The Case of the Hook-Billed Kites / The Down East Murders — Alex Reeve

In two classic mysteries, an English teacher by profession discovers that sleuthing -- of the strictly amateur variety -- may be where her truest passions lie.
 
J. S. Borthwick's debut novel, The Case of the Hook-Billed Kites, takes Sarah Deane, still a grad student at this point, out of her natural New England habitat and into the wilds of Texas, where her maybe-boyfriend is keen on a spot of birdwatching. But birds are not all that she spies through her binoculars, and so the adventures begin. In The Down East Murders, Sarah is glad to be back on home ground, but somebody, it appears, is not happy in any way at all, and Sarah is forced (and secretly thrilled) to put her newfound detecting skills to use again.
 
Praise for the first two mysteries featuring Sarah Deane
 
“Miss Borthwick has a keen eye and a sharp pen.” -- The New York Times
 
“Borthwick . . . has the right stuff.” -- The Washington Post Book World
 
“A top-notch mystery that also gives the smell of the sea fresh in your face.” -- The Houston Post
 
“Very much in the Christie tradition . . . will challenge the wits of the most veteran of armchair detectives!” -- Library Journal
 
“Witty, appealing, and thoroughly delightful . . . an ingenious, richly satisfying mixture of the classic elements of a murder mystery.” -- Mystery News