The conjuror's bird

The back of this book says:
The Conjuror's bird is a dazzling debut novel, spanning three centuries of secrets and surprises.
It seems a long time ago that Fitz and Gabby were together, with his work on extinct species about to make him world-famous. Now, it's his career that is almost extinct. Suddenly, though, the beautiful Gabby reappears in his life. She wants his help in tracing the history of The Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, a creature once owned by the great 18th Century naturalist Joseph Banks. It soon becomes clear that Fitz is getting involved in something more complicated - and dangerous - than the search for a stuffed bird. To solve the puzzle, he must uncover the identity of the amazing woman Banks loved - a woman who has disappeared from history as effectively as the specimen he is hunting.

This is the intriguing debut fiction writing by Englishman Martin Davies. He details history without being boring and describes their environments beautifully. His characters are absolutely human, weak and strong.

If you liked Kate Grenville's The secret river, read this.
Helen