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The Falcon Thief
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird | Joshua Hammer
12 posts | 16 read | 25 to read
A rollicking true-crime adventure about a rogue who trades in rare birds and their eggsand the wildlife detective determined to stop him. On May 3, 2010, an Irish national named Jeffrey Lendrum was apprehended at Britains Birmingham International Airport with a suspicious parcel strapped to his stomach. Inside were fourteen rare peregrine falcon eggs snatched from a remote cliffside in Wales. So begins a tale almost too bizarre to believe, following the parallel lives of a globetrotting smuggler who spent two decades capturing endangered raptors for royals in the United Arab Emirateswhere falcon races have multimillion-dollar purses and a champion bird might just be worth risking prison forand Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdoms National Wildlife Crime Unit, whos determined to protect the worlds birds of prey from one of the most irrepressible predators of our time. The Falcon Thief whisks readers from the volcanoes of Patagonia to Zimbabwes Matobo National Park, and from the frigid tundra near the Arctic Circle to luxurious aviaries in the deserts of Dubai, all in pursuit of a man who is reckless, arrogant, and gripped by a destructive compulsion to make the most beautiful creatures in nature his own. Its a story thats part true-crime narrative, part epic adventureand wholly unputdownable until the very last page.
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Cuilin
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When you‘re waiting for the storm to pass but you don‘t mind because you brought your book!!!

#NeverLeaveHomeWithoutOne #AlwaysBePrepared

KadaGul Hell Yeah 📖☔ 6mo
52 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Cuilin
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It‘s #jolabokaflod Day! Thank you so much Mikala. Book is perfect and the Cadbury‘s 😋 Such a nice idea. Thanks for organizing Chelle. To both, may sweet content be yours.

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SilverShanica
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I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 255.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

7 likes2 stack adds
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Centique
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#bookreport #hiselderliness
Brought Dad lunch today and got a book report. Braving It - interesting but why would you take your daughter to a place like that and risk her life? (Shakes head in disbelief)
Grunt - I like this author but I can‘t go to sleep after reading about people getting bits blown off. DNF
Falcon Thief (rec from @Cinfhen ) - very interesting. (I pressed for more detail) I have to keep moving while my pies are still warm. ⬇️

Centique He did add “the problem with good books is I stay up too late. And then I haven‘t finished but I have to go to bed so I grab something to stick in it. Paper or something. Today I opened a book and found a note saying Ring Robyn. So I forgot to ring Robyn.” Note to self: give Dad some bookmarks (edited) 4y
Centique Sorry about the lack of detail @Cinfhen but he enjoyed his mince pies! 4y
Ruthiella Would bookmarks really solve the problem? 😅 4y
See All 15 Comments
Centique @Ruthiella it‘s questionable! 😂😂 4y
LeahBergen Come on, do you blame him? It‘s mince pies! ❤️❤️ 4y
Centique @LeahBergen ooh I just thought - some people might think Christmas mince pies - these were beef mince pies. 👍 4y
LeahBergen I assumed it was minced beef. 😆 In Canada, we generally call the Christmas mince pies “mincemeat tarts” (although my American friends don‘t really know what those are, usually 😆). 4y
Centique @LeahBergen it‘s amazing how often Canada has the same terms as Aus and NZ - that British influence! We just call them all mince pies and get my kids very confused. 😂 4y
AlaMich Great reviews by His Elderliness as always! 😂 4y
batsy Ahahaha! Warm pies are a priority 💜 4y
Cinfhen I‘m just delighted by this entire post and exchange....please clarify the difference between mince pies and Christmas mince pies....I‘m Jewish, American and totally confused xxx 4y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I don‘t understand the difference either. #americanproblems 4y
Reggie Lol, yeah, I am also mince pie clueless. If there ever was a cozy post. This is it. 4y
Cinfhen All this talk of pies is making me VERY HUNGRY @Reggie @Megabooks 😋 (edited) 4y
TrishB Hubby loves mince pies (for the sake of this thread- the Christmas ones!) Beef mince pies we would just call a beef pie 🤷‍♀️ 4y
81 likes15 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

This is perfect for fans of "The Feather Thief". I was fascinated by that story and listened to the audiobook of this one which was incredibly similar but a different underground trade altogether. This time, the author investigates falcon collectors. It's amazing how selfish and ridiculous people can be when it comes to animals and using them for their own gain. Drives me over the edge. This is a nonviolent #truecrime.

86 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Redwritinghood
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Bailedbailed

DNF - I got about a third of the way into this one and I‘m bored. Back to the library it goes!

BookNAround How disappointing! I have it on my tbr list so I hope I get on better with it. 5y
Redwritinghood @BookNAround I hope so too! 5y
72 likes2 comments
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LMJenkins
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This looks right up my alley!

37 likes2 stack adds
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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

Falconry is an ancient Arabic art dating back thousands of centuries and the history attached is absolutely fascinating. Who knew that the crown price of Dubai in the early 1990‘s would bring the sport of falconry back into vogue and in the process unwittingly create a hotbed of illegal activities. For fans of The Feather Thief and The Dragon Behind The Glass, The Falcon Thief is an egg-cellent true crime caper😉 #ARC #NetGalley

Cinfhen I didn‘t realize it‘s the same author until I got to his bio at the end of this book. I definitely want to read your tagged book!!! I‘ve previously stacked it but now I need to bump it up the TBR @CSeydel 😄 5y
97 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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Cinfhen
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#ARC #NetGalley Holy 💩, this story is wild!!! #NonFiction A good choice for #HisElderliness @Centique 🦅

Centique Excellent! I will add it to his TBR 😍 5y
LeeRHarry This sounds good - my kinda true crime 😊 - just requested it at the library! (edited) 5y
Cinfhen This book is beyond fascinating/ im totally gripped @LeeRHarry @Centique 5y
Crazeedi The description of this book sounds awesome! Holy moly who would ever think, stealing birds eggs??? And rare birds? Wow 5y
Cinfhen I‘m only 30% in but the history is fascinating @Crazeedi it‘s a definite #LiveAndLearn 5y
87 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Maude
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Pickpick

I was so excited to read this book! I met some Falcons and their handlers when I was living in Germany, the birds are beautiful and falconry seemed very interesting but I had no idea. This book was a fascinating look at the birds, their habits & habitats, the sports they are involved in, collecting ( of both birds & eggs), collectors and market. All of that information is given in a very intriguing narrative style. Thank you #netgalley pub 2/20

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WanderingBookaneer
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Bookzombie This sounds really good! 5y
45 likes1 stack add1 comment
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WanderingBookaneer
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Can‘t wait to start this one.

62 likes3 stack adds