{"product_id":"the-naming-of-the-birds-isbn-9781638934721","title":"The Naming of the Birds","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Best Mystery\/Thriller of 2025 from NPR \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe next installment of the “thrilling gothic mystery” (\u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e) series, following the acclaimed bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe House on Vesper Sands\u003c\/i\u003e, arrives in full force as Inspector Cutter and Sergeant Bliss solve their strangest and most personal case yet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eSomething is troubling Inspector Henry Cutter. Sergeant Gideon Bliss is accustomed to his ill-tempered outbursts, but lately the inspector has grown silent and withdrawn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen, the murders begin.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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhy 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?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHypnotic and twisty, Paraic O’Donnell’s \u003ci\u003eThe Naming of the Birds\u003c\/i\u003e will ensnare you until the final pages and leave you questioning what matters most—solving a case or serving justice.\"This Victorian mystery novel is Dickens meets Sherlock Holmes meets \u003ci\u003eLa Femme Nikita\u003c\/i\u003e, and it wears its genre conventions proudly.\" —\u003cb\u003eNPR, A Best Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Exceptional. . . . a delicious, breathtaking romp that will have readers looking over their shoulders as they quickly turn its pages.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBook Page\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Dynamic. . . . O’Donnell’s expert pacing never falters as he explores what makes his characters tick. . . . Series fans will be captivated.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Takes readers back to dark and gloomy Victorian London with a relentless killer on the loose.\"—\u003cb\u003eB\u0026amp;N Poured Over\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"O’Donnell revivifies Victorian and Gothic genre conventions. . . . lyrical, clever, and evocative, rich in detail without being overstuffed. . . . a delectable mixture of old-fashioned storytelling and contemporary verve.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAdroit Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Bliss and Cutter are two of the most intriguing investigators this reviewer has encountered\".—\u003cb\u003eHistorical Novel Society\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"he Naming of the Birds\u003c\/i\u003e is something very special: meaty, dark, exuberant, full of complicated people doing difficult things in terrible circumstances, and gesturing mutely towards love. I recommend it to both those who love Victorian Gothic, and those who usually run a mile from anything described as that but enjoy having their preconceptions confounded.\" —\u003cb\u003eJon McGregor\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eParaic O’Donnell\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe House on Vesper Sands\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Maker of Swans.\u003c\/i\u003e He lives in Wicklow, Ireland, with his wife and two children, and can usually be found in the garden.","brand":"Tin House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233717792997,"sku":"NP9781638934721","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781638934721.jpg?v=1767740630","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-naming-of-the-birds-isbn-9781638934721","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}