NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A finger in a wedding cake is only the beginning in this deliciously shocking mystery featuring Flavia de Luce, “the world’s greatest adolescent British chemist/busybody/sleuth” (The Seattle Times). Although it is autumn in the small English town of Bishop’s Lacey, the chapel is decked with exotic flowers. Yes, Flavia de Luce’s sister Ophelia is at last getting … Ophelia is at last getting hitched, like a mule to a wagon. “A church is a wonderful place for a wedding,” muses Flavia, “surrounded as it is by the legions of the dead, whose listening bones bear silent witness to every promise made at the altar.” Flavia is not your normal twelve-year-old girl. An expert in the chemical nature of poisons, she has solved many mysteries, sharpening her considerable detection skills to the point where she had little choice but to turn professional. So Flavia and dependable Dogger, estate gardener and sounding board extraordinaire, set up shop at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, eager to serve—not so simple an endeavor with her odious little moon-faced cousin, Undine, constantly underfoot. But Flavia and Dogger persevere. Little does she know that their first case will be extremely close to home, beginning with an unwelcome discovery in Ophelia’s wedding cake: a human finger.
Praise for The Golden Tresses of the Dead
“Delightful . . . The mysteries in Mr. Bradley’s books are engaging, but the real lure is Ms. de Luce, the irreverent youngster.”—The Wall Street Journal
“A ghoulish question is at the heart of Bradley’s excellent tenth Flavia de Luce novel. . . . Bradley, who has few peers at combining fair-play clueing with humor and has fun mocking genre conventions, shows no sign of running out of ideas.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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The day has finally arrived – Flavia’s oldest sister is getting married. Considering how rocky her romantic life has been over the years, this is a bit surprising. The wedding is beautiful, but when the newlyweds go to cut the cake, they find a finger in the cake. How did it get there? Who did it belong to? Before Flavia can really dig into this case, she and Dogger get their first client for their new Arthur W. Dogger and Associates Discreet Investigations. A local woman has come in asking them to find some missing letters that would be damaging to her father if they got out. Only Dogger isn’t so certain that their client’s story is true. What is really going on?
As a longtime fan, it was great to be back in Bishop’s Lacey with Flavia and the rest of the cast. In fact, I hadn’t realized just how much I’ve come to love these characters until I noticed how much I was smiling through the book. The exception is Flavia’s cousin Undine. I get what she represents, Flavia’s Flavia, but I find her super annoying, although there is hope for her character to grow here. The plot was a bit out there, but I still bought it. The pacing is uneven, especially for the wedding at the beginning, but it isn’t anything we haven’t seen in other books. Flavia is still Flavia, after all, so we get her thoughts on chemistry, poison, and life in general. I listen to their series on audio, and Jayne Entwistle’s narration continues to be outstanding. If you haven’t given them a listen, I highly recommend you try the series this way. But no matter how you read this one, fans will be sure to enjoy this latest visit.
Once again, can’t say enough good things about Alan Bradley’s Flavia DeLuce series – so entertaining!! This is the latest installment, and it’s even better than the first. He’s done such an excellent job developing the endearing characters while keeping things real with her evolving family situations. However, the real treat is in the crazy shenanigans in the name of “discreet investigations”. They are both original and hilarious. I’d love to know how he comes up with this stuff! May be a bit difficult as a stand-alone read because you’d miss all the wonderful history in the relationships, but definitely worth reading either way!!
I love Flavia de Luce; she and Undine are some of the most fun children I’ve come across in quite a while. This was my first Alan Bradley read, and this one was an audio read for me, so getting to hear Jayne Entwistle read was a coup; a Bradley-Entwistle team is a reader’s treat.
Dogger has my respect. He is an adult who likes and respects kids, and though he is a surrogate parent for Flavia, he also is her mentor, friend, and co-worker, encouraging Flavia’s keen interests in chemistry, anatomy, and mystery-solving. There are many wonderful characters in this English countryside, including Undine and Reggie. Together, they work to solve who put a finger in Ophelia’s (Flavia’s sister) wedding cake. The plot, its twists, and characters are unique and delightful and quite believable.
Seeing as this is book #10 in the series but is my first Bradley read, I had no problem following the story, the characters, or the mystery, so they do stand alone. However, the characters and setting are so delightful, that I’m quite certain they build upon one another from story-to-story. I’m reading in whatever order I can acquire them from the library, so the luxury of reading in order as written is not a given, but Bradley’s style does not make each story dependent upon the other.
I received this galley via NetGalley. To be clear about my excitement about this 10th book in the Flavia series, let it be known that I stalked NetGalley for the past several weeks, checking every few days to see if this book had shown up yet. When it did appear, I immediately put in my request. When it was approved a few hours later, I squealed with glee.
So yeah, you might say my expectations were high.
The Golden Tresses of the Dead revives all of the best elements of the Flavia books. I say that, as some of the past books have been somewhat off for me (and my mom, who is also hooked on these books). This series is at its best when Flavia is at home at her family estate of Buckshaw, rolling about the nearby village of Bishop’s Lacey on her beloved bicycle/steed, Gladys. This book uses that setting to the fullest, bicycle and all.
I should add that even an “off” Flavia book is a fantastic read and still better than the average book. As I said a few paragraphs up, my expectations run high for this series.
