The Naming of the Birds, Paraic ODonnell
The Naming of the Birds, Paraic ODonnell
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The Naming of the Birds

Author: Paraic O'Donnell

Narrator: Charles Armstrong

Unabridged: 10 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/14/2025

Synopsis

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 Sergeant Gideon Bliss is accustomed to his ill-tempered outbursts, but lately the inspector has grown silent and withdrawn.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, The Naming of the Birds will leave you questioning what matters most—solving a case or serving justice.

About Paraic O'Donnell

Paraic O'Donnell's essays and reviews have appeared in the Guardian, the Spectator, the Irish Times, and elsewhere. His first novel, The Maker of Swans, was named an Amazon Rising Stars Debut of the Month and was shortlisted for the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sue on January 10, 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......more

Goodreads review by RoosBookReviews on January 05, 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, h......more

Goodreads review by Kim on 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 discov......more

Goodreads review by Ranjini on January 15, 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 peopl......more

Goodreads review by Kat on January 12, 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!......more

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