The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

A Flavia de Luce Mystery

By: Alan Bradley

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison.

It is the summer of 1950 - and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia’s family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life".

To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: Full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father, a man raising his three daughters alone, is seized, accused of murder. And in a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story - of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school’s tower 30 years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: Her father is innocent of murder - but protecting her and her sisters from something even worse...

An enthralling mystery, a piercing depiction of class and society, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a masterfully told tale of deceptions - and a rich literary delight.

©2009 Alan Bradley (P)2009 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Brilliant, irresistible and incorrigible, Flavia has a long future ahead of her...Bradley's mystery debut is a standout." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Fun for the reader.... Fans of Louise Fitzhugh's iconic Harriet the Spy will welcome 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce, the heroine of...Bradley's rollicking debut." (Publishers Weekly)

"While Flavia De Luce is winning your heart, she may also be poisoning your tea. She's the most wickedly funny sleuth in years, brilliant, unpredictable, unflappable - and only eleven. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie offers the freshest new voice in mystery yet." (Charles Todd, author of The Ian Rutledge series)

amusing who-dunnit in the voice of a child

I did find the thoughts of the child very amusing but the actor voiced her as a little bit too irritating... which she was. However, overall it was a good story with lots of interesting tidbits

A Curious Story of a Curious Little Girl

A pleasant story in the English countryside, great writing and narration that captures the view of a little girl with a obsession with poisons

Clever, amusing story ... disliked narrator

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but ended up finishing it in the print form. I could tell I would like the bright, mischievous heroine if I didn't have to listen to the narrator's exaggerated interpretation of her humor and self-confidence. Entwistle chose to narrate Flavia's tone of self-delight in such a way that she sounded smarmily smug. I understand that she was attempting to convey the self-congratulatory pride and sibling rivalry that is a trait of this character, but it made me dislike an otherwise quirky and original protagonist.

Listen to the sample ... if it doesn't grate on your nerves, you'll find the book well worth the listen. (written not by William, but by his wife)

very entertaining

The narrator quickly grew on me and the story and characters were so much fun I was sorry to reach the end.

very fun

Fun to listen to. Great narrator. I did a lot of Christmas baking with this on in the background. It's an easy story to follow while doing other things.

Engrossing mystery and wonderful performance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this audiobook to a friend because the mystery was particularly well contrived, the similes and metaphors used throughout the story added to the descriptions (they were usually very clever), and the reader did a masterful job.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. The plot was always moving forward and was helped by the superb development of the main character, Flavia.

Which scene was your favorite?

I particularly enjoyed the scenes in which Flavia interacted with the local constabulary.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The scene in which Flavia went to visit her father.

Any additional comments?

I will be listening to more from this series. My only complaint was the use of the "D" word - particularly by an 11-year-old character. Apart from that, the mystery and the performance of it were masterful.

Great book. Amazing performance.

Just a quick review. This book is really really good. If you like a good murder mystery this is one for you. Its protagonist gives a fresh view on an old genre.

Now, for Jayne Entwistle. Her reading of the story truly brings it to life. Slight changes in inflection giving each character their own voice. I think her performance helped elevate this already great story into something truly memorable.

Drags a bit at the end

I got this book because I listened to Jayne Entwistle read Barbara Pym and I loved her. I enjoy British cozy mysteries and this sounded like a good fit. Ms Entwistle blew it out of the park again.

People say the hook is slow, but I enjoyed the pace through most of the book. However, the last couple chapters (hours) seemed to take forever. I turned it to 2x speed and would have given up except that I was taking a long car trip and had nothing else to listen to.

I agree that Flavia was more than a precocious 11 year old and simply unbelievable as that age. Don’t know why the author didn’t just make her a bit older, or even an adult. It’s one thing to love chemistry (which I thought was believable) but to know every literary, musical, or scientific reference was too much.

I won’t be getting more of these, but I will keep listening to Jayne Entwistle !

Brilliantly written and read , this one is a gem!

Harry Potter , Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple occupy the body of a little girl . It's delectable . :)

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I was unsure about checking out this book. It seemed like your typical cozy mystery set in post-WWII England, just told from the perspective of an 11 year-old girl. I expected it to be charming and light, but nothing too interesting in the end.

What caught me off guard, however, was how well the protagonist was written. Unlike stories where every child sounds like an adult's poor imitation of a child, Flavia actually reads like a VERY precocious eleven year-old. There's a charm and logic to her, and an authentic voice. It reminds me in some ways of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME for how it captures such a specific perspective. I'll definitely be checking out some more of Flavia's adventures.