What on earth is a live falcon doing in the middle of JFK airport? The answer to this question brings PAPD officer Mark Bowman face to face with falconer Hunter Devereaux, right in the middle of a fascinating field experiment using falcons to keep runways free of nuisance birds. The falcons are intriguing, but it’s arrogant, out-and-proud Hunter himself who really rubs Mark the right kind of wrong. Too bad Mark can’t act on the attraction: he’s deeply in the closet, and since he wants to keep his job, that’s where he's determined to stay.
However, every time their paths cross, Hunter gets a little deeper under Mark’s skin, until Mark can’t deny his feelings any longer. Giving in to his desire makes Mark happier than he can remember being, but Hunter isn't willing to hide their relationship forever. If they’re going to make a life together work, something has to give. Someday soon Mark will have to choose, or life will make the choice for him before he’s ready for it.
Review
City Falcon by Feliz Faber is an interesting and unique story about the use of falcons to deters birds from airport properties. The main characters in this story, Mark, a police officer with the Port Authority, and Hunter, a falconer with a project, meet as Hunter is wandering the airport with a falcon on his arm. There is instant attraction, although there is also friction and annoyance for Mark. Hunter is lsot and needs to find his way to the area where the falcons will be housed. Mark is invited out to see how the project works and begins to acknowledge his attraction to Hunter. A relationship develops, although Mark is deeply in the closet in the police force because of the obvious homophobia.
Faber weaves a story that is interesting and intriguing. You are like a voyeur in the life of Mark and Hunter and their relationship develops, as mark struggles with how to be in a relationship, even a sexual one, and maintain his position with the force. He has so much to lose as far as his career goes, but is he willing to risk losing what he has built with Hunter? Not only is the relationship with Hunter at stake, but Mark has begun to enjoy his work with the falcons and the research team lead.
When things go bad, they really go bad and someone’s life hangs in the balance. Will Mark lose more than just his relationship? His career? His life? This is more than just a book about one couple. This story encompasses so much more, but love is at its core. Read it. Its worth it.
Sexy, realistic novel is well-written but a bit predictable.
Bob Lind wrote on 10/20/2011:
Hunter Devereaux is an ornithologist (scientist who studies birds) and an internationally-known expert in understanding and handling falcons. Along with several other "falconers," he is brought to NYC's JFLK airport for a program trial to see if the presence of falcons flying in controlled times over the marshlands around the airport, will keep down the population of gulls and other birds that can cause problems with planes taking off or landing. Port Authority police officer Mark Bowman encounters Hunter (and one of his falcons) on his first day, and there is an instant spark of attraction that Hunter takes in stride, but raises some concerns in the deeply closeted (and somewhat paranoid) policeman. An invitation to watch the falconer team in action pushes Mark closer to Hunter, and the inevitable happens. At first, the openly-gay Hunter accepts the fact that Mark can't be as open due to his job, but they eventually develop some friction between them due to the hypocritical behavior Mark justifies to keep his secret.
It is interesting, as the author discloses in an afterword, that the novel is loosely based on a real program that existed at JFK Airport in the mid 1990's, although he changed some of the timing in writing this fiction. It's well written, though rather predictable, and extremely sexually explicit, including the questionable condoning of a risky sex practice (barebacking) as safe in some circumstances. I give it two
stars out of four.
Sexy, realistic novel is well-written but a bit predictable.
