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Cutter and Bliss #2
The Naming of the Birds
Something is troubling Inspector Henry Cutter. Sergeant Gideon Bliss is accustomed to his ill-tempered outbursts, but lately the inspector has grown silent and withdrawn.
Then, the murders begin. The first to die is the elderly Sir Aneurin Considine, a decorated but obscure civil servant who long ago retired to tend his orchids. If the motive for his killing is a mystery, the manner of his death is more bewildering still. The victims that follow suffer similar fates, their deaths gruesome but immaculately orchestrated. The murderer comes and goes like a ghost, leaving only carefully considered traces. As the hunt for this implacable adversary mounts, the inspector’s gloom deepens, and to Sergeant Bliss, his methods seem as mystifying as the crimes themselves.
Why is he digging through dusty archives while the murderer stalks further victims? And as hints of past wrongdoing emerge—and with them the faint promise of a motive—why does Cutter seem haunted by some long-ago failing of his own?
To find the answers, the meek and hapless sergeant must step out of the inspector’s shadow. Aided by Octavia Hillingdon, a steely and resourceful journalist, Bliss will uncover truths that test his deepest beliefs.
Hypnotic and twisty, Paraic O’Donnell’s The Naming of the Birds will ensnare you until the final pages and leave you questioning what matters most—solving a case or serving justice.
Then, the murders begin. The first to die is the elderly Sir Aneurin Considine, a decorated but obscure civil servant who long ago retired to tend his orchids. If the motive for his killing is a mystery, the manner of his death is more bewildering still. The victims that follow suffer similar fates, their deaths gruesome but immaculately orchestrated. The murderer comes and goes like a ghost, leaving only carefully considered traces. As the hunt for this implacable adversary mounts, the inspector’s gloom deepens, and to Sergeant Bliss, his methods seem as mystifying as the crimes themselves.
Why is he digging through dusty archives while the murderer stalks further victims? And as hints of past wrongdoing emerge—and with them the faint promise of a motive—why does Cutter seem haunted by some long-ago failing of his own?
To find the answers, the meek and hapless sergeant must step out of the inspector’s shadow. Aided by Octavia Hillingdon, a steely and resourceful journalist, Bliss will uncover truths that test his deepest beliefs.
Hypnotic and twisty, Paraic O’Donnell’s The Naming of the Birds will ensnare you until the final pages and leave you questioning what matters most—solving a case or serving justice.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2025
104 people are currently reading
9564 people want to read
About the author
Paraic O'Donnell
4 books339 followersParaic O’Donnell's first novel, The Maker of Swans, was named the Amazon Rising Stars Debut of the Month for February 2016, and was shortlisted for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards in the Newcomer of the Year category.
Praise for The Maker of Swans
‘Lavishly entertaining…strange and captivating.’
– The Independent
‘At its best, the prose is glorious, combining an ear for deep cadences of language with a phenomenal acuity of vision…O’Donnell is clearly a major talent.’
– The Guardian
‘A vividly imagined and deeply pleasurable gothic fantasy.’
– Financial Times
‘Ambitious and original.’
– The Irish Times
‘Extraordinarily readable…almost cinematic.’
– Irish Independent
‘There’s sufficient invention and engaging strangeness to keep the reader enfolded, though it is O’Donnell’s arresting descriptions of the natural world that are likely to live longest in the mind.’
– Daily Mail
‘A dark, elegant celebration of the power and beauty of words.’
– Sunday Express
‘A powerful thriller.’
– Vogue
‘An oddly beautiful tale of magic and art.’
– The Bookseller
‘Compulsive reading…rich, strange, beautiful.’
– Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk
‘I devoured this book, and it kept me guessing right to the very end. Line by line, Paraic's writing contains some of the most beautifully turned phrasing I've read in a long while.’
– Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
‘Combines through-the-looking-glass enchantment with Nabokovian dexterity…a mesmerising book whose prose absolutely soars.’
– Sandra Newman, author of The Country of Ice Cream Star
‘Exquisite.’
– Liz Nugent, author of Unravelling Oliver
‘Dazzlingly inventive.’
– Jane Casey
Praise for The Maker of Swans
‘Lavishly entertaining…strange and captivating.’
– The Independent
‘At its best, the prose is glorious, combining an ear for deep cadences of language with a phenomenal acuity of vision…O’Donnell is clearly a major talent.’
– The Guardian
‘A vividly imagined and deeply pleasurable gothic fantasy.’
– Financial Times
‘Ambitious and original.’
– The Irish Times
‘Extraordinarily readable…almost cinematic.’
– Irish Independent
‘There’s sufficient invention and engaging strangeness to keep the reader enfolded, though it is O’Donnell’s arresting descriptions of the natural world that are likely to live longest in the mind.’
– Daily Mail
‘A dark, elegant celebration of the power and beauty of words.’
– Sunday Express
‘A powerful thriller.’
– Vogue
‘An oddly beautiful tale of magic and art.’
– The Bookseller
‘Compulsive reading…rich, strange, beautiful.’
– Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk
‘I devoured this book, and it kept me guessing right to the very end. Line by line, Paraic's writing contains some of the most beautifully turned phrasing I've read in a long while.’
– Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
‘Combines through-the-looking-glass enchantment with Nabokovian dexterity…a mesmerising book whose prose absolutely soars.’
– Sandra Newman, author of The Country of Ice Cream Star
‘Exquisite.’
– Liz Nugent, author of Unravelling Oliver
‘Dazzlingly inventive.’
– Jane Casey
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
January 11, 2025
Several years ago, I read The Maker of Swans by Paraic O’Donnell and enjoyed it. So I was pleased to request an early copy of The Naming of the Birds from NetGalley, O’Donnell’s latest novel. It is a sequel to The House on Vesper Sands but it is not necessary to have read that book to enjoy this new one. I have not yet but plan to rectify that oversight.
Set in late 19th century England, this novel involves Sergeant Gideon Bliss and Inspector Henry Cutter of the London Metropolitan Police. Bliss is a relatively new member of the police, having attended university but ultimately failed at a career in the church. Cutter is his mentor, essentially. After an opening segment that should be experienced not explained, the action begins with Cutter and Bliss called out to what is a bizarre, disturbing and somewhat inexplicable murder scene. This will prove to be the beginning of a sequence of murders revealing old sins by formerly important men in British society. And a mysterious killer who seems to be invisible and invincible. Helping Cutter and Bliss is Octavia Hillingdon, who is involved in the newspaper business and was also involved in the earlier named case.
This was a fast moving story with developments that kept me reading and speculating. I am looking forward to reading The House on Vesper Sands and very much look forward to whatever O’Donnell writes next. Recommended to mystery and historical fiction readers.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. This review is my own.
