Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

Nyd den ubegrænsede adgang til tusindvis af spændende e- og lydbøger - helt gratis

  • Lyt og læs så meget du har lyst til
  • Opdag et kæmpe bibliotek fyldt med fortællinger
  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals
  • Opsig når som helst
Start tilbuddet
DK - Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne

Længde
9T 46M
Sprog
Engelsk
Format
Kategori

Biografier

“A biography that reads like a novel.” —The Wall Street Journal • “Laybourne was a badass.” —Los Angeles Times • “Sweeney’s biography must be read to be believed.” —The Millions • “Engrossing...Riveting...This entrances.” —Publishers Weekly The fascinating and remarkable true story of the world’s first forensic ornithologist—Roxie Laybourne, who broke down barriers for women, solved murders, and investigated deadly airplane crashes with nothing more than a microscope and a few fragments of feathers.

In 1960, an Eastern Airlines flight had no sooner lifted from the runway at Boston Logan Airport when it struck a flock of birds and took a nosedive into the shallow waters of the Boston Harbor, killing sixty-two people. This was the golden age of commercial airflight—luxury in the skies—and safety was essential to the precarious future of air travel. So the FAA instructed the bird remains be sent to the Smithsonian Institution for examination, where they would land on the desk of the only person in the world equipped to make sense of it all. Her name was Roxie Laybourne, a diminutive but singular woman with thick glasses, a heavy Carolina drawl, and a passion for birds. Roxie didn’t know it at the time, but that box full of dead birds marked the start of a remarkable scientific journey. She became the world’s first forensic ornithologist, investigating a range of crimes and calamites on behalf of the FBI, the US Air Force, and even NASA. The Feather Detective takes readers deep within the vaunted backrooms of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History to tell the story of a burgeoning science and the enigmatic woman who pioneered it. While her male colleagues in taxidermy embarked on expeditions around the world and got plum promotions, Roxie stayed with her birds. Using nothing more than her microscope and bits of feathers, she helped prosecute murderers, kidnappers, and poachers. When she wasn’t testifying in court or studying evidence from capital crimes, she was helping aerospace engineers and Air Force crews as they raced to bird-proof their airplanes before disaster struck again. In The Feather Detective, award-winning journalist Chris Sweeney charts the astonishing life and work of this overlooked pioneer. Once divorced, once widowed, and sometimes surly, Roxie shattered stereotypes and pushed boundaries. Her story is one of persistence and grit, obsession and ingenuity. Drawing on reams of archival material, court documents, and exclusive interviews, Sweeney delivers a moving and amusing portrait of a woman who overcame cultural and scientific obstacles at every turn, forever changing our understanding of birds—and the feathers they leave behind.

© 2025 Simon & Schuster Audio (Lydbog): 9781797191898

Release date

Lydbog: 22. juli 2025

Andre kan også lide...

