Olive Bright, Pigeoneer by Stephanie Graves

"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. Tired of living vicariously through the characters of her beloved Agatha Christie novels, Olive readily agrees. But in the midst of her subterfuge, the village of Pipley is dealing with another mystery. 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 finally succeed in ferreting 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 . . ." (Goodreads.com)

 Did you know that homing pigeons were used during WWII? It's true! Stephanie Graves researched the little-know heroics of pigeons & spun her findings into her historical fiction mystery "Olive Bright, Pigeoneer". During WWII, Olive works for her father's veterinary practice (her own studies put on hold due to the war) in the small village of Pipley (England). Olive also tends to her beloved racing pigeons-with hopes that her pigeons will be enlisted by the National Pigeon Service to assist his Majesty's forces by delivering coded messages. Instead, Olive is approached by Jameson Aldridge and his associate claiming to work for a covert British intelligence organization knowns as Baker's Street. Soon after agreeing to work for them, the local busy body Miss Husselbee turns up dead outside Olive's pigeon loft! Can the murder be tied to her new assignment? Is Jameson Aldridge who he claims to be? You'll need to read this enjoyable new mystery to find out!

Sue Nakanishi
Adult Services & Outreach Coordinator

Available at the Langley-Adams Library