The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird

Picture this: A person rappelling down a cliff face to pluck birds' eggs from a nest hidden in a crevice. Or: Strapping a dozen eggs around your midsection to keep them warm and evade detection by the authorities. And: Engaging in negotiations with powerful and rich potentates who covet those eggs and their contents. Finally: Scrambling after poaching. Like these things? Then you'll love this book.

What a story! VERY well written, and astonishing. The facts are horrific and almost make me ashamed to be a human. Grab this book. It's a winner.

This is a well written book about a very interesting story. Who knew falcons are so highly valued that people will risk their lives to rob nests to get their young to sell to Saudi princes? This is a good companion to the Feather Thief book.

I enjoyed the book in general, but find it disappointing the author felt compelled to try to weave "white supremacy" into it and to distort the history of Rhodesia / Zimbabwe. Implying that only whites perpetrated racist acts and that they, rather than ZIPRA guerrillas, shot down Air Rhodesia Flight 825, and failing to mention those same guerrillas then killed those who survived the crash with machine guns is nothing more than racist revisionist history. The real gem is stating that Robert Mugabe "promised an inclusive and transparent government" without going on to describe how that actually turned out. Maybe this makes the author feel better, although one would think dishonesty would be anything but comforting, but it does nothing other than inflame rather than start to correct age-old tensions. Sad.

This is literally a book about a falcon thief. It is interspersed with other tidbits about birds of prey and greedy Saudis. I thought it was rather dry reading, but if you are really into ornithology or ecoconservation, you might enjoy it. However, for me it was "for the birds" and very strange people who collect birds' eggs.

It was informative and in parts thrilling, and heart breaking. A well crafted story by a fine story teller. I would recommend it to anyone who likes falconry, bird watching, animal conservation, true crime books or fictional thrillers.

The book was well written and based on many interviews. It is an interesting story, unfortunately about the killing and capture of vulnerable birds of prey. While the author generally decries and opposes these actions, I found him far to sympathetic to the perpetrators who he seems to view in a romantic and grudgingly admiringly way.

Great book!! A must read for anyone interested in what continues to be a black market impact on rare bird species. Hard to believe egg stealing continues. Infuriating.

I sent this book to a friend of mine. "Knowing Jeff and reading this book, it is definitely missing what he is really about. It highlights how a policeman basically convinced the media how much money was to be made and how the monetary figures just seem to escalate leaving me asking where are the millions? Some contributors have been misquoted but otherwise a well written book." D

Excellent book on a topical and ongoing subject matter.Can certainly recommend.

Great read, especially for anyone with birdwatching interests

I was surprised to find this book was an 'Advance Reader's Copy - not for sale or quotation' . The cover is thinner than a normal paperback and as I intended to give this to someone as a gift I now feel unable to do so as it seems a cheap & inferior copy albeit the story containined inside is the same. The advert did not highlight this.