This is the story of a woman who cares for injured wild birds and one day discovers an uncanny bond to one particular bird. The dreams and visions that accompany it ultimately lead her on a mysterious quest.
Sara is the caretaker at the Wild Bird Hospital in a Mid Wales valley. One day, she sees a box on the doorstep and finds inside a female peregrine falcon, the “most beautiful and powerful of all raptors.” The bird’s back is damaged, leaving it to Sara to try to heal the bird. Sara soon notices there is something very different about the creature. “I held her on my knee to feed her, she turned her head unexpectedly towards me and I saw myself reflected in the lustrous brown of her eye and felt a strange feeling of being drawn into the depths of her soul.”
Sara names the peregrine Mistral after the winds that blow and soon begins “communicating” with her. Somewhere in the wild bird kingdom, a bird – possibly one believed to be extinct – is in trouble and through visions and dreams “Misty” and several other birds attempt to lead Sara, now newly reconnected with her old beau Gabriel, on a mysterious and potentially deadly journey to help.
This story centers on plot turns that can’t be proven or explained. And while that may not be for every reader, those willing to suspend disbelief will find it an interesting and original novel informed by the author’s extensive knowledge of raptors. Whitehead knows the behavior of birds, how they relate to each other, how they parent and their defense mechanisms. Her writing is precise and descriptive, her characters, sympathetic and realistic.
Part mystery, part suspense, with a dash of romance — all anchored by the inexplicable psychic connection between humans and wild birds — this story will appeal to all who enjoy a well-written tale, but especially to those interested in wild birds and parapsychology.
