To Hunt a Magpie

Detective Inspector Declan Walsh, Book 5

By: Jack Gatland

Narrated by: Robin Laing

One for sorrow . . . Two for death.

Thirty years ago, a group of five child detectives: Tommy, Luke, Tess, Jane and Daniel, along with their dog, Dexter, made the national press with their crime solving. Nicknamed the Magpies, their adventures were written up as novels by author Reginald Troughton and released to children around the world, including a ten-year-old Declan Walsh.

But now, someone is targeting the Magpies, with Reginald brutally murdered while writing a last "lost" adventure. And DI Declan Walsh and the team of the Last Chance Saloon must not only solve Reginald's murder with the "help" of these rusty amateurs but at the same time, save the surviving members of the Magpies from a devious and determined killer with a chilling connection.

But while they do this, the team will also delve into a decades old conspiracy—one that suggests that the Magpies were created as a Government PR stunt gone wrong, and that there were more Magpies, missing ones, dying in tragic circumstances but never acknowledged . . .

©2021 Jack Gatland/Tony Lee (P)2022 Tantor

Best one yet

Enjoyed the twists and turns at the story. Do wish, though, they would be less characters when it comes to bad guys.

Excellent dialog.

Thought I would enjoy it more. May try other books in the series. Well written.

Great listen

The books in this series just keep getting better and better. This was quite enjoyable and the characters are really developing. Looking forward to the next in line

Wish he would quit using trite phrases

Tho implausible and overly complicated, this is a decent detective series. The writing gets tiresome when the author repeats phrases like “that said…” and “something niggled at him…” Drives me batty. But the main characters are likable, the books avoid gruesome details, there’s no animal cruelty and the Scottish accents are delightful.

another good book in the series

there's lots of plot turns and continue development and background data on the reoccurring characters which makes for interesting reading and listening. it's not too dark and it has some humor in it which makes it a fun listen and a fun read... I would say you probably need to read and listen to the books that come before it to have more enjoyment.