It is not obvious that Victorian fly tying, the development of the theory of evolution, the robbery of hundreds of rare bird specimens, and a professional flute player have anything in common. Nevertheless, this book tells of a strange story that weaves all these elements into a cohesive chronicle, which although not a nail-biter, it is still an enthralling journey spanning several countries and the darker side of human nature. The author unintentionally stumbles into the little known feather heist at the National History Museum at Tring (UK), and takes it upon himself to track the missing specimens, even as the police had given up the search; and it is his pursuit that serves as the scaffold that holds the tale together. Alas, the story does not have a perfect story-book ending (this is non-fiction after all), but it still contains a few interesting surprises. Moreover, the reader gets to learn about the very niche topic of fly tying, and encountering new things is never a waste of time.
