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kelly_ann_s 's review for:
What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust
by Alan Bradley
★★★★
I was thrilled to discover that another Flavia de Luce book was available. When the last book was published, more than 5 years ago, I had read that it would be the final installment in the series. This made visiting the village of Bishop's Lacey and the de Luce estate of Buckshaw, even more delightful.
This story has darker undertones than previous books and is focused more on moving Flavia's story forward than it is on the actual murder she is investigating. That said, 12 year old Flavia is as irrepressible as ever and while her oldest sister, Ophelia is now out of the house, her younger cousin Undine has come to stay with them. Undine's various antics (and fascination with toilet humour) provides Flavia with the opportunity to be the older sister for once and she expresses her exasperation with her younger cousin in true Flavia style when her younger cousin follows her:
"Oh, jellied curses! It was Undine, my pestilent little cousin: The Bane of Buckshaw. How had she found me?"
When a neighbour is killed by ingesting poisonous mushrooms cooked for him by Mrs. Mullet, Flavia's cook and long time caregiver becomes the primary suspect. Not only does Flavia want to clear Mrs. Mullet's name, but she is thrilled - as only Flavia can be - to have a poisoning case to solve.
"I have to admit that I’d been praying for ages to God, the Virgin Mary, and all the saints for a jolly good old-fashioned mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a girl a gift of science—of chemistry, to be precise—such as mine without giving her the opportunity to use it?"
This is one of the rare series that often makes me laugh out loud while reading even though the mysteries can be dark and complex. Here's hoping we get another installment soon!
I was thrilled to discover that another Flavia de Luce book was available. When the last book was published, more than 5 years ago, I had read that it would be the final installment in the series. This made visiting the village of Bishop's Lacey and the de Luce estate of Buckshaw, even more delightful.
This story has darker undertones than previous books and is focused more on moving Flavia's story forward than it is on the actual murder she is investigating. That said, 12 year old Flavia is as irrepressible as ever and while her oldest sister, Ophelia is now out of the house, her younger cousin Undine has come to stay with them. Undine's various antics (and fascination with toilet humour) provides Flavia with the opportunity to be the older sister for once and she expresses her exasperation with her younger cousin in true Flavia style when her younger cousin follows her:
"Oh, jellied curses! It was Undine, my pestilent little cousin: The Bane of Buckshaw. How had she found me?"
When a neighbour is killed by ingesting poisonous mushrooms cooked for him by Mrs. Mullet, Flavia's cook and long time caregiver becomes the primary suspect. Not only does Flavia want to clear Mrs. Mullet's name, but she is thrilled - as only Flavia can be - to have a poisoning case to solve.
"I have to admit that I’d been praying for ages to God, the Virgin Mary, and all the saints for a jolly good old-fashioned mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a girl a gift of science—of chemistry, to be precise—such as mine without giving her the opportunity to use it?"
This is one of the rare series that often makes me laugh out loud while reading even though the mysteries can be dark and complex. Here's hoping we get another installment soon!