From award-winning author Alan Bradley comes the next cozy British mystery starring intrepid young sleuth Flavia de Luce, hailed by USA Today as "one of the most remarkable creations in recent literature".
Eleven-year-old amateur detective and ardent chemist Flavia de Luce is used to digging up clues, whether they’re found among the potions in her laboratory or between the pages of her insufferable sisters’ diaries. What she is not accustomed to is digging up bodies. Upon the 500th anniversary of St. Tancred’s death, the English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey is busily preparing to open its patron saint’s tomb. Nobody is more excited to peek inside the crypt than Flavia, yet what she finds will halt the proceedings dead in their tracks: the body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, his face grotesquely and inexplicably masked.
Who held a vendetta against Mr. Collicutt, and why would they hide him in such a sacred resting place? The irrepressible Flavia decides to find out. And what she unearths will prove there’s never such thing as an open-and-shut case.
©2013 Bradley Page (P)2013 Random House Audio
"Every Flavia de Luce novel is a reason to celebrate." (USA Today)
"Utterly beguiling." (People (four stars), on The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag)
"Outstanding...[a] marvelous blend of whimsy and mystery." (Publishers Weekly on A Red Herring Without Mustard)
"the best Flavia yet!!"
a terrific listen. Flavia gets embroiled in another murder and gets to use her unstoppable curiosity to solve it. In this entry in the series we learn more about her mother, about her family and of course about Flavia herself.
love the chemistry lessons too.
Jayne Entwistle's performance is just as good as the novel and she continues to delight.
can't wait for the next one!
"Love it, love it, love it!"
Yes. Have already listened twice through. Flavia is a beguiling character and Entwistle is her perfect voice.
These stories are really just a framework, for me, for hanging out with Flavia (and Dogger). So, yes, her antics keep me fully engaged from start to finish, and wanting more when the story ends.
Her inflections in Flavia's dialogues (internal and external) really bring to life the richness and depth of a precocious child's inner and outer world. As I said above, the voice is perfect.
Yes. And did. And will again.
It is agony to wait for the next installment.
"Delightfully Incorrigible!"
What's not to love about Flavia De Luce? Even her bicycle has a name! And I do believe that the best way to enjoy her is to listen to Jayne Entwistle read Alan Bradley's excellent mystery series. This one, brings our heroine and her quirky family to a perilous impass and leaves them clinging cliffside, but not before our fearless 12 year old has solved another gruesome village murder.
While you will enjoy this book on its own, it is much better in the context of the series so I recommend you read them all . . .no, better yet, listen to them, because Jayne Entwistle gives Flavia such a wonderful voice it makes me smile just to hear her.
"The last line of the book, takes your breath away."
Loved the book. Only draw back, Flavia crawling around in tight spaces is reminiscent of her being trapped in book two. The last line of the book is mind stopping, suprising, and makes me want to read another book.
A little sharp.
Last line is suberb.
"Great book! Compelling story and characters!"
Great plot with fun and colorful characters and a deliciously complicated story. The book is very well read and an overall fun find. I will look for the other books in the series and read them all!
I have never listened to this reader, but I will search out the other books in the series and other books she has read. She was terrific!
murphaim
"Finally, a Cliffhanger!"
By far, my favorite of the series. I love the addition of a cliffhanger at the end, it makes me crave the next in ther series. As always, Jayne Entwistle's Flavia made me laugh at loud!
"Love Flavia!"
This is one of the best of Alan Bradley's books about Flavia de Luce and her adventures. As always, Flavia's precocious ways get her in and out of trouble but she always prevails. I have both read and listened to the books and as long as Jayne Entwistle is the narrator, I will always prefer listening to them. She is the perfect voice for Flavia.
This book had it all: Mystery, intrigue, history and humor. The surprise ending leaves Flavia fans anxious for the next book. Can't wait.
"Terrific mystery, adorable heroine ...cliffhanger?"
I've listened to all of the Flavia de Luce Novels and loved every one of them, but this novel has the best mystery so far. I must admit, I didn't put it all together even though all the clues were there.
Alan Bradley has created a wonderfully saucy and precocious girl detective with Flavia de Luce. She is a genius with Chemistry and has a great grasp of human nature, even for 12 years old. She doesn't miss a thing! Somehow, Mr Bradley makes it all believable. In this installment, Flavia finally gets a chance to shine in the end, by recounting her deductions to the idolized Inspector Hewitt and his adored wife, Antigone. A milestone for Flavia!
With all the family dynamics, problems and personalities in the de Luce household, this series keeps us enthralled from book to book. Each book so far has satisfied us with complete stories. This one, however, leaves us with several unanswered questions and a startling cliffhanger. If I'd have known, I may have waited to read it until the next book is released!
Jayne Entwistle, once again, does a marvelous job narrating. She brings Flavia to life with oodles of personality and mischievous charm.
I highly recommend any of the books in this series - especially this one! It is a charming cozy mystery with available clues but subtle twists that will keep you guessing until the end.
"I hope Alan Bradley is hard at work on the sequel!"
Flavia de Luce is simply irresistible and I think that this may be my favorite of the series. She is at her 11 year old scientific best solving a complex mystery of her church organist's murder. My one complaint about the book is that it ends with a cliff hanger that will have me waiting on the edge of my seat until Mr. Bradley can write the next book. I hope he's hard at work.
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"She's BACK!"
Jayne Entwistle and Alan Bradley are bench markers for me. I compare other narrators and authors by the Flavia series. So, this series is in the top favorites. I look for referrals to my next books from other fans of Flavia - reading their reviews. I value these reviews so much, that I'm inspired to write as many as possible if someone has similar taste as me. Tasty books can be hard to find without reviews from listeners with similar preferences.
Flavia's bike rides ... I'm in love with how Flavia relates to Gladys! I love picturing Flavia's joy as she imagines Glady's opinions about the wind, mud, and freedom - as they ride to meet adventure.
I laughed ... I smiled throughout the whole book.