Set in late 19th century England, this novel involves Sergeant Gideon Bliss and Inspector Henry Cutter of the London Metropolitan Police. Bliss is a relatively new member of the police, having attended university but ultimately failed at a career in the church. Cutter is his mentor, essentially. After an opening segment that should be experienced not explained, the action begins with Cutter and Bliss called out to what is a bizarre, disturbing and somewhat inexplicable murder scene. This will prove to be the beginning of a sequence of murders revealing old sins by formerly important men in British society. And a mysterious killer who seems to be invisible and invincible. Helping Cutter and Bliss is Octavia Hillingdon, who is involved in the newspaper business and was also involved in the earlier named case.
This was a fast moving story with developments that kept me reading and speculating. I am looking forward to reading The House on Vesper Sands and very much look forward to whatever O’Donnell writes next. Recommended to mystery and historical fiction readers.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. This review is my own.
February 16, 2025
Gideon is sergeant to Cutter’s police inspector in late Victorian London. They attend a grisly and mystifying murder scene, the first of several, and proceed to investigate although not necessarily by the book. Cutter is impatient with Gideon, still fairly new to the police force having first pursued a theology degree, and has little respect for him. We are also introduced to a female journalist / archivist who is in a relationship with another woman (something that didn’t exist as far as Queen Victoria was concerned!) and she becomes an integral part of the plot solving process.
The premise is preposterous, the characters are like cartoon goodies and baddies, and the ending is a little bit of a damp squib. Why, then, am I giving it 4 stars? Despite all of this, I really enjoyed the writing style, particularly the often witty dialogue, and found myself unable to stop reading as the plot became more intricate and the excitement grew. I would definitely read more by this author, even if he were to stretch my credibility this far again.
With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for a review copy.
The premise is preposterous, the characters are like cartoon goodies and baddies, and the ending is a little bit of a damp squib. Why, then, am I giving it 4 stars? Despite all of this, I really enjoyed the writing style, particularly the often witty dialogue, and found myself unable to stop reading as the plot became more intricate and the excitement grew. I would definitely read more by this author, even if he were to stretch my credibility this far again.
With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for a review copy.
January 15, 2025
This next Cutter and Bliss novel opens with a chilling situation: a number of orphans are kept in some undisclosed location, and are taught strange things and punished for mentioning a fire at their previous building. They are placed in an oubliette for particular transgressions, and we meet two of the children (all of whom have been given bird names by the adults): Finch and Nightingale, who are eager to escape. Finch is courageous, while Nightingale is analytical, carefully watching the adults and coming to her own conclusions.
Inspector Cutter is preoccupied with something from his past, and insists that the hapless and loquacious Seargent Bliss get a gun and learn to use it.
They are called to the scene of the murder of a gentleman, and one of his servants. The gentleman cultivated orchids, and was involved with the Home Office in the past. Then, later, they are called to a dolly house to investigate a murdered customer.
Though revealing little of his thought processes, Cutter is increasingly concerned, and enlists Octavia Hillingdon to help them with their researches.
Their investigations lead them to a dolly house, and eventually to buried bones, and more murdered people. And people intent on preserving the reputations and privileges of those involved in some terrible deeds.
I could not put this book down, and finished this second entry in the Cutter and Bliss series in one day. Gideon Bliss has been working with the irascible, exacting and very fast-moving Inspector Cutter for over a year now, and though Gideon has experienced much, this case shocks him and leaves him bereft. He's a sensitive soul, and though still tending to verbosity and excessive politeness, it's clear Cutter has grown fond of the younger man, and has been mentoring him, despite Cutter's impatience. The pair have also engaged Octavia on previous cases, so it makes sense that they would bring her in when faced with the necessity of digging up twenty year old information.
She proves to be remarkably levelheaded and tough when the circumstances necessitate it, and is also not willing to be talked down to or dismissed, whether by Cutter or anyone else. She's sharp, realistic, and is a nice counterpoint to Gideon's fastidiousness, and slight other worldliness.
The case itself if pretty awful, the resolution is tragic.
I listened and read this book, and Charles Armstrong's talent for accents is on display. I could see Inspector Cutter's frustration with everyone around him, as well as Gideon making himself small and polite in others' presence through Armstrong's narration.
I greatly enjoyed this book and hope there are more entries in this series.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Tin House and HighBridge Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.
Inspector Cutter is preoccupied with something from his past, and insists that the hapless and loquacious Seargent Bliss get a gun and learn to use it.
They are called to the scene of the murder of a gentleman, and one of his servants. The gentleman cultivated orchids, and was involved with the Home Office in the past. Then, later, they are called to a dolly house to investigate a murdered customer.
Though revealing little of his thought processes, Cutter is increasingly concerned, and enlists Octavia Hillingdon to help them with their researches.
Their investigations lead them to a dolly house, and eventually to buried bones, and more murdered people. And people intent on preserving the reputations and privileges of those involved in some terrible deeds.
I could not put this book down, and finished this second entry in the Cutter and Bliss series in one day. Gideon Bliss has been working with the irascible, exacting and very fast-moving Inspector Cutter for over a year now, and though Gideon has experienced much, this case shocks him and leaves him bereft. He's a sensitive soul, and though still tending to verbosity and excessive politeness, it's clear Cutter has grown fond of the younger man, and has been mentoring him, despite Cutter's impatience. The pair have also engaged Octavia on previous cases, so it makes sense that they would bring her in when faced with the necessity of digging up twenty year old information.
She proves to be remarkably levelheaded and tough when the circumstances necessitate it, and is also not willing to be talked down to or dismissed, whether by Cutter or anyone else. She's sharp, realistic, and is a nice counterpoint to Gideon's fastidiousness, and slight other worldliness.
The case itself if pretty awful, the resolution is tragic.
I listened and read this book, and Charles Armstrong's talent for accents is on display. I could see Inspector Cutter's frustration with everyone around him, as well as Gideon making himself small and polite in others' presence through Armstrong's narration.
I greatly enjoyed this book and hope there are more entries in this series.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Tin House and HighBridge Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.
January 6, 2025
Holy trigger warning Batman! If you cannot handle violence against minors I would strongly suggest you avoid this very dark tale of woe. For everyone else, however, this twisty, caustic, and sharp tale is probably a great bet. Featuring a detective with a very "Sherlockian" manner and acerbic wit, he and his bumbling assistant try to solve a very peculiar set of murders.
I would put after reading that this is the second book of this series, which does explain the missing backstory. I also loved the character of Nightingale, I wish she would have been featured more.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Paraic O'Donnell, and Highbridge audio for my advance copy of this audiobook.
I would put after reading that this is the second book of this series, which does explain the missing backstory. I also loved the character of Nightingale, I wish she would have been featured more.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Paraic O'Donnell, and Highbridge audio for my advance copy of this audiobook.
January 16, 2025
3.5 rounding down. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first one and it remains the same as this one. I’ve realized another trope I don’t like is when one character clearly knows more but refuses to say anything because they’re sullen and broody. There’s only so many times I’m willing to read about how people are begging for information only to be turned away before I get annoyed
Cutter and Gideon are back investigating a series of murders that appear to be connected. Cutter is on edge more so than usual and Gideon is concerned. They join forces with Octavia to finally uncover the mysteries of the past that are tied to the murders of today
The first part is spectacular as you follow a young girl in her new world. As soon as the second part hits and the investigation begins, it loses the magic. The rest of what follows is predictable and ends up being just an info dump at the end to tie it all up. I’m not sure I’ll be back for more
Cutter and Gideon are back investigating a series of murders that appear to be connected. Cutter is on edge more so than usual and Gideon is concerned. They join forces with Octavia to finally uncover the mysteries of the past that are tied to the murders of today
The first part is spectacular as you follow a young girl in her new world. As soon as the second part hits and the investigation begins, it loses the magic. The rest of what follows is predictable and ends up being just an info dump at the end to tie it all up. I’m not sure I’ll be back for more
February 15, 2025
On paper, this book was written for me. A sinister and twisty, gothic mystery set in Victorian London. A feisty — and queer — lady journalist, a clever and righteous Inspector, a soft touch of a Sergeant, all pulling together to solve some grisly murders.
I didn't like the writing style, didn't like the characters, hated the mystery, just… didn't like anything about it at all. In fact, I hated it. It received many accolades in the press, but for whatever reason (it's me, I'm the reason), this just didn't work for me.
I didn't like the writing style, didn't like the characters, hated the mystery, just… didn't like anything about it at all. In fact, I hated it. It received many accolades in the press, but for whatever reason (it's me, I'm the reason), this just didn't work for me.
August 22, 2025
The Naming of the Birds opens in 1872 with a fire at an orphanage. A handful of children, burned and bandaged, are transported away and given new names, each name a type of bird. We meet Finch and Nightingale before the narrative leaps ahead 22 years to Victorian London.
There, prominent gentlemen are turning up dead in gruesome fashion. Inspector Henry Cutter and Sergeant Gideon Bliss lead the investigation, aided by Octavia Hillingdon, an archivist with a knack for uncovering buried truths. Cutter, the central figure of this series, is sharp but abrasive, while Bliss offers a gentler, more methodical counterbalance. His research skills and quiet insight often prove invaluable.
Though this is the second book in the Cutter series, prior knowledge isn’t necessary. I listened to the audiobook, and while the narrator skillfully distinguished characters and voices, I found myself distracted until about halfway through.
The first victim, Sir Aneurin Considine, is discovered among his cherished orchids, clutching a child’s finger bone—a chilling detail that sets the tone. As more bodies surface, the trio uncovers links to the orphanage fire, though the fate of its victims remains elusive.
As the mystery unfolds, the reader is eventually exposed to the horrific crimes committed against the children. However, the full scope of these atrocities is withheld until the final chapters when an adult Nightingale exposes the horrors she and the other's faced.
Despite the dark intrigue, I struggled to stay engaged. The characters didn’t resonate strongly, and the pacing felt uneven. A dual timeline featuring Nightingale’s perspective might have added emotional depth and tension, though it would have compromised the novel’s final reveal.
Conclusion: While The Naming of the Birds offers a chilling premise and a slow-burning mystery, its execution left me underwhelmed. The story’s potential is evident, but it didn’t quite take flight for me.
There, prominent gentlemen are turning up dead in gruesome fashion. Inspector Henry Cutter and Sergeant Gideon Bliss lead the investigation, aided by Octavia Hillingdon, an archivist with a knack for uncovering buried truths. Cutter, the central figure of this series, is sharp but abrasive, while Bliss offers a gentler, more methodical counterbalance. His research skills and quiet insight often prove invaluable.
Though this is the second book in the Cutter series, prior knowledge isn’t necessary. I listened to the audiobook, and while the narrator skillfully distinguished characters and voices, I found myself distracted until about halfway through.
The first victim, Sir Aneurin Considine, is discovered among his cherished orchids, clutching a child’s finger bone—a chilling detail that sets the tone. As more bodies surface, the trio uncovers links to the orphanage fire, though the fate of its victims remains elusive.
As the mystery unfolds, the reader is eventually exposed to the horrific crimes committed against the children. However, the full scope of these atrocities is withheld until the final chapters when an adult Nightingale exposes the horrors she and the other's faced.
Despite the dark intrigue, I struggled to stay engaged. The characters didn’t resonate strongly, and the pacing felt uneven. A dual timeline featuring Nightingale’s perspective might have added emotional depth and tension, though it would have compromised the novel’s final reveal.
Conclusion: While The Naming of the Birds offers a chilling premise and a slow-burning mystery, its execution left me underwhelmed. The story’s potential is evident, but it didn’t quite take flight for me.
October 28, 2024
The second historical mystery featuring a caustic police Inspector, his long suffering Sergeant and a brilliant and outspoken female journalist. It begins with an indoctrination of orphans into what seems like a cult full of dark secrets and even darker deeds. The tale then jumps ahead to the discovery of grisly murders involving prominent men in society. The unlikely trio begin to search for the killer or killers while trying to predict who will be taken out next taking care it is not them. This series brings to mind classic Sherlock Holmes but features caustic wit, and women operating outside of traditional boundaries as well as showcasing the unseen underbelly of London and the sins committed against them by the protected upper class. This is a dark story told expertly by Paraic O'Donnell that historical mystery readers will love especially fans of Sherlock Holmes and BEDLAM CADAVER by Robert J. Lloyd or THE ALIENIST by Caleb Carr. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
September 28, 2024
Set in the late 1800s England, The Naming of the Birds is an elegantly written gothic mystery. The book follows Sergeant Gideon Bliss, a scholar-turned-policeman with much to learn on the job. As he follows the whims of the witty yet blunt Inspector Henry Cutter, the two stumble upon a series of murders that have been twenty years in the making. Filled with intriguing characters, dark settings, and page-turning suspense this novel is a perfect read for any Victorian mystery fans.
January 13, 2025
Well dang. I liked that much less than the first book. In this one, it was extremely clear what was going on the whole time. And while I continue to love Inspector Cutter’s wit and Gideon’s bumbling, we didn’t get anything from Octavia’s perspective in this book and it was a huge bummer!
April 23, 2025
I enjoyed this one more than Vesper Sands, the mystery was a little easier to follow with fewer viewpoint shifts. The best part about these books is the dry wit delivered so well.
December 16, 2024
**Some spoilers in this review**
I won this book on Goodreads in a giveaway. I had a hard time with this one, and it took me nearly 2 weeks to read it. The storyline was alright. I really had a hard time figuring out what the plot of the book was and where it was going. I usually devour books in 2 to 3 days, but this one just wasn't reeling me in and making me WANT to read it. The way the author writes reminded me of the Agatha Christie books, but I had a hard time with the dialect and the flow of the words. I found myself reading a sentence 2 or 3 times before I was able to understand what was being said.
I was disappointed in what the "kidnapped children" were used for in the end. I didn't expect that they were being bred to be assassin's, and it kind of didn't make sense to me. The way the book ended was also very blah to me. It just stopped. We never found out who the Proctor was, and I am assuming that Cutter just let Nightingale go like he did previously, but that too was not elaborated upon.
I wish I would have liked this book more, but that just wasn't the case this time around. I would read other books by this author, though, and give his books a chance.
