Death and the Singing Birds

January 1, 2021
In 1926, Sir Gilbert, the new owner of Spitalfrith Manor, hosts an art exhibition in Kent, England, showcasing artists from the Artistes de Cler movement. The Clerries, as they are known, dislike Sir Gilbert's wife, Lady Saddler, who plans to thwart a future exhibition of their work in London. When Lady Saddler is found dead, Nell Drury, chef at Wychbourne Court, becomes involved when Charles Briggs, valet to her employer, Lord Ansley, seemingly confesses to the crime. She believes Briggs, mentally ill following his time in the trenches, is incapable of murder. She appeals to her boyfriend, Detective Chief Inspector Alex Melbray from Scotland Yard, to arrange to be called in by the local constabulary. Lady Saddler is believed to have destroyed a garden containing carved singing birds created by the gardener's son, leading to additional suspects, including a pair of French brothers. Nell risks her relationship with Melbray to clear Briggs and unmask the killer. The novel's evocative post-WWI English setting intertwines with vividly portrayed characters and engaging plot twists in this satisfying historical cozy.

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