Dead Canaries Don’t Sing is
a fun detective novel featuring vetenarian Dr. Jessica Popper.  She lives with
her menagerie of pets, dogs Lou and Max, her cat Catherine the Great (also
known as Cat), and her parrot Prometheus in their eastern Long Island home.  On
her way to visit a sick horse, but on the way, her dogs discover a body. 
Strangely, next to the half buried body, she also finds a dead canary.  The
cops don’t seem interested in investigating the murder, and for some reason
Jessica never really manages to explain, she feels driven to solve the murder
herself.  Using her profession as her pretext, she invents reasons to interview
all those close to Tommee Frack, the murdered victim.  It turns out that he was
in the public relations business, and had amazing success, so he knew many
people.  Jessica has a great talent for winning people’s confidence but she
starts to get worried when her elderly neighbor Betsy starts to get threatening
messages.  Factors like that make her decide to ask for the help of her
ex-boyfriend Nick Burby, himself a private investigator.  But feelings between
Nick and Jessica become complicated and her own life is at risk.  Author
Cynthia Baxter tells her story with straightforward cheerful simplicity with an
undemanding plot.  Dead Canaries Don’t Sing is a satisfying read, and
should especially appeal to animal lovers and residents of Long Island.  It has
no pretensions to psychological depth and the pages turn quickly. 

© 2004 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved.