse race
live, nor bet on one, but I'm still happy to know a little about an area of our
society that, until then, I knew nothing about. A mystery is a mystery, but if
you can learn something while being entertained, how could that not be good?
In The Scarlet
Kingfisher, a young professor looking to achieve promotion and tenure
learns of a possible new species of bird in South Texas, something that is not
impossible but extremely rare and noteworthy. Such a discovery would
practically guarantee instant fame and a successful academic career.
Complications ensue, of course: a dead body, bizarre behavior by the department
head, a mysterious Asian billionnaire, being arrested and jailed by a small
town sheriff, and more. There will be no spoilers here. It's a mystery.
All this is by
way of saying that The Scarlet Kingfisher is an entertaining thriller
per se, but perhaps even more interesting as a look at the life of a wildlife
scientist, professor, and bird lover. We not only see the severe South Texas
ranchland and wildlife through the mind of an expert far more observant than we
are, we also get to watch him practice his craft using skills and techniques
that are unknown and undreamed of by the general public. The story may change
the way you think about "bird watchers."
The book reads
cleanly. There are no major editing issues.
See Also: Robert Henry Benson's Goodreads page
The Big Year, an excellent movie about birdwatching
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