Book Review and Giveaway: Flight of the Raven (Mysteries of Sparrow Island Series #2) by Ellen Harris

Our Ladies’ book club all enjoyed this light mystery.
Flight of the Raven (Mysteries of Sparrow Island Series #2)
by Ellen Harris

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Ideals Publications; Retail edition (February 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824947126
• ISBN-13: 978-0824947125

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Inspirational
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: February 15, 2007
A small plane disappears from the sky above Sparrow Iland, and Abby knows she must do something to help. Together, she and Sergeant Henry Cobb, set off to hunt for survivors. They find the plane but not the passengers - who it seems don't want to be found. Abby's wilderness skills are put to the test as she and Henry go on a chase to try to uncover the secrets of the passengers' hidden pasts. An exciting, suspense-filled story, "Flight of the Raven" is a riveting tale of determination, ingenuity and courage.

Review:
Abby is a very intelligent, versatile lady, who study to be an ornithologist. After working in a big city she has returned to the island to help her sister, Mary, whose legs were badly injured in an accident. Now Abby is working at the Sparrow Island Nature Observatory and getting to use some of her skills. Abby and her young assistant, Bobby, are excited to be releasing three orphaned falcons they rescued. As they watch the young falcons flying they notice a wobbly float plane which disappears beyond another island.

Abby, Mary and Mary’s male friend, Henry, a local police Sargent are about to sit down to dinner with her parents when Henry gets a call to look for the plane that witnesses have reported as having crashed. Abby volunteers to go with Henry as she thinks she can help pin point where the plane went down and she has experience in search and rescue.

Abby and Henry face difficulties locating the plane and the night drags on. They finally find the plane abandoned but blood stains indicate that someone is injured. But when they follow the trail they determine that things may not be as they appear and perhaps the passengers are trying to avoid rescue. The suspense increases after Henry is injured and the strangers vandalize the boat, destroying the radio. Abby has to use survival skills to care for Henry while they await rescue themselves and try to avoid the miscreants.

Meanwhile Mary is at home trying to cope with her worry. Fortunately she is distracted by her son, Zack, who arrives with a service dog and its trainer, a lovely young woman. Mary is not in favor of the idea of a help dog but everyone else in town is enthraled. Finally Mary comes to realize that it is okay to accept help and she sees how much more she can do with the help of Finnegan.

This is a very easy and enjoyable read. Ms. Harris weaves lots of little details into the story, sharing about birds, rescues and service dogs. The underlying faith is quietly presented and I liked how Ms. Harris conveyed the messages of letting go of worry and pride. The characters are likeable and a couple of the Ladies’ Book Club chose Finnegan (the dog) as their favorite character.

Although this is part of a series we had not read book 1 and this worked okay as a stand alone. I recommend this to readers who like birds and dogs and those who enjoy a light, easy mystery.

A quote we all liked:
Finnegan's trainer was explaining that playtime was a reward for him.

"He's not so different from us humans in that respect. He needs time each day when he can do things for the pure joy of it," she said. "Sometimes we underestimate how much we need joy in our lives." Page 166.

I was able to pick these up on sale at Christianbooks.com for Ladies' Book Club meeting July. (Sorry they may not be available there anymore.)

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