This book doesn’t begin with a murder, but with a surprise in the wedding cake of Flavia’s sister. The action picks up from there as Flavia and her loyal family bat man, Dogger, acquire a client for their new ‘discreet’ investigations business. There are dark plots, dead bodies, and of course, chemistry work in Flavia’s lab. I’m charmed at how Flavia is maturing in such a realistic way. It’s especially funny to see her interactions with her cousin Undine, who is essentially Flavia’s Mini Me. Flavia gets a taste of her own medicine, there.
If you’ve been disillusioned by some of the recent Flavia books, pick up with this one. It will restore your faith. If you’re like me, and loyal to Flavia through all, rejoice! This book will deliver fresh-baked delight (courtesy of the Buckshaw Aga) with a dash of murder and justice.
I’ve read all his books. fun to read
In the most recent installment of the Flavia de Luce series, a human finger is found shoved into Feely’s wedding cake. So the mystery begins as to why a human finger was cut off. Mystery letters, deaths, and missionaries are all part of this novel. The best part is that Dogger and Flavia have teamed up to solve mysteries.
I enjoy Flavia’s inquisitive nature and her ability to dissect problems (and animals), but this novel was murky for me in parts.
#TheGoldenTressesOfTheDead #AlanBradley
Flavia’s sister, Ophelia, is getting married and not even a macabre incident gets in the way. Flavia is more interested in this incident than caring about her sister’s marrying and moving on. Then, the detective agency she and Dogger, her father’s former valet, open has their first customer. But, it isn’t long when a case to find missing letters turns into a murder investigation.
I have been meaning to try this series for a long time. And, in retrospect, jumping in at book ten was not a great idea, but luckily, I did just fine. I can see how this series progressed on the personal story front over the course of the series so I definitely will be going back.
Now, as to The Golden Tresses of the Dead, I had a great time getting to know Flavia the twelve year old wonder at poisons, chemistry, and solving crime, Dogger whose dark past and sharp mind make him a stalwart aid to Flavia, and the rest of the regular cast around Buckshaw the de Luce house and the nearby village. Flavia and Dogger are engaging characters and Flavia’s wit and cleverness are tempered with humor and joie de vivre because she enjoys detecting and doing her chemical analysis. She has lost both parents since her father’s death not long before, but it was not like she was ever close to him or the rest of her eccentric family. Dogger respects her as a partner and he is an adult that she can also respect and feel a connection with and look after in her own way because of his PTSD from a wartime POW situation he endured. It’s tough on her being more intelligent that almost everyone around her. Her bookworm sister still remaining at home can give her a run for her money, but she prefers hanging out in the library and writing her memoirs. None of the de Luce sisters are affectionate or close. I saw shadows of Holmes and Mycroft in that dynamic which I loved.
I loved the English country setting and the modern historical time period of the twentieth century for this one. The added element of a few players having just come back from equatorial Africa having met Albert Sweitzer as missionaries that the vicar’s wife asks Flavia to put up at Buckshaw, a group of cricket playing school lads staying at the vicarage one of which forms a connection with Flavia, along with a few other colorful characters into quack medicine lent an interesting dynamic.
The mystery was not an easy one with a few twists and turns and plenty of suspects. The motive was obscure as were several clues until they were dug up in the latter half of the book so my accurate guess was really just that- a guess based on very little fact.
This was my first occasion to enjoy the narrative work of Jayne Entwhistle, but she was sensational voicing Flavia’s young teen girl voice, other young folks including boys, several other characters, and even a German accent in the mix. She caught onto Flavia’s excitement and even her melancholy with good timing and emotion. I hope she narrated the whole series so I can catch more of her work as Flavia.
All in all, this was fabulous and I can’t believe I waited so long to try this series. Flavia is young, but this is not a YA. Fans of historical mysteries are the target group.
Oh Flavia, how I do love your adventures— even more so now that Arthur Dogger is more fully involved. Humorous, yet sobering, Flavia’s sister finds a finger in her wedding cake and the hunt is on! This fun series is not a silly one, but it is a great escape from the troubles of today ,to a somewhat gentler time. I cannot get enough of Flavia!
I love Flavia and Dogger! I’ve read all the Flavia books.
I am in love with the Flavia de Luce character, and will happily read all of the books. Just delightful.
Part of the Flavia de Luce series; kind of predictable but entertaining.
I have Flavia from the first book and enjoyed the whole series. I would suggest starting at book one and reading in order. Excellent writing.
Flavia is a wonderful character and it has been fun to see her as she grows into such a clever but sometimes bumbling detective. I look forward to her next adventure
I adore this series. Flavia is such an original, yet so believable. I hope this is the final book!
I have a ot of these books on audio. I really love them all! I will try to purchase more.
I love Flavia de Luce, and this book does not disappoint!!
I am soooo hooked on this series!!
I have followed Flavia through all of her experiences.The way her mind works is truly entertaining. Watching other characters develop has been fun and interesting. Especially Dogger.
Did not keep my attention.
The twelve-year-old Sherlock Holmes is brilliant, occasionally shocking but always entertaining. I highly recommend the entire series because it is fun but also because I never fail to learn something from Flavia.