Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I hadn’t come across the Flavia de Luce series until this book, I’ve clearly been hiding under a rock or something. What a glorious, madcap, story! Flavia is bold, bolshie and full of gumption and her cousin Undine is simply Flavia, magnified.
This is fast moving, full of action, many twists and turns, with poisonous mushrooms, and a very perplexing murder.
I shall be hunting out the rest of the series
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Death by….mushrooms?
When Major Greyleigh is found dead in his dwelling on the outskirts of Bishop’s Lacey, his last meal a breakfast of mushrooms prepared by Mrs. Mullet (the cook at the de Luce family estate of Buckshaw), it is inevitable that Flavia de Luce will become involved. With her usual disregard for Inspector Hewitt’s instructions not to meddle Flavia leaps into action, first debriefing Mrs. Mullet with Dogger (general factotum at Buckshaw, former soldier and prisoner of war with Flavia’s late father, and Flavia’s partner in investigation) at her side and then sneaking into the dead man’s home to view the scene of the crime. Major Greyleigh, as it turns out, was not the average retired civil servant; he was a public hangman both in England and at the Nuremberg Trials. With her young cousin Undine, who is at once both horribly annoying yet proving to be an able assistant, dogging her every move, Flavia taps into local gossip, her connections at a nearby US military base, and her mind boggling talents in chemistry to free Mrs. Mullet from suspicion and track down the real killer. Along the way, she will unearth secrets that others most definitely want to keep buried….including some that are devastatingly close to home.
Each time I pick up a Flavia de Luce story, I know that I will spend the entire time with a smile either on my face or lurking just under the surface. The very British humor, the irrepressibly inquisitive teen who defies conventions and runs circles around the local police, and a house full of quirky family members and staff….even amidst murders most foul, its hard not to have tremendous fun along the way. Flavia, now getting to a point in her life when she is no longer a child but not really desirous of entering adulthood with all of the constrictions inherent to that condition, is still grieving the death of her dear albeit distant father. She pretty well rules the house (in fact, her father specifically left it to her), and isn’t quite sure what to make of the troublesome young cousin who has come to live with the Buckshaw de Luces. She is, all in all, a character who continues to delight the reader. The writing is as always a treat to be savored, with unique turns of phrase, quirky British vocabulary, and moments of hilarity seamlessly interwoven with the inward thoughts of a grieving girl headed towards a new stage of life. Come for the puzzle that lies at the heart of the novel, become enamored of Flavia and her circle, and enjoy the experience from page one to the end. While the novel can certainly be read as a standalone, those who have read previous titles in the series will have a better understanding of the various characters and their relationships with one another. Fans of the Flavia series will thoroughly enjoy this latest outing, while readers of Jasper Fforde, Anthony Horowitz and Nita Prose should not waste a second acquainting themselves with the series. Many, many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam for allowing me early access to this latest in one of my favorite series. Here’s to tinting the truth!
When Major Greyleigh is found dead in his dwelling on the outskirts of Bishop’s Lacey, his last meal a breakfast of mushrooms prepared by Mrs. Mullet (the cook at the de Luce family estate of Buckshaw), it is inevitable that Flavia de Luce will become involved. With her usual disregard for Inspector Hewitt’s instructions not to meddle Flavia leaps into action, first debriefing Mrs. Mullet with Dogger (general factotum at Buckshaw, former soldier and prisoner of war with Flavia’s late father, and Flavia’s partner in investigation) at her side and then sneaking into the dead man’s home to view the scene of the crime. Major Greyleigh, as it turns out, was not the average retired civil servant; he was a public hangman both in England and at the Nuremberg Trials. With her young cousin Undine, who is at once both horribly annoying yet proving to be an able assistant, dogging her every move, Flavia taps into local gossip, her connections at a nearby US military base, and her mind boggling talents in chemistry to free Mrs. Mullet from suspicion and track down the real killer. Along the way, she will unearth secrets that others most definitely want to keep buried….including some that are devastatingly close to home.
Each time I pick up a Flavia de Luce story, I know that I will spend the entire time with a smile either on my face or lurking just under the surface. The very British humor, the irrepressibly inquisitive teen who defies conventions and runs circles around the local police, and a house full of quirky family members and staff….even amidst murders most foul, its hard not to have tremendous fun along the way. Flavia, now getting to a point in her life when she is no longer a child but not really desirous of entering adulthood with all of the constrictions inherent to that condition, is still grieving the death of her dear albeit distant father. She pretty well rules the house (in fact, her father specifically left it to her), and isn’t quite sure what to make of the troublesome young cousin who has come to live with the Buckshaw de Luces. She is, all in all, a character who continues to delight the reader. The writing is as always a treat to be savored, with unique turns of phrase, quirky British vocabulary, and moments of hilarity seamlessly interwoven with the inward thoughts of a grieving girl headed towards a new stage of life. Come for the puzzle that lies at the heart of the novel, become enamored of Flavia and her circle, and enjoy the experience from page one to the end. While the novel can certainly be read as a standalone, those who have read previous titles in the series will have a better understanding of the various characters and their relationships with one another. Fans of the Flavia series will thoroughly enjoy this latest outing, while readers of Jasper Fforde, Anthony Horowitz and Nita Prose should not waste a second acquainting themselves with the series. Many, many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam for allowing me early access to this latest in one of my favorite series. Here’s to tinting the truth!
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Flavia's back! After 5 long years. And this was a really good one (after a few that seemed meandering). Wow, big revelations in this book that actually make sense out of some earlier perplexing events. I liked the mystery, loved seeing the characters again, and am excited to see where the story goes from here.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced