Does an ornithologist make for a good spy? Stephen Alter explores the answer in his thrilling new historical detective novel

This is the question Stephen Alter sets out to tackle in his spy thriller Birdwatching: A Novel. American Guy Fletcher, the hero of this fast-paced story, stumbles across a corpse while observing Asian king vultures in Delhi and finds himself catapulted from a relatively quiet existence as a Fulbright scholar studying migratory birds, to being in the midst of intrigue and international espionage. From the American embassy in Delhi, where Fletcher finds himself interrogated by two formidable men even as a party is hosted by JK Galbraith for the visiting Jacqueline Kennedy, Fletcher travels to Kashmir on a duck shoot. From there, now recruited by the CIA, Fletcher is put through a rigorous training course, and sent off on a clandestine mission to Kalimpong — his cover being that of an ornithologist studying the pheasants of the North-East. But Fletcher must find information on something quite different…

…which brings him into contact with the beautiful Kesang, a leading light of Kalimpong society; and Captain Imtiaz Afridi, a military intelligence officer. The year is 1962, and trouble, of course, is brewing near the border with China.

Birdwatching is primarily about adventure and espionage, with a dose (Bond-like) of femme fatale thrown in. Alter does a good job of evoking India in 1962: from the tree-lined streets of Delhi (specifically, the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri and the nearby Jor Bagh), to the misty hill station of Kalimpong, to Gangtok, still part of the independent kingdom of Sikkim — the feel, of some 60 years ago, comes through believably.

Part of this ambience are the people, including real life personalities like the eccentric Kazini Elisa-Maria, European wife of Kazi Lhendup Dorjee, the first chief minister of Sikkim. There is the Chogyal of Sikkim, and his American fiancée, Hope Cooke. And there are fictitious characters every bit as interesting, if not more, than their real life counterparts: alcoholics, traitors, heroes, everyday people. Fletcher himself, an American citizen who has spent several years of his childhood in India, makes for a relatable, likeable protagonist. His occasional self-doubt, his worrying, his wondering over the secrets and the machinations around him, and the way he manages to surmount all of these, make Fletcher an inspiring hero.

As anybody now knows, 1962 was to prove an important year in the history, not just of India, but of several other nations as well. China was flexing its muscles; India, teetering between non-alignment and a definite tilt towards the Soviet Union, was trying, at the same time, to maintain good relations with the US. The Americans, fresh from the Bay of Pigs fiasco (1961), were raring to reinstate themselves on the world stage. Closer home, Tibetan refugees were streaming across the border into India, bringing with them their belongings, their treasures, their way of life.

All of these, the intrigue and the political machinations at the upper levels and the adventures they result in for people like Fletcher, are part of the absorbing narration of Birdwatching.

And then there are the birds. Each of the 39 chapters in Birdwatching is named after a bird, and begins with a brief description of the species in question. From common birds like blue rock pigeons and red-vented bulbuls to rarely sighted ones like the Sikkim bay-owl, they are all here, and each species plays some part, even if it consists only of a brief, barely-noted sighting, in the chapter that carries its name. Plus — the icing on the cake — there is a memorable human encounter related to birds.

Birdwatching is a taut, gripping story, but the birds really take it to another level. For anybody who is even slightly interested in (especially Indian) avifauna, this one’s a must-read, even just for that: for the obvious love of birds that comes through so loud and clear.

(Madhulika Liddle is an author based in the NCR. Apart from historical fiction and short stories, she also writes on food, cinema and travel)