The Language of the Birds

Merson debuts with a fun, code-filled mystery centered on a neurodivergent teen. After her father’s accidental death, 17-year-old Arizona and her mother set off in their Airstream trailer to scatter his ashes in some of his favorite places, including California’s Bodie State Historic Park. After they separate to wander the grounds, Arizona’s mom fails to show up at their agreed upon meeting spot, so the teen asks park ranger Stephen Gordon for help. A short time later, she visits the ranger station, only to learn there’s no ranger named Stephen Gordon. The situation gets even more dire when Arizona discovers a note in the Airstream: “Your father should have provided us with the information that we seek. His death could have been avoided. Now we have your mother.” Attached is a demand that Arizona “prove herself” by decoding a lengthy list of random letters. She passes that test, only to be given others, as part of the kidnapper’s search for a secret her dad, a cartographer for the U.S. Geological Survey, was guarding. Merson occasionally sacrifices pacing to dig into the details of Arizona’s code-breaking process, but he pulls it all together with a crackerjack ending. Dan Brown fans will enjoy themselves. Agent: Oli Munson, A.M. Heath. (May)