I won this book on Goodreads in a giveaway. I had a hard time with this one, and it took me nearly 2 weeks to read it. The storyline was alright. I really had a hard time figuring out what the plot of the book was and where it was going. I usually devour books in 2 to 3 days, but this one just wasn't reeling me in and making me WANT to read it. The way the author writes reminded me of the Agatha Christie books, but I had a hard time with the dialect and the flow of the words. I found myself reading a sentence 2 or 3 times before I was able to understand what was being said.
I was disappointed in what the "kidnapped children" were used for in the end. I didn't expect that they were being bred to be assassin's, and it kind of didn't make sense to me. The way the book ended was also very blah to me. It just stopped. We never found out who the Proctor was, and I am assuming that Cutter just let Nightingale go like he did previously, but that too was not elaborated upon.
I wish I would have liked this book more, but that just wasn't the case this time around. I would read other books by this author, though, and give his books a chance.
June 14, 2025
I got through the first hundred & change pages and it was fine. I opened Libby this morning - it’s the perfect reading morning: cozy and gray; I’m under the covers with coffee - & saw that there was one person waiting for the book.
There was nothing in my spirit that felt compelled to make that person wait any longer, which says all it needs to about if this book was for me or not. Person in line after me, you’re welcome & enjoy.
On to the next.
There was nothing in my spirit that felt compelled to make that person wait any longer, which says all it needs to about if this book was for me or not. Person in line after me, you’re welcome & enjoy.
On to the next.
February 6, 2025
The Naming of the Birds is the second volume in Paraic O'Donnell's Cutter and Bliss series. The first volume, The House on Vesper Sands, came out in 2018. Inspector Cutter and Sergeant Bliss, the two police officers in this novel, are an odd pair.
Cutter has lots of law-enforcement experience that not only makes him an effective Inspector, but that also allows him to connect up cases and individuals in ways a less-experienced person couldn't. Cutter holds his cards close to his chest, even with those on "his team."
And that less-experienced person? That would be Bliss. He's a Cambridge drop-out (as we would put it), but not through any lack of intellect or effort on his part; it's just that the wealthy, distant relative who was paying tuition decided to curtail his generosity. Bliss was studying theology, not a field of study that will earn you a living unless you can take holy orders—and without a degree, he can't. His posh accent and manners far removed from the London streets make him a less-than-ideal assistant for Cutter.
One other key character, Octavia Hillingdon is a reporter with exceptional skills and who assists the Cutter-Bliss team when asked. She's from a wealthy family, but is determined to work. Unfortunately, the only reporting assignments she's received are for the "ladies' pages." She'd imagined herself as a crusader for justice, not a commentator on bridal gown detailing.
In The Naming of the Birds, the trio find themselves investigating a series of murders of wealthy, powerful men. These aren't social or political movers; they're the kind of men who stay in the background, pursuing their own, somewhat odd interests. These killings aren't random. The killer's methodology suggests that these death have been carefully designed for their victims.
The writer makes it clear early on that Cutter has knowledge that Bliss and Hillingdon don't. He has some sense of who this killer might be and is gravely concerned that his suspicions will turn out to be correct. But just as Cutter is not sharing information with Bliss and Hillingdon, O'Donnell is is not letting readers see what exactly Cutter knows.
I read a lot of historical mysteries. Many of them are more or less pulps: engaging, but not necessarily "literature." I generally give them three or four stars on GoodReads, am glad I read them, and keep an eye out for more. O'Donnell's work rises a step above most historical mysteries in terms of both plotting and character development.
The Naming of the Birds will make a wonderful read for anyone who likes rather-more-than-cozy historical mysteries.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
Cutter has lots of law-enforcement experience that not only makes him an effective Inspector, but that also allows him to connect up cases and individuals in ways a less-experienced person couldn't. Cutter holds his cards close to his chest, even with those on "his team."
And that less-experienced person? That would be Bliss. He's a Cambridge drop-out (as we would put it), but not through any lack of intellect or effort on his part; it's just that the wealthy, distant relative who was paying tuition decided to curtail his generosity. Bliss was studying theology, not a field of study that will earn you a living unless you can take holy orders—and without a degree, he can't. His posh accent and manners far removed from the London streets make him a less-than-ideal assistant for Cutter.
One other key character, Octavia Hillingdon is a reporter with exceptional skills and who assists the Cutter-Bliss team when asked. She's from a wealthy family, but is determined to work. Unfortunately, the only reporting assignments she's received are for the "ladies' pages." She'd imagined herself as a crusader for justice, not a commentator on bridal gown detailing.
In The Naming of the Birds, the trio find themselves investigating a series of murders of wealthy, powerful men. These aren't social or political movers; they're the kind of men who stay in the background, pursuing their own, somewhat odd interests. These killings aren't random. The killer's methodology suggests that these death have been carefully designed for their victims.
The writer makes it clear early on that Cutter has knowledge that Bliss and Hillingdon don't. He has some sense of who this killer might be and is gravely concerned that his suspicions will turn out to be correct. But just as Cutter is not sharing information with Bliss and Hillingdon, O'Donnell is is not letting readers see what exactly Cutter knows.
I read a lot of historical mysteries. Many of them are more or less pulps: engaging, but not necessarily "literature." I generally give them three or four stars on GoodReads, am glad I read them, and keep an eye out for more. O'Donnell's work rises a step above most historical mysteries in terms of both plotting and character development.
The Naming of the Birds will make a wonderful read for anyone who likes rather-more-than-cozy historical mysteries.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
October 11, 2025
*****MINOR PLOT SPOILERS FOLLOW ******
This book which combines historical fiction and a murder mystery came well recommended. It really should have been in my wheelhouse.
There is a long preface which describes the ill-treatment of a number of orphans who have barely escaped an asylum fire and have been moved to an even darker place by adults known only by their roles. The children are being trained as part of a beastly yet unknown scheme.
The action then moves forward 22 years to a series of grisly murders being investigated by the rather caustic Inspector Cutter, his sergeant Gideon Bliss ( a relative neophyte Peeler who has failed in his chosen profession of the clergy after graduating university), aided by a gay, female archivist/journalist, Lady Octavia Hillingdon. The strength of the book is in the relationship between these three characters even if they are a little two-dimensional. Bliss, soft, unsure and thoughtful, plays Watson to Cutter's Holmes although, in this case, it is the 'sidekick' who is the central focus of the book, leaving the senior detective as more of a supporting actor. It is apparent that more experienced older policeman, while constantly reprimanding his younger companion, has a deeply paternal caring nature towards his ward. Lady Octavia is a strong, thoroughly independent woman who nicely complements her male companions.
Unfortunately, the weakness in the book is in the execution of the plot surrounding the murders which, of course, link to the preface -- an insight that the reader possesses but neither policeman have. It amounts to a series of rather clunky, sometimes confusing set pieces that move the narrative along quickly followed by endless pages of exposition by a character to explain the gaps between these scenes. The writing can be elegant albeit occasionally long-winded but the author spends far too much time telling rather than showing us the plot and character motivation. in fact, the entire last chapter of 60 or so pages would have been better off worked into the book as a separate timeline like the prologue (without revealing names perhaps?) rather than left as a rather unsatisfactory epilogue....
