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This page lists novels that feature the amateur detectives George & Molly Palmer-Jones.

A Bird in the Hand

Ann Cleeves

1986

"Young Tom French was found dead, lying in a marsh on the Norfolk coast, with his head bashed in and his binoculars still around his neck. One of the best birders in England, Tom had put the village of Rushy on the birdwatching map. Everyone liked him. Or did they? George Palmer-Jones, an elderly birdwatcher who decided quietly to look into the brutal crime, discovered mixed feelings aplenty. Still, he remained baffled by a deed that could have been motivated by thwarted love, pure envy, or something else altogether. But as he and his fellow "twitchers" flocked from Norfolk to Scotland to the Scilly Isles, in response to rumours of rare sightings, George-with help from his lovely wife, Molly-gradually discerned the true markings of a killer. All he had to do was prove it . . . before the murderer strikes again."

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Come Death and High Water

Ann Cleeves

1987

"The privately-owned island of Gillibry off the North Devon coast is the perfect site for murder. A routine weekend visit by the Gillibry Bird Observatory Trust is made memorable by the owner's announcement that he is going to sell the island. A sale would mean the end of the Observatory...and of all that, for some of them, made life worth living. A fire in Charlie Todd's cottage added to their distress. And when, next morning, after a fierce storm, they found Charlie dead in a bird hide, their pleasant September weekend assumed a dangerous new face. Charlie Todd's murder can be seen as the deed of any member of the Trust. And it falls to one of their own, George Palmer-Jones, to unravel the identity of killer within their midst."

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Murder in Paradise

Ann Cleeves

1988

"The honeymoon was over . . . and Jim and his English bride, Sarah, had come home to Kinness to settle down. But first there was to be one huge celebration for the newlyweds, with the whole island present. And before the party was over, there would be a shockingly unexpected death. Somehow, in the dark of the night, Jim's young sister, Mary, slipped off Ellie's Head to the rocks below. A terrible end to a boisterously cheerful evening. But did Mary fall, or was she pushed? George Palmer-Jones, retired birdwatcher and amateur detective, suspected the latter, but proving it would be difficult: no one wanted to upset the balance of the island's ancient relationships."

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A Prey to Murder

Ann Cleeves

1989

"The huge and powerful hawk dominated the scene. Its talons pierced the woman's flesh and the beak pointed towards her eyes . . . The sight is a particularly horrible shock for George Palmer-Jones, ornithologist and amateur detective. An old friend of Eleanor Masefield, a beautiful and charming widow, he is staying with his wife, Molly, at Eleanor's family run hotel . . . On the other hand, Molly Palmer-Jones feels that Eleanor was more of a black than a merry widow - a ruthless manipulator of all those caught in her far-reaching web. Is Molly a little jealous, or is she right? And will she be in time to prevent another death?"

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Sea Fever

Ann Cleeves

1991

"Even if there had been no murder, the last trip of a small band of dedicated bird-watchers aboard the Jessie Ellen would still have been news. For George Palmer-Jones and the other avid crew members achieve every bird-watcher's dream when they sight a sea bird which has never before been recorded. In the subsequent excitement, however, no one notices the sudden absence of the most fanatical birder of them all . . . Later, Greg Franks' corpse, the head bludgeoned, is found floating in the sea. Had it not been for Greg Franks, amateur detective George Palmer-Jones would not have been on the bird watching trip in Cornwall in the first place. He had been hired by Greg Franks' anxious parents to try and persuade their errant son to return home. George would have turned the case down flat but the offer of a free weekend's bird watching was too tempting to resist. Now, he must unhappily shoulder the burden of finding why the young man had been murdered."

Another Man's Poison

Ann Cleeves

1992

"Her landlord, the ambitious politician Marcus Grenville, wants his property back, as the cottage would provide a perfect holiday residence for the tourists who come up to shoot on the estate. After months of petty harassment, Ursula discovers that the illegal use of poisoned bait on Grenville's land has killed not only a rare bird of prey but her two beloved cats. And she realises that she can bear no more. Outraged by this act of cruelty, Ursula storms up to the Grenvilles' house and - to the amazement and horror of the guests gathered for dinner - she denounces Marcus Grenville and threatens revenge. It would hardly look good, after all, for a future government minister to be caught flouting the law on his own land. But when her niece, Molly Palmer-Jones, arrives at Ursula's house the next morning, it is to find her body slumped lifeless on a sofa. Shocked and saddened, Molly and her husband George decide to piece together a picture of Ursula's last days. And it soon becomes clear that, for many people on the estate, hers was a very convenient death. The Palmer-Joneses embark on a murder investigation . . . but even their professional expertise doesn't prepare them for what is to follow."

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The Mill on the Shore

Ann Cleeves

1994

"Meg Morrissey will not believe that her husband James committed suicide. A famous naturalist and founder of Green Scenes, a pioneering magazine about environmental issues, James was in high spirits because he'd finally completed his long awaited autobiography. He didn't leave a suicide note. But even more suspiciously the record of his life's achievement, his magnum opus, has gone missing. Troubled, Meg calls in amateur sleuths George and Molly Palmer-Jones to investigate. George and Molly's interviews soon reveal that the life of the Morrissey family in their beautiful converted mill is not as idyllic as people are led to believe. Nor are relations with James's ex-wife Cathy as friendly as Meg would like to make out. And, it emerges, James had fallen for another woman. Despite this, however, he appears to have had no enemies. Who could have wanted him dead?"

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High Island Blues

Ann Cleeves

1996

"West Country Wildlife's birdwatching package to America has presented tour guide Rob Earle with the perfect opportunity for a reunion with his old college friends Mick Brownscombe, now working in Texas as an environmental consultant, and Oliver Adamson. It is the first time in twenty years the three have been together - since the fateful holiday to America during which they met the enigmatic Laurie . . . Rob's tour party is hoping for spectacular sights at High Island on the Upper Texas coast. For here - as the spring storms begin - swarms of migrating birds fall from the sky seeking shelter. But as the rain pours down and the birds descend, the party is greeted with a far more shocking sight - the dead body of Mick Brownscombe. Back in Britain PIs George and Molly Palmer-Jones are working on a minor fraud case in which the name of Brownscombe Associates has also cropped up. So when George receives a desperate transatlantic call from his friend Rob, he is on the first plane to Texas. But his investigations make little progress - until the second body is found."

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