• The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

  • A Flavia de Luce Mystery
  • By: Alan Bradley
  • Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
  • Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,169 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag  By  cover art

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

By: Alan Bradley
Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

From Dagger Award-winning and internationally best-selling author Alan Bradley comes this utterly beguiling mystery, starring one of fiction’s most remarkable sleuths: Flavia de Luce, a dangerously brilliant 11-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders. This time, Flavia finds herself untangling two deaths—separated by time but linked by the unlikeliest of threads.

Flavia thinks that her days of crime-solving in the bucolic English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacy are over—and then Rupert Porson has an unfortunate rendezvous with electricity. The beloved puppeteer has had his own strings sizzled, but who’d do such a thing and why? For Flavia, the questions are intriguing enough to make her put aside her chemistry experiments and schemes of vengeance against her insufferable big sisters. Astride Gladys, her trusty bicycle, Flavia sets out from the de Luces’ crumbling family mansion in search of Bishop’s Lacey’s deadliest secrets.

Does the madwoman who lives in Gibbet Wood know more than she’s letting on? What of the vicar’s odd ministrations to the catatonic woman in the dovecote? Then there’s a German pilot obsessed with the Brontë sisters, a reproachful spinster aunt, and even a box of poisoned chocolates. Most troubling of all is Porson’s assistant, the charming but erratic Nialla. All clues point toward a suspicious death years earlier and a case the local constables can’t solve—without Flavia’s help. But in getting so close to who’s secretly pulling the strings of this dance of death, has our precocious heroine finally gotten in way over her head?

©2010 Alan Bradley (P)2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

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

Featured Article: The Best Cozy Mysteries to Keep You Warm This Holiday Season


We’ve rounded up a list of some of the best cozy mystery audiobooks to help brighten up your winter listening. Here you'll find contemporary and historical cozies, classic whodunits and ingenious heist stories. While varying in tone, plot, and setting, these picks all share an irresistible holiday atmosphere. You'll find snowstorms galore, bakeries full of tasty holiday treats, glittering get-togethers, and picturesque English villages decked out in their holiday finest.

What listeners say about The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,295
  • 4 Stars
    652
  • 3 Stars
    167
  • 2 Stars
    41
  • 1 Stars
    14
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,452
  • 4 Stars
    260
  • 3 Stars
    70
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,072
  • 4 Stars
    518
  • 3 Stars
    168
  • 2 Stars
    28
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding!

Excellent mystery, writing, and narration. Flavia has a very curious combination of mature and little girl thoughts. It works, though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Flavia does it again!

A wonderful follow up to the first in the series! Bradley left me second guessing myself on every other page which was fantastic as a mystery lover. Jayne Entwistle's narration was perfection as always! Every character had a clear and distinct voice that was thoroughly enjoyable. Buying the third book immediately!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good but not as good as the 1st book in the series

Any additional comments?

Flavia de Luce, a dangerously brilliant 11-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders. This time, Flavia finds herself untangling two deaths—separated by time but linked by the unlikeliest of threads. Flavia thinks that her days of crime-solving in the bucolic English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacy are over—and then Rupert Porson has an unfortunate rendezvous with electricity. The beloved puppeteer has had his own strings sizzled, but who’d do such a thing and why? For Flavia, the questions are intriguing enough to make her put aside her chemistry experiments and schemes of vengeance against her insufferable big sisters. Astride Gladys, her trusty bicycle, Flavia sets out from the de Luces’ crumbling family mansion in search of Bishop’s Lacey’s deadliest secrets. Does the madwoman who lives in Gibbet Wood know more than she’s letting on? What of the vicar’s odd ministrations to the catatonic woman in the dovecote? Then there’s a German pilot obsessed with the Brontë sisters, a reproachful spinster aunt, and even a box of poisoned chocolates. Most troubling of all is Porson’s assistant, the charming but erratic Nialla. All clues point toward a suspicious death years earlier and a case the local constables can’t solve—without Flavia’s help. But in getting so close to who’s secretly pulling the strings of this dance of death, has our precocious heroine finally gotten in way over her head?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable but not as good as first in series

If you’ve listened to books by Alan Bradley before, how does this one compare?

Not quite as good as first in series.

What does Jayne Entwistle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jayne is an excellent actor and brought emotion and insights into the characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I love Flavia

Not as good as the first one but still quite entertaining.

If you look at this as a story of Flavia, her family, and her community it's first-rate. The mystery was a little weak but Flavia's actions and discoveries are what make this book good. I had a few "ouch" moments, such as reference to "long distance" calls which wasn't a British term, to my knowledge.

The narration was excellent. I will continue with this series if only to see how Flavia torments her sisters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertainingly clever

I'm absolutely mesmerized by Alan Bradley's literary knowledge. Also, the clever twists of his novels and the precocious young Flavia make for the best of listening experiences.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Lackluster story, great performace

After the first book, I had high expectations of this one. I was somewhat disappointed. The performance was just as magnificent as it was in the first book. Jayne Entwistle is a truly talented storyteller, but the plot was just not up to the standard of the first book. It moves very slowly because it lacks action and tension.

The mystery is somewhat interesting, but I would have liked it more if there had been more danger involved. Don't get me wrong - I don't like blood and guts - but I need more than descriptions to keep me motivated.

I wouldn't say this was a waste of my time or credit, but don't look to this as any sort of an action book. It was worth it for Jayne Entwistle's performance, and I will continue to read this series, but I hope the rest of the books are more like the debut and less like this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Loved the 1st book by Bradley but not this one...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I find the story itself just wasn't compelling. When I listened to the 1st book I remember really enjoying it, laughing out loud, interested in the story. I listened to the 1st book quite a while ago but remember saying I was going to listen to his next one. Well, what a disappointment....

What could Alan Bradley have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The story just didn't grab me...

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was quite good...

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Uhm, I would have to say no...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Could have been great, or at least good

I give this three stars for the spunky and brilliant young female protagonist, and I liked the plot but I was really put off by the narrator. Unfortunately, with audio books the narrator really can make or break the experience for the listener, and I found this narrator arch, squeaky and out of touch with the nuance.

I might get the next book in paper form to give the series a fair shot.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hysterical mystery

Narrator was wonderful. You could hear her smiling at all the right times. Lovely! Story was a little drawn out compared to first in series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!