2.5 STARS
This book which combines historical fiction and a murder mystery came well recommended. It really should have been in my wheelhouse.
There is a long preface which describes the ill-treatment of a number of orphans who have barely escaped an asylum fire and have been moved to an even darker place by adults known only by their roles. The children are being trained as part of a beastly yet unknown scheme.
The action then moves forward 22 years to a series of grisly murders being investigated by the rather caustic Inspector Cutter, his sergeant Gideon Bliss ( a relative neophyte Peeler who has failed in his chosen profession of the clergy after graduating university), aided by a gay, female archivist/journalist, Lady Octavia Hillingdon. The strength of the book is in the relationship between these three characters even if they are a little two-dimensional. Bliss, soft, unsure and thoughtful, plays Watson to Cutter's Holmes although, in this case, it is the 'sidekick' who is the central focus of the book, leaving the senior detective as more of a supporting actor. It is apparent that more experienced older policeman, while constantly reprimanding his younger companion, has a deeply paternal caring nature towards his ward. Lady Octavia is a strong, thoroughly independent woman who nicely complements her male companions.
Unfortunately, the weakness in the book is in the execution of the plot surrounding the murders which, of course, link to the preface -- an insight that the reader possesses but neither policeman have. It amounts to a series of rather clunky, sometimes confusing set pieces that move the narrative along quickly followed by endless pages of exposition by a character to explain the gaps between these scenes. The writing can be elegant albeit occasionally long-winded but the author spends far too much time telling rather than showing us the plot and character motivation. in fact, the entire last chapter of 60 or so pages would have been better off worked into the book as a separate timeline like the prologue (without revealing names perhaps?) rather than left as a rather unsatisfactory epilogue....
2.5 STARS
February 15, 2025
Much like O’Donnell’s first in this immersive Victorian Police Procedural series, The House on Vesper Sands (2021) with the continuation of stellar, flawed, and unique CHs, the Gothic-tinged atmosphere, London and environs, believable procedural detail, and layered plotting, this sequel was worth the wait. If Inspector Henry Cutter is the brawn and the brains, Sergeant Gideon Bliss is the heart of this duo and story, as they solve a series of vicious and bloody crimes all over London in 1894, murders that has Bliss worried about Cutter, and one that links to Cutter’s past. They rely on an old ally, Octavia Hillingdon, a steely and resourceful journalist, and a new one, a dexterous and elusive Frenchman, as they uncover the many strings that lead back over twenty years. The first part of this book is a flashback, 1872, to and a window into some chilling treatment of orphans and a conspiracy that predicts some of the revenge in the plot. The villains in this story swing from entitled stereotypes to the creatively ambiguous. Tone escalates with Pace as the conclusion, if you can handle gray justice, comes to a satisfactory end, not without a few dangling plot threads auguring a sequel, I hope. The ominous, eerie, suspenseful, and humorous Tones are aided by a filthy, smoggy London, crumbling old ruins, a majestic museum, fashion, décor, and culinary details, as the author using soaring metaphors through his description of the natural world, the various bird allusions, fire, and weather. The quest is fraught with moral ambiguity as the violence escalates towards our detectives, politics becomes a key issue, as societal and economic issues also rear their heads. Good dialogue between the principles, as well as humor provides a counterpoint to the serious crimes and the heavier Tones. Cutter’s impatience, arrogance, and take-no-prisoner’s stride through London made me laugh out loud, as did Octavia’s asides, and Bliss’s internal musings. RED FLAGS: Very graphic Violence; Abuse and Death to Children; Fire; Vulgar Language. No need to read in order; however, your understanding of the CHs’ origins will benefit from doing so. Readalikes may be Alex Grecian, C.S. Harris, Will Thomas, and Sherry Thomas.
February 9, 2025
3.5 stars-I really enjoyed the first in this series and I still enjoyed the world and the writing for this one, but I honestly felt like it wasn't much of a mystery. In the first part we go twenty years in the past to a shady organization that has taken orphans for some nefarious purpose, orphans that had been badly burned in an orphanage fire and then we jump to 20 years later with our detectives having a series of murders on their hands. It's fairly obvious that the kid from the beginning has just come back, Black Widow style, to take her revenge for the atrocities committed against her and the others. She's also an assassin who basically broke away with Cutter knowing about it. This was interring but it wasn't particularly mysterious and it just felt like everything happened exactly how you'd think it would. Still a finely written book, just not what I was expecting maybe?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2024
I got an ARC (advanced reader copy) from work. It has strong Sherlock Holmes and Watson vibes. I would describe it as a dark mystery. Not my usual book choice but sounded interesting and was free. It kept my interest to see how it would end. Realized after starting it's the second in the series but I was able to pick it up and read it on its own no problem. Might pick up the other book sometime
February 14, 2025
Very interesting murder mystery read. Very dark tale written in the verbiage of the 1800s. How do people think these stories and plot lines up? Fascinating.
November 9, 2024
This was an interesting Gothic mystery, which is not my usual genre, but I enjoyed this book. O'Donnell did a good job with character development, and I enjoyed the prose. Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in advance as a giveaway.
January 24, 2025
Another fantastic book by Paraic O’Donnell. Sizzling, hilarious dialogue, fascinating characters, and top notch writing-I loved it!
January 6, 2025
The Naming of the Birds was a good gothic, mystery read. It had a very strong Sherlock Holmes feel to it. It follows a gruff police Inspector, his long-suffering Sergeant and a strong-willed female journalist as they work to solve the mystery of a string of murders with few clues.
This one dived right in with some darker themes including child abuse and torture (TW). Which the first chapter of the book was my favorite part, following a girl called Nightingale. She was a character that grabs you and I was pulled into her story. But then she doesn't make another appearance until the last few chapters.
The middle is where I found this story lacking. It was very wordy in parts, which started to lose me, mind wandering a bit. I didn't know this was the second book in the series, so it did seem like there was some backstory missing but can still be read as stand alone. I would have liked more storyline around the Nightingale rather than so much on the inspector's side, which got long winded at times. The mystery wasn't too hard to figure out, so you are just following along with the inspector's team as they figure out more. The book is well written, but the story did fall a bit flat. I felt that less would have given more in this one. I really had a hard time rating this one because there were parts that I was hooked and loved, but other parts I just wanted to skip ahead with.
Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for the audiobook for review.
This one dived right in with some darker themes including child abuse and torture (TW). Which the first chapter of the book was my favorite part, following a girl called Nightingale. She was a character that grabs you and I was pulled into her story. But then she doesn't make another appearance until the last few chapters.
