{"product_id":"death-in-the-aviary-isbn-9781915523532","title":"Death in the Aviary","description":"\u003cb\u003eA ‘locked lift’ mystery for Golden Age crime fans, from award-winning author Victoria Dowd.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Year’s Eve 1928 – \u003c\/i\u003eIn the grand residence of Ravenswick Abbey, isolated in the wilds of Dartmoor, nine members of the household step into an ornate lift. The power fails. The lift stops. In the darkness, a single shot is fired.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the light returns, Charles Ravenswick — the heir to the Ravenswick fortune — is dead on the floor. No one could have got in or out. All have motives, and none have alibis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA year later under the pretence of reporting on the family’s infamous ravens, sparky Charlotte Blood investigates. She finds a house haunted by suspicion and secrets. She must unravel the mystery and with it the terrible truth behind the entire Ravenswick family. Her search will not only lead her down a dangerous path, it will reveal dark secrets that lurk in her own life...\"Steeped in grief and darkness, Charlotte Blood is a compelling heroine. Deliciously dark and gorgeously gothic, Dowd's twist-filled puzzle positively drips with menace.\"\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Antony Johnston\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e New York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eAtomic Blonde\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Historical crime doesn't get much better than this - a vivid world, characters that leap off the page, all wrapped up in a delicious whodunnit. Just fabulous.\"\u003cbr\u003e– \u003cb\u003eJonathon Whitelaw\u003c\/b\u003e, author of\u003ci\u003e The Bingo Hall Detectives \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I adored this fantastic first book in the new series by Victoria Dowd. I raced through\u003ci\u003e Death in the Aviary \u003c\/i\u003ein a matter of days and was gripped all the way to the fiendishly-clever reveal. Dowd’s characters leap off the page, and her humourous touch makes\u003ci\u003e Death in the Aviary \u003c\/i\u003enot just a superbly-clever puzzle but also a thoroughly entertaining read. With this brilliant innovation on the “locked room mystery”, Dowd firmly establishes herself as the modern queen of “golden age” detective fiction. I cannot wait to read the next instalment of Charlotte Blood’s adventures.”\u003cbr\u003e– \u003cb\u003ePhillipa East\u003c\/b\u003e, author of Dagger short-listed\u003ci\u003e Little White Lies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Utterly brilliant. Victoria Dowd proves yet again that she's in the top tier of mystery fiction writers, with wit, a fabulous puzzle, and the odd frisson of spookiness.\"\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e– \u003cb\u003eTom Mead\u003c\/b\u003e, author of\u003ci\u003e Death of the Conjuror\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Fun, touching and really exciting.\"\u003cbr\u003e– \u003cb\u003eBarbara Nadel\u003c\/b\u003e, author of the BBC's\u003ci\u003e The Turkish Detective\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Victoria Dowd’s brilliant evocation of ‘Golden Age’ crime with her ‘locked lift’ mystery wonderfully captures the spirit of the age without ever reading as pastiche. Certainly, I detected echoes of the ‘queens’ of the genre, especially the aristo vibe of a certain Miss Sayers (although also the ‘whimsy’ of a certain Mr Waugh) but \u003ci\u003eDeath in the Aviary\u003c\/i\u003e remains very much Ms Dowd’s book, not simply a celebration but a compelling and ingenious reimagining very much on her own terms. A very bright beginning for Miss Blood!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Tom Benjamin\u003c\/b\u003e, author of the \u003ci\u003eDaniel Leicester \u003c\/i\u003eseries\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Charlotte Blood is a wonderful new heroine set to take the world of detection by storm. Feisty, intelligent, and deeply sensitive, she jumps off the page in a beautifully written, terrifyingly atmospheric gothic page turner, that keeps you guessing to the very last line. Family feuds, hidden secrets, windswept moors and talking ravens, an irresistible combination!\"\u003cbr\u003e– \u003cb\u003eSam Blake\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThree Little Birds\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A beautifully-crafted ode to the Golden Age of detective fiction. There’s much here for fans of the classic genre: a forbidding stately pile set on windswept moors; imperious aristos; viciously-loyal servants; a sinister occultist; and even a ‘locked lift’ mystery. Hugely entertaining! I look forward to the plucky Charlotte Blood’s next exciting adventure!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e–  Phil Lecomber\u003c\/b\u003e, author of the\u003ci\u003e Piccadilly Noir \u003c\/i\u003eseries\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An atmospheric, gothic deep-dive into the Golden Age of crime fiction, Death in the Aviary is a thrilling start to the Charlotte Blood series. Dysfunctional families, lies, betrayals, ravens galore and a ‘locked lift’ crime scene make this a brilliant puzzle of a story that keeps you guessing to the end. Perfectly executed!