Olive Bright Pigeoneer

“A marvelous read.” —Tasha Alexander, New York Times bestselling author Set in a charming British village during World War II, Stephanie Graves’ debut 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. Olive readily agrees, but in the midst of her subterfuge, 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 ferret 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 . . . “A delightful classic village mystery studded with little-known World War II facts: a promising series debut.” —Kirkus Reviews “[An] enjoyable series launch . . . Graves smoothly integrates the little-known story of the wartime pigeon service into the intriguing plot. Readers will look forward to seeing more of smart, energetic, and witty Olive.” —Publishers Weekly

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.

Though war rages across mainland Europe, the little village of Pipley in Hertfordshire bustles along much as it always has. Adrift since her best friend, George, joined the RAF, 22-year-old Olive Bright fills her days by helping at her father's veterinary practice and tending to her beloved racing pigeons. 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. Then local busybody Miss Husselbee is found dead outside Olive's pigeon loft.

In the same vein as Rhys Bowen’s and Susan Elia MacNeal’s engrossing mysteries, Stephanie Graves returns with the latest book in her captivating historical mystery series set in England during World War II, featuring the young and spirited veterinarian student Olive Bright. Returning to Pipley following her FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) training, Olive is eager to step up her involvement in the war effort. Her pigeons are being conscripted to aid the Belgian resistance, and it’s up to Olive to choose the best birds for the mission. To protect the secrecy of their work, she must also continue the ruse of being romantically involved with her superior, Captain Jameson Aldridge, a task made more challenging by the fact that she really does have feelings for the gruff Irish intelligence officer. But perhaps the greatest challenge of all comes when an instructor at Station XVII, the top-secret training school housed at Brickendonbury Manor, is found dead in Balls Wood by a troop of Girl Guides. The police quickly rule Lieutenant Jeremy Beckett’s death an accident, but based on clues she finds at the scene, Olive begins to suspect he might have been a spy. Involving the reluctant Jamie, she is determined to solve the murder and possibly stop a threat to their intelligence efforts which could put the Belgians—not to mention her pigeons—in grave danger. “Perfect for lovers of wartime novels that combine history, mystery, and romance.” —Kirkus Reviews “Graves’s focus on a fascinating bit of WWII history makes this stand out among lighter wartime mysteries.” —Publishers Weekly

The third installment in the acclaimed, new, international World War II mystery series featuring pigeoneer, Olive Bright. British pigeoneer Olive Bright is proud of the role her racing birds have played in the war effort and has hopes of becoming an agent herself . . . but first there is a baffling murder to solve. In the cold, dark days of November 1941, fewer pigeons are being conscripted for missions into occupied Europe and Olive fears her covert program may be dropped altogether. In fact, the new CO of the Baker Street intelligence operation has expressed his doubts regarding her birds—not to mention Olive herself—and assigned her to a far more insignificant role: escort to a visiting officer of the Royal Navy Intelligence Special Branch. She’s none too keen on her assignment or her charge—the aloof and arrogant Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming—but the last place she expects to accompany him is to a séance. While he remains tight-lipped about his reasons for attending the séance, his arrival with Olive raises eyebrows as she is still maintaining the ruse of dating Captain Jameson Aldridge. When murder occurs before her very eyes, Olive must trust her own instincts and not rule out anyone as a suspect—including the secretive Fleming—for one of them is harboring a hidden deadly agenda. “The historical facts, engaging mystery, and the clever and charming Olive Bright put this series on my list of auto-buys!” —Dianne Freeman, Agatha and Lefty award–winning author of The Countess of Harleigh mysteries

A companion to the new deluxe edition of Olive, the Other Reindeerand a wonderful Christmas gift in its own rightthis advent calendar offers an engaging and interactive way to count down to Christmas. And just like Olive is no ordinary "reindeer," this is no ordinary advent calendar! Featuring an intricate pop-up of Santa's castle in the center, the calendar has a surprise for each day leading up to Christmasa punch-out figure that children can stand up and place around the castle, whether it's Santa, a reindeer, or Olive herself! By the time December 25 arrives, the calendar will have become a very merry Christmas scene!

'... it is hoped that this book will 'Kick-start' interest in the Philippine's birds, both at home and abroad, before it is too late' Birding World

This is the first comprehensive field guide dealing exclusively with the birds of this spetacular region. It covers all resident, migrant and vagrant species found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Over 1300 species are illustrated with full details all the plumages and major races likely to be encountered. Concise text describes identification, status, range, habits and voice with range maps for each species. This authoritative book will not only be an indispensable guide to the visiting birder, but also a vital tool for those engaged in work to conserve and study the avifauna of this region. East Africa shelters a remarkable diversity of birds, many seriously endangered with small and vulnerable ranges. They form a constantly colourful, noisy and highly extrovert part of the landscape.