The middle is where I found this story lacking. It was very wordy in parts, which started to lose me, mind wandering a bit. I didn't know this was the second book in the series, so it did seem like there was some backstory missing but can still be read as stand alone. I would have liked more storyline around the Nightingale rather than so much on the inspector's side, which got long winded at times. The mystery wasn't too hard to figure out, so you are just following along with the inspector's team as they figure out more. The book is well written, but the story did fall a bit flat. I felt that less would have given more in this one. I really had a hard time rating this one because there were parts that I was hooked and loved, but other parts I just wanted to skip ahead with.
Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for the audiobook for review.
October 14, 2024
This is the sequel to The House on Vesper Sands and It was just as good if not better. We are still following Inspector Cutter and Sergeant Bliss along with Octavia. In this book they are trying to solve the murders of prominent people that were involved in deaths of children in an asylum in 1872. The Naming of the Birds by Paraic O’Donnell. 4.5 stars. An arc from netgalley and comes out January 2025.
February 25, 2025
I ended my review of The House on Vesper Sands saying I was excited to see what Cutter, Bliss, and Octavia got up to in the sequel, and now I feel like anticipatory excitement was the wrong tone to take because this is a very serious book, in many ways.
It might not strike you as particularly so if you’re used to reading mystery/crime, but it involves children, and the prolonged torture of children , which is described in some (though not excessive, nor, I felt, gratuitous) detail. Reading the first chapter pretty much gives you a very strong hint about the road this book is headed down. However, if the supernatural themes in the last book were not to your taste, I can safely say that this book is (mostly?) free from that, so there’s that.
In fact, the structure of this book is a testament of sorts to O’Donnell’s capabilities as an author, because, thanks to the first chapter, we’re clued into the fact that we’ll be reading a book where a lot of the facts are already laid out for us. We can probably guess who’s doing the killing and why. While I do think that withholding some information to reveal later could’ve made things much more interesting, the book does remain supremely engaging the whole way through, so I’m not really complaining.The smallest details matter a great deal when parsing mysteries, after all, and it turns out I, for one, really did need to know every last thing. (Though, in that regard, while The Naming of the Birds was certainly compelling enough, it wasn’t entirely satisfying to me.)
I’m getting slightly ahead of myself. We meet Inspector Cutter and Sergeant Bliss (partners in crime once again!) of the Metropolitan Police prior to their embarking on a new case. I’m not entirely sure how Bliss managed to establish himself as a legitimate sergeant after having spent so much time studying divinity and not a lot of time studying policing, but hey, it’s 1894, and I suppose Cutter had a lot to do with it. Aside from making certain that Bliss is competent with a firearm (not an entirely successful project), Cutter has been behaving somewhat more strangely than usual (in Bliss’ view) after having received some mail he refuses to talk about. Unlike in the previous book, where I struggled to get on with Cutter right away, here I felt I’d settled into his abrasiveness. Some of my favourite Cutter originals include “that preening Calvinist goblin” and “you dazed cockatoo”, but there are, of course, several good ones in there, mostly at the expense of Bliss.
Then, the two find themselves investigating a spate of murders, something which doesn’t seem to surprise Cutter. The murders are violent, calculated, and precise, and each one is somewhat unique. They all seem to contain messages that the men struggle to parse. Bliss tracks down Octavia Hillingdon (who is still a journalist, but now more of an independent agent and an avid researcher) and asks for her aid. Since the three have established something of a rapport since the previous book, seeing them work together was a real highlight. Octavia is perhaps the only person who has the spirit and wit to match Cutter when he’s being his usual crabby self, and their interactions help to balance out the tenseness inherent in the darker events the book tackles.
Octavia put aside her papers. “Since you cannot what?”
“You will have to catch up as we go, Miss Hillingdon. I cannot jot it all on the back of an envelope. There were markings in blood, too, on the side of the henhouse. Another message. Buckley reckoned he was lucky to find it, after the showers we have had.”
Gideon waited, but Octavia was less patient. “Oh, for goodness’ sake. It’s like getting laudanum drops from the chemist. Are you going to tell us or not?”
There’s a long, dramatic scene involving museum infiltration and villainous grandstanding, and it’s here that I wondered if things were tipping into the territory of melodrama. But if they were, I can’t say I really minded. A good time was had, after all.
But I was a bit dubious when it came to how O’Donnell presented trauma, which comes up towards the end of the book. Without giving too much away, I did feel that how he approached the subject was, at times, a little stiff and inauthentic. However, the book tackles a rather extreme case, and I don’t truly know how that could be represented in a way that felt more genuine. Perhaps my criticism is with the fact that I felt more of a sense of disconnection, rather than connection, with the character. However, there’s more than a bit of leeway to be given here, I think, because such traumatic depths can be challenging to convey convincingly, and what comes across as inauthentic may be truer to life than it appears. That aside, Bliss’ own trauma precipitates a kind of connection with the traumatised, which wasn’t entirely convincing. Other things (big or small) that bothered me: Cutter’s unnecessary secrecy, his unexplained partnership with a (quite memorable) character who then disappears at one point and isn’t mentioned again, and In any case, even though there were things the book could have done better or didn’t properly explain, I still think this was a gripping page-turner of an installment.
Mystery series’, for me at least, will live or die on the strength of characters and character interaction, and this has been a great strength of the series so far with regard to Cutter, Bliss, and Octavia, so I’m certain I’ll keep reading them as long as they remain well-drawn.
3.75 stars.
It might not strike you as particularly so if you’re used to reading mystery/crime, but it involves children, and the prolonged torture of children , which is described in some (though not excessive, nor, I felt, gratuitous) detail. Reading the first chapter pretty much gives you a very strong hint about the road this book is headed down. However, if the supernatural themes in the last book were not to your taste, I can safely say that this book is (mostly?) free from that, so there’s that.
In fact, the structure of this book is a testament of sorts to O’Donnell’s capabilities as an author, because, thanks to the first chapter, we’re clued into the fact that we’ll be reading a book where a lot of the facts are already laid out for us. We can probably guess who’s doing the killing and why. While I do think that withholding some information to reveal later could’ve made things much more interesting, the book does remain supremely engaging the whole way through, so I’m not really complaining.The smallest details matter a great deal when parsing mysteries, after all, and it turns out I, for one, really did need to know every last thing. (Though, in that regard, while The Naming of the Birds was certainly compelling enough, it wasn’t entirely satisfying to me.)
I’m getting slightly ahead of myself. We meet Inspector Cutter and Sergeant Bliss (partners in crime once again!) of the Metropolitan Police prior to their embarking on a new case. I’m not entirely sure how Bliss managed to establish himself as a legitimate sergeant after having spent so much time studying divinity and not a lot of time studying policing, but hey, it’s 1894, and I suppose Cutter had a lot to do with it. Aside from making certain that Bliss is competent with a firearm (not an entirely successful project), Cutter has been behaving somewhat more strangely than usual (in Bliss’ view) after having received some mail he refuses to talk about. Unlike in the previous book, where I struggled to get on with Cutter right away, here I felt I’d settled into his abrasiveness. Some of my favourite Cutter originals include “that preening Calvinist goblin” and “you dazed cockatoo”, but there are, of course, several good ones in there, mostly at the expense of Bliss.
