British Prime Minister, Susannah Armstrong, speaks with Ayesha who is an expert on the cultures of the Fertile Crescent area. Unfortunately some of the PM's own party hold strong isolationist views and are prepared to poison the PM to get their way. The statuette of a Maltese Falcon which was the centre of a Dashiell Hammet book is rediscovered. The man who has secretly ordered the poisoning is keen to lay hands on the fabled bird - and he believes Ayesha Ryder knows where to find it.

Joram Tate is a librarian at the institute where Ayesha works, and his knowledge of escape routes may be all that keeps the two of them alive when sinister forces enter the building. Ayesha doesn't know much about Joram, but she has no choice about trusting him. Weaving a Templar Knights story in with the Battle of Hastings and the airship Hindenburg disaster, the tale rushes from one twist to another. With treasure hunt clues to be solved, Ayesha must travel around London's landmarks while the opposing men trail her and try to claim the Falcon - and the treasure it conceals. To prevent Ayesha gaining police help, the plotters claim that she has stolen an antiquity from a museum collection.

Royal tombs, plague pits and Roman catacombs lie beneath the city, but the danger comes from people alive, not dead. I liked some of the people, such as an archaeologist who is overcome to find the tomb of King Harold, and it's good fun to find Zeppelins in the sky using safe, non-flammable gas. Older tech still works, provided an archer is strong enough to draw a longbow, or someone can be found who knows how to fire a cannon - to devastating effect. Ayesha's shattered family past returns to haunt her dreams - and sometimes her waking life too. Our admiration for this warrior woman continues to grow throughout the adventure. I feel that due to strong language and some adult content, this instalment is best suited to adult readers, especially if they have read the earlier books in Nick Pengelley's Ayesha Ryder series. RYDER: BIRD OF PREY contains less clue-solving and more action than the first book, and will continue to delight fans of the series.

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