The Falcon Thief by Joshua Hammer

Check out if you like non-murder true crime, daring adventures, or wildlife in general.

I picked this book up because I typically want to pick up the books that involve wildlife crime. I think I’m a softy at heart for wild animals. So, between the cover and the reviews I was expecting a fast-paced adventure drama. Which, really, is what I got.

Jeffrey Lendrum is a risk-taker, he repeatedly steals eggs of rare birds of prey and never once shows any remorse. His escapades include scaling trees, repelling down cliffs, and dangling from helicopters in order to secure his catch. And the hard part is just beginning at that point, from there he must keep the highly fragile and sensitive eggs alive, intact, and undetected as he smuggles them across international borders. It is no wonder that he got caught a few times.

The book is intriguing as it follows the rise in popularity of falconry as a sport, wildlife laws and law enforcement as it grows and changes in various countries, mostly Great Britain, as well as Lendrum’s life starting when he was a child. There are some gap years where we have no idea what he is up to, but I suppose that is the risk we take in reading a book about a criminal.

Overall, great book, if you have a heart that is soft where animals are concerned, how easily this guy gets off time and time again, will strike a chord.