  1. The Great Chinese Art Heist: Imperialism, Organized Crime, and the Hidden Story of China's Stolen Artistic Treasures Ralph Pezzullo
  2. Scarred: A Memoir of a Childhood Stolen and a Life Reclaimed Clark Fredericks
  3. Monopoly X: How Top-Secret World War II Operations Used the Game of Monopoly to Help Allied POWs Escape, Conceal Spies, and Send Secret Codes Philip E. Orbanes
  4. Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine Kelly Loudenberg
  5. The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland Michelle Young
  6. The CIA Book Club: The Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War Charlie English
  7. A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton Deb Miller Landau
  8. It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Philadelphia: How Three Friends Spent $200 to Create the Longest-Running Live-Action Sitcom in History and Help Build a Network Kimberly Potts
  9. The Monster of Harrods: Al-Fayed and the secret, shameful history of a British institution Alison Kervin
  10. The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty John Seabrook
  11. Culture Creep: Notes on the Pop Apocalypse Alice Bolin
  12. Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple Claire Hoffman
  13. The Corpsewood Manor Murders in North Georgia Amy Petulla
  14. How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir Molly Jong-Fast
  15. Truck It!: The Drive Around the World That Saved My Life Bobby Bolton
  16. Talk of the Devil: The Collected Writings of Ian Fleming Ian Fleming
  17. The Ice House Murder: The Killing of Irene White Pat Marry
  18. Escaping the Potter's House: An Anthology of Memoirs by Former Members Joel E. Crosby
  19. Someone Somewhere Knows Something: A gripping collection of true crime stories based on the hit podcast The Missing Australia, for readers of I Catch Killers and Stalking Claremont Meni Caroutas
  20. Blowback: The Untold Story of the FBI and the Oklahoma City Bombing Margaret Roberts
  21. The Mind Is Burning: Losing my Father to a Cult and Dementia Jonathan Hirsch
  22. Hometown Betrayal: A Tragic Story of Secrecy and Sexual Abuse in Mormon Country Emily Benedek
  23. The House of My Mother: The Sunday Times bestselling memoir about a daughter's quest for freedom Shari Franke
  24. Three Weeks in July: 7/7, the aftermath and the deadly manhunt James Nally
  25. Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine Kelly Loudenberg
  26. Dark Traffic: The Dangerous Intersection of Technology, Crime, Money, Sex, and Humanity Rob Suggs
  27. The Shocking Betrayal of America’s Most Infamous Female Spy: "Uncover the thrilling secrets of America's most notorious female spy with captivating audio lessons for an immersive experience!" Merrick Ellsworth
  28. A Murder Without Motive Martin McKenzie-Murray
  29. The Last of the Bushrangers: An Account Of The Capture Of The Kelly Gang Frances Augustus Hare
  30. The Lake Filled with Skeletons: Uncovering the Mysteries of Roopkund John Harpoon
  31. Holcomb’s scars: Clutter family murders: Clutter family murders—Exclusive audio for True Crime lovers only! Muhsin Shikder
  32. Gwyneth: The Biography Amy Odell
  33. Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors and Jailers John L. Hill
  34. Time Cops: and Other Tales from the Criminal Justice Factory Andrew J Heller
  35. Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!) Bethany Joy Lenz
  36. The Silk Finisher: Bigotry, Murder, and Sacrifice in the Crossroads of America Daniel Melchior
  37. Wicked Hampton County Michael DeWitt Jr.
  38. Murder in the Midlands: Larry Gene Bell and the 28 Days of Terror that Shook South Carolina Rita Y. Shuler
  39. The Devil in My Friend: The Inside Story of a Malibu Murder Ivor Davis
  40. Naming Jack the Ripper: New Crime Scene Evidence, A Stunning Forensic Breakthrough, The Killer Revealed Russell Edwards
  41. That Dark Spring: A True Story of Death and Desire in 1920s Provence Susannah Stapleton
  42. The Life, Crime, and Capture of John Wilkes Booth George Alfred Townsend
  43. Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children: An unsolved crime so heartbreaking, it shook Australia to its core and changed the country forever Bill Hayes
  44. Death on the Devil's Teeth: The Strange Murder That Shocked Suburban New Jersey Jesse P. Pollack

Vælg dit abonnement

  • Over 600.000 titler

  • Download og nyd titler offline

  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals

  • Børnevenligt miljø (Kids Mode)

  • Det er nemt at opsige når som helst

Flex

For dig som vil prøve Mofibo.

89 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 20 timer/måned

  • Gem op til 100 ubrugte timer

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Prøv gratis
Den mest populære

Premium

For dig som lytter og læser ofte.

129 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 100 timer/måned

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Unlimited

For dig som lytter og læser ubegrænset.

149 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • Ubegrænset adgang

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Family

For dig som ønsker at dele historier med familien.

Fra 179 kr. /måned
  • 2-6 konti

  • 100 timer/måned pr. konto

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Kun 39 kr. pr. ekstra konto

  • Ingen binding

2 konti

179 kr. /måned
Prøv gratis