Then, the two find themselves investigating a spate of murders, something which doesn’t seem to surprise Cutter. The murders are violent, calculated, and precise, and each one is somewhat unique. They all seem to contain messages that the men struggle to parse. Bliss tracks down Octavia Hillingdon (who is still a journalist, but now more of an independent agent and an avid researcher) and asks for her aid. Since the three have established something of a rapport since the previous book, seeing them work together was a real highlight. Octavia is perhaps the only person who has the spirit and wit to match Cutter when he’s being his usual crabby self, and their interactions help to balance out the tenseness inherent in the darker events the book tackles.
Octavia put aside her papers. “Since you cannot what?”
“You will have to catch up as we go, Miss Hillingdon. I cannot jot it all on the back of an envelope. There were markings in blood, too, on the side of the henhouse. Another message. Buckley reckoned he was lucky to find it, after the showers we have had.”
Gideon waited, but Octavia was less patient. “Oh, for goodness’ sake. It’s like getting laudanum drops from the chemist. Are you going to tell us or not?”
There’s a long, dramatic scene involving museum infiltration and villainous grandstanding, and it’s here that I wondered if things were tipping into the territory of melodrama. But if they were, I can’t say I really minded. A good time was had, after all.
But I was a bit dubious when it came to how O’Donnell presented trauma, which comes up towards the end of the book. Without giving too much away, I did feel that how he approached the subject was, at times, a little stiff and inauthentic. However, the book tackles a rather extreme case, and I don’t truly know how that could be represented in a way that felt more genuine. Perhaps my criticism is with the fact that I felt more of a sense of disconnection, rather than connection, with the character. However, there’s more than a bit of leeway to be given here, I think, because such traumatic depths can be challenging to convey convincingly, and what comes across as inauthentic may be truer to life than it appears. That aside, Bliss’ own trauma precipitates a kind of connection with the traumatised, which wasn’t entirely convincing. Other things (big or small) that bothered me: Cutter’s unnecessary secrecy, his unexplained partnership with a (quite memorable) character who then disappears at one point and isn’t mentioned again, and In any case, even though there were things the book could have done better or didn’t properly explain, I still think this was a gripping page-turner of an installment.
Mystery series’, for me at least, will live or die on the strength of characters and character interaction, and this has been a great strength of the series so far with regard to Cutter, Bliss, and Octavia, so I’m certain I’ll keep reading them as long as they remain well-drawn.
3.75 stars.
September 13, 2025
Been waiting for this sequel, as I really liked The House on Vesper Sands. Overall, expectations were met, however ...
Started listening to this one as a bit of a captive audience - my car dealer threw in oil changes when I purchased my vehicle last year, but they are s-l-o-w about it, so thought I'd pass the time in their waiting area easily. Ummm ... no ... the first hour featured a grim prologue of sadistic child abuse, mostly off-screen, but still quite the downer. Moreover, it seemed to have little to do with the main story as described? Deducting a star for this and the conclusion.
Once, the main story began things were as I'd expected. The three main characters from before worked together to solve a couple of gruesome murders. One occurs at a Molly House, or LGBT brothel, which could've been seen as imposing modern sensibilities onto the story, but came off as credible for them to take a libertarian approach to focus on the murder.
I recall the other book as being Gideon's story, while this one seemed more from Cutter's point of view (though through Gideon pretty much). Gideon himself seemed fairly detached, not often directly present in the story. Olivia wasn't strongly present either, at times it seemed she was expressing unrequited frustration over Gideon's lack of picking up on her hints? Anyway ...
It was great watching them chase down leads, until the final hour or so - a denouement where instead of the detective addressing a group of suspects, the villain has our threesome as a captive audience for a dark encounter, both literally and in tone.
My experience was that the author knew what was going on, but I wasn't confident I "got" what exactly went down? However, that really didn't matter. I'm chalking it up to the storyline not working out as well as if might've for me, which happens. I'm hoping for a third one as our heroes work really well together, and the audio narrator slams the material
out of the ballpark (a baseball idiom to indicate high praise).
Started listening to this one as a bit of a captive audience - my car dealer threw in oil changes when I purchased my vehicle last year, but they are s-l-o-w about it, so thought I'd pass the time in their waiting area easily. Ummm ... no ... the first hour featured a grim prologue of sadistic child abuse, mostly off-screen, but still quite the downer. Moreover, it seemed to have little to do with the main story as described? Deducting a star for this and the conclusion.
Once, the main story began things were as I'd expected. The three main characters from before worked together to solve a couple of gruesome murders. One occurs at a Molly House, or LGBT brothel, which could've been seen as imposing modern sensibilities onto the story, but came off as credible for them to take a libertarian approach to focus on the murder.
I recall the other book as being Gideon's story, while this one seemed more from Cutter's point of view (though through Gideon pretty much). Gideon himself seemed fairly detached, not often directly present in the story. Olivia wasn't strongly present either, at times it seemed she was expressing unrequited frustration over Gideon's lack of picking up on her hints? Anyway ...
It was great watching them chase down leads, until the final hour or so - a denouement where instead of the detective addressing a group of suspects, the villain has our threesome as a captive audience for a dark encounter, both literally and in tone.
My experience was that the author knew what was going on, but I wasn't confident I "got" what exactly went down? However, that really didn't matter. I'm chalking it up to the storyline not working out as well as if might've for me, which happens. I'm hoping for a third one as our heroes work really well together, and the audio narrator slams the material
out of the ballpark (a baseball idiom to indicate high praise).
November 28, 2024
I will be the first to give a 2-Star review with actual text. The sentiments I have regarding this book are shared with other reviewers. I am not a fan of swearing because it just isn't necessary. It has been said that "swearing is a fool's way to sound intelligent." To that end there was only one character that should be swearing, and he did.
The plot was so thin I had it figured out by page 43. I was very interested in the first part of the book but then it turned to the 1894, and it started its downward spiral. Let's also be honest with history. Some of the practices of the characters in this book would have been hidden to the point of denial, not bandied about with inuendo. The writer pens a story set in the 1894 with the sensibilities of society in the twenty-first century. The police of that year would have had no compunction regarding arresting people for these things. Crooked or honest cops.
The character of Gideon is contradictory. Although O'Donnell writes from an interesting slant, the Watson is the main character, he ineffectively mixes two sides of his character; clergy student and police sergeant. The way he writes is to put them at odds with one another and one side is winning out. Again, this is current sensibilities washing over a historical piece because of how Gideon begins to shift his identity.
So why two stars and not one. O'Donnell's writing is crisp and distinctive. He has all of the qualities of a phenomenal writer. His characters were vibrant but muddied. I could see them existing in the late 1990's not the 1890's. O'Donnell is talented but misdirected. His history is flawed, and his characters are out of their correct time. He would be better off writing tales set-in present-day London or Dublin, but not Victorian England.
If you enjoy this book I understand where you are coming from. My page says it took me seven days to read it. The truth is I read 85% of the book in one day. The writing is that good. What he did with that writing did not appeal to me.