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e– \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eEleni Kyriacou,\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eauthor of the Between the Covers book club pick, \u003ci\u003eThe Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A richly characterised detective story with a haunting atmosphere and a terrific puzzle at its heart. Delicious!”\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Daniel Sellers\u003c\/b\u003e, author of\u003ci\u003e Murder in the Gallowgate\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Historical crime doesn't get much better than this - a vivid world, characters that leap off the page, all wrapped up in a delicious whodunnit. Just fabulous.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Jonathon Whitelaw,\u003c\/b\u003e author of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Bingo Hall Detectives\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Not just a superbly-clever puzzle but also a thoroughly entertaining read.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Phillipa East, \u003c\/b\u003eauthor of Dagger short-listed\u003ci\u003e \u003cb\u003eLittle White Lies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Utterly brilliant. Victoria Dowd proves yet again that she's in the top tier of mystery fiction writers, with wit, a fabulous puzzle, and the odd frisson of spookiness.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Tom Mead,\u003c\/b\u003e author of\u003ci\u003e \u003cb\u003eDeath of the Conjuror\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Fun, touching and really exciting.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Barbara Nadel,\u003c\/b\u003e author of the BBC's\u003ci\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe Turkish Detective\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wonderfully captures the spirit of the age [...] not simply a celebration but a compelling and ingenious reimagining. A very bright beginning for Miss Blood!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Tom Benjamin,\u003c\/b\u003e author of the \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaniel Leicester \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eseries\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A beautifully written, terrifyingly atmospheric gothic page turner, that keeps you guessing to the very last line.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Sam Blake,\u003c\/b\u003e author of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThree Little Birds\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Steeped in grief and darkness, Charlotte Blood is a compelling heroine. Deliciously dark and gorgeously gothic, Dowd's twist-filled puzzle positively drips with menace.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Antony Johnston,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAtomic Blonde\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"A beautifully-crafted ode to the Golden Age of detective fiction. There’s much here for fans of the classic genre: a forbidding stately pile set on windswept moors; imperious aristos; viciously-loyal servants; a sinister occultist; and even a ‘locked lift’ mystery. Hugely entertaining! I look forward to the plucky Charlotte Blood’s next exciting adventure!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Phil Lecomber,\u003c\/b\u003e author of the \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePiccadilly Noir\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e series\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A richly characterised detective story with a haunting atmosphere and a terrific puzzle at its heart. Delicious!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Daniel Sellers, \u003c\/b\u003eauthor of \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMurder in the Gallowgate\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A brilliant puzzle of a story that keeps you guessing to the end. Perfectly executed!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Eleni Kyriacou,\u003c\/b\u003e author of the Between the Covers book club pick, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A richly characterised detective story with a haunting atmosphere and a terrific puzzle at its heart. Delicious!”\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Daniel Sellers\u003c\/b\u003e, author of\u003ci\u003e \u003cb\u003eMurder in the Gallowgate\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eVictoria Dowd\u003c\/b\u003e is the award-winning author of the bestselling Smart Woman’s Mystery series. In 2021, her debut novel in the series, THE SMART WOMAN’S GUIDE TO MURDER, won The People’s Book Prize and was In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel’s book of the year. Since then, Victoria has gone from strength to strength; in 2023 she was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger. She has spoken at many literary festivals, including The International Agatha Christie Festival, Harrogate, Crimefest, the Malice Domestic (the Agathas) in Washington DC and the Jaipur Literary Festival with Vaseem Khan. Originally from Yorkshire, she was a criminal defence barrister for many years and is now a board member of the Crime Writers’ Association and head of the London Chapter.","brand":"Datura Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233077735653,"sku":"NP9781915523532","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781915523532.jpg?v=1767724904","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/death-in-the-aviary-isbn-9781915523532","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}