The bestselling author of The House on Vesper Sands returns with another Victorian ghost story that feels all too real.
Paraic O’Donnell pulls you into the Gothic gloom from page one, then onto London where Sergeant Bliss and Inspector Cutter reunite to investigate the murders of prominent men.
Inspector Cutter knows these murders are about something more than killing; they have a purpose and a theatricality. “We have walked onto a stage…We are going to see more than mere trickery. We are going to see the performance of a lifetime.” While set in late 19th century England, The Naming of the Birds is no cozy mystery, as Sergeant Bliss gains crucial experience, even if the wounds are not fatal. Once again, the Inspector and his young Sergeant seek help from journalist Octavia Hillingdon, a skillful investigator who “had proved herself a formidable ally” in the first novel. In this second installment, Sergeant Bliss has become more attuned to the Inspector’s moods, saying to Hillingdon: “I don’t know what secrets these murders were telling us, but they were speaking in a voice that Cutter knows.” The sly humor remains a part of the series, usually from the gruff Inspector to the rambling Sergeant. “If you ever feel the urge to unburden yourself like that again, will you do me a kindness and write it down instead…And then cross out at least two-thirds of it.” But the Inspector also responds with a tenderness to the somber echoes from his past. “It is a sad story…There will be time enough for tears, Bliss. There always is.” The Naming of the Birds is a sequel, so I would recommend reading The House on Vesper Sands first, to acquaint yourself with the history of these vibrant characters. The House on Vesper Sands was a Guardian and Observer book of the year and was named a New York Times best book of the summer for 2021. See more Books to Read: The Reader on the 6.27 Once Upon a Tome No Time to Spare Read This for Inspiration Vivian Maier Developed Jane Austen: A Life 
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