Death in the Aviary

There is something deeply pleasant about reading a classic whodunnit from the Golden Age of crime writing. Back in the day it felt that there was a proper set of rules to a crime and solving it. Set so long ago that people call these cases cozy but is there anything cozy about murder? I may have read many of the classics, but I need not worry about running out, there are always more to find, and there are modern authors paying homage. Victoria Dowd hits the nail on the head with Death in the Aviary, a modern crime story written with the Golden Age in mind. 

Being a young widow is not an easy life in 1920s London, especially when you do not want the help of your family. Charlotte Blood grew up in grandness, but her marriage saw her cut off from the family wealth. Rather than returning after her husband’s premature death she set out a career as a journalist. Gossip columns are not bringing in the money and will not last forever, so when she is tasked by the editor to go undercover in a grand home to investigate a year-old murder, this is a chance for Blood to change her career and her life. 

1920s Britain is always an interesting period in history to set a novel as the scars of The Great War still run deep. The tragedy of this war and the men lost plays a significant role in Aviary, not just for Charlotte, but to those she meets. Blood is a character haunted by the death of her husband, who succumbed years later to illness developed during the war. She is still grieving but is also a determined character. 

It is this determination that drives the story forwards. This is needed on occasion, as Aviary is a deep novel that is as much about introspection as it is murder. There is a lot of time considering Charlotte’s past, but also that of the Ravenswick family, one of which is a killer. The heir to the fortune was shot dead one year earlier in a locked lift. One of the seven other people inside must the killer. A sibling, a lover, a member of staff? Blood finds herself investigating a toxic house. 

This is a cracking locked room premise. The clues are sparce and it is a tricky one to solve. There is the classic finale as the suspects are gathered, and their alibis and motives compared. I certainly enjoyed the various twists and turns in the final quarter. I am not sure I could have solved the crime earlier in the book, but Dowd did a respectable job of writing a complex and twisty case. 

There is a lot to admire in Aviary, a good case, the homage to the Golden Era, but Dowd should also be commended for fleshing out the world of 1920s Britain. There is a sense of gloom and tragedy that sits over the characters because of their lived experiences.  

Charlotte has one foot in both upper and lower society, this is explored when she arrives at the Ravenswick home as a servant but is invited to dine with the family. There is a lot happening other than just crime, this does make the page count increase more than perhaps needed, but if you like your characters introspective, then Charlotte Blood is someone complex enough to want to learn more about.