The Naming of the Birds

The dynamic latest entry in O’Donnell’s gothic Victorian series featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Cutter and Sgt. Gideon Bliss (after The House on Vesper Sands) finds the duo perplexed by a particularly macabre murder scene. After receiving word of Sir Aneurin Considine’s death, Cutter and Bliss arrive at his home to find not one but two bodies, Considine’s and his servant’s, and the bones of a child clutched in Considine’s hand. The pair seek help from journalist Octavia Hillingdon, a skillful investigator whose research leads her to conclude that the murders are connected to a decades-old fire that killed 36 children at an asylum. The body count rises with another murder, of a civil servant, and again a child’s bones are found at the crime scene. Soon, Bliss and Cutter discover evidence of abuse at the asylum and consider the possibility that the killer may be a survivor out for revenge. O’Donnell’s expert pacing never falters as he explores what makes his characters tick, including Cutter’s regret over letting a murderer go free years earlier and Bliss’s decision to hide his orphan roots. Along the way, the narrative also delves into the motivation behind murder and questions of morality when it comes to avenging abusers. Series fans will be captivated. Agent: Lucy Luck, C&W Agency. (Jan.)