The plot was so thin I had it figured out by page 43. I was very interested in the first part of the book but then it turned to the 1894, and it started its downward spiral. Let's also be honest with history. Some of the practices of the characters in this book would have been hidden to the point of denial, not bandied about with inuendo. The writer pens a story set in the 1894 with the sensibilities of society in the twenty-first century. The police of that year would have had no compunction regarding arresting people for these things. Crooked or honest cops.
The character of Gideon is contradictory. Although O'Donnell writes from an interesting slant, the Watson is the main character, he ineffectively mixes two sides of his character; clergy student and police sergeant. The way he writes is to put them at odds with one another and one side is winning out. Again, this is current sensibilities washing over a historical piece because of how Gideon begins to shift his identity.
So why two stars and not one. O'Donnell's writing is crisp and distinctive. He has all of the qualities of a phenomenal writer. His characters were vibrant but muddied. I could see them existing in the late 1990's not the 1890's. O'Donnell is talented but misdirected. His history is flawed, and his characters are out of their correct time. He would be better off writing tales set-in present-day London or Dublin, but not Victorian England.
If you enjoy this book I understand where you are coming from. My page says it took me seven days to read it. The truth is I read 85% of the book in one day. The writing is that good. What he did with that writing did not appeal to me.
July 3, 2025
This Victorian mystery tale examines the gray areas between justice and morality, power and corruption, right and wrong.
Inspector Cutter has always been impatient of his sergeant, Gideon Bliss, but that impatience has worsened of late. Gideon can trace the pattern to a day when Cutter received a mysterious letter. Now the Inspector seems obsessed with ensuring Gideon learns some defensive skills, including learning to use a gun.
When a pair of gruesome killings occurs in a London home of some importance, Cutter brings in Milo, a Frenchman whom Gideon perceives to have very particular skills--namely, he knows how to kill people. And he can recognize another's similar skills. It seems there is a very exceptional killer on the loose.
Gideon is sent to ask the help of Miss Octavia Hillingdon, an archivist who has aided their investigations in the past. Soon this unlikely foursome are pressing forward into dark secrets someone wants to bury forever... but the assassin is equally determined to expose those secrets, and to kill those responsible. That the killer continues to do so despite the hunt makes Cutter ever more difficult to work with. When Gideon and Octavia fall captive to the mysterious powers under attack, Cutter must make difficult choices, and confess a secret he has held close for decades.
This seems an interesting set of characters, Octavia is the least weighed down by trauma and misgivings, and practically lights up the page when she finally arrives one-third of the way into this tale. And Gideon, apparently haplessly unsuited for his work as a policeman, improves as he is challenged by circumstances to trust his own instincts. Cutter also grows on one, somewhat. I'd prefer a tale all about Milo, the mysterious assassin, and some backstory on how he and Cutter became acquainted. It would have been nice to learn a bit more about the mysterious killer, whose training and background remain a mystery to the end of the book, to readers at least, if not to Cutter.
Still, an interesting, atmospheric read. I might seek out more books in the series.
Inspector Cutter has always been impatient of his sergeant, Gideon Bliss, but that impatience has worsened of late. Gideon can trace the pattern to a day when Cutter received a mysterious letter. Now the Inspector seems obsessed with ensuring Gideon learns some defensive skills, including learning to use a gun.
When a pair of gruesome killings occurs in a London home of some importance, Cutter brings in Milo, a Frenchman whom Gideon perceives to have very particular skills--namely, he knows how to kill people. And he can recognize another's similar skills. It seems there is a very exceptional killer on the loose.
Gideon is sent to ask the help of Miss Octavia Hillingdon, an archivist who has aided their investigations in the past. Soon this unlikely foursome are pressing forward into dark secrets someone wants to bury forever... but the assassin is equally determined to expose those secrets, and to kill those responsible. That the killer continues to do so despite the hunt makes Cutter ever more difficult to work with. When Gideon and Octavia fall captive to the mysterious powers under attack, Cutter must make difficult choices, and confess a secret he has held close for decades.
This seems an interesting set of characters, Octavia is the least weighed down by trauma and misgivings, and practically lights up the page when she finally arrives one-third of the way into this tale. And Gideon, apparently haplessly unsuited for his work as a policeman, improves as he is challenged by circumstances to trust his own instincts. Cutter also grows on one, somewhat. I'd prefer a tale all about Milo, the mysterious assassin, and some backstory on how he and Cutter became acquainted. It would have been nice to learn a bit more about the mysterious killer, whose training and background remain a mystery to the end of the book, to readers at least, if not to Cutter.
Still, an interesting, atmospheric read. I might seek out more books in the series.
January 10, 2025
I was quickly hooked on this historical fiction/British police procedural that takes place in the 1870s and 1890s. Why are all these boys and girls who survived a deadly fire in an orphanage being groomed by a sadistic group of men, called simply "Chaplain" "Choirmaster" "Proctor" "Dean?" Why have they been stripped of their identities and forced to take on bird names, Finch, Robin, Nightingale? We get to know a number of them, sense their future as likely to be a horror show, based on the punishments for certain misbehaviors. You cannot talk about the fire. You cannot use your prior name.
And then, without much explanation, we are with Inspector Cutter, his Sergeant Gideon Bliss and newspaper woman Octovia (didn't catch her last name in the audio book) and they are caught up in an investigation of a murder, then another..... They all are set to tell a story. I particularly love the character of Gideon, who is constantly cowed by the well known curmudgeon he serves who will not willingly answer most of Gideon's questions.
The audio book is marvelously narrated. The story was well plotted and engaging, the backdrops from elegant to falling down to a gay club and so on. But I have a huge gripe and no I do not forgive this gifted writer and excellent storyteller. He did not leave us with a resolution. I mean, we do find out whodunnit, but there is this unsatisfactory cliffhanger that pisses me off. Still, I enjoyed the book so much that, while it lost a fifth star from me, I did not let my frustration go down to three stars. I don't finish books that cannot earn at least three stars. So this better be a book where all these lovely (not necessarily nice) characters return and we get an answer. I'll read it but fool me once, shame on you..... Better not do this again.
And then, without much explanation, we are with Inspector Cutter, his Sergeant Gideon Bliss and newspaper woman Octovia (didn't catch her last name in the audio book) and they are caught up in an investigation of a murder, then another..... They all are set to tell a story. I particularly love the character of Gideon, who is constantly cowed by the well known curmudgeon he serves who will not willingly answer most of Gideon's questions.
The audio book is marvelously narrated. The story was well plotted and engaging, the backdrops from elegant to falling down to a gay club and so on. But I have a huge gripe and no I do not forgive this gifted writer and excellent storyteller. He did not leave us with a resolution. I mean, we do find out whodunnit, but there is this unsatisfactory cliffhanger that pisses me off. Still, I enjoyed the book so much that, while it lost a fifth star from me, I did not let my frustration go down to three stars. I don't finish books that cannot earn at least three stars. So this better be a book where all these lovely (not necessarily nice) characters return and we get an answer. I'll read it but fool me once, shame on you..... Better not do this again.
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