WINNER OF THE AGATHA • ARTHUR ELLIS • DILYS • DEBUT DAGGER AWARDS “Wonderfully entertaining . . . sure to be one of the most loved mysteries of the year . . . [Flavia is] a delightful, intrepid, acid-tongued new heroine.”—Chicago Sun-TimesIt is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a … for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.
For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”
BONUS: This edition contains a The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie discussion guide and an excerpt from Alan Bradley’s The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag.
more
So well written
this is an amazing book – great great knowledge of chemistry, and the real world, definitely set in the time period, superbly entertaining – i wish this series would go on forever
Clever and funny. Not a children’s book even though the heroine is a child. Flavia moves in decidedly adult circles even as she concocts schemes to bedevil her older sisters. That and her trusty bike Gladys keep her grounded as a child in contrast to her prodigious intellect and fascination with chemistry, not to mention death. Good thing she employs her skills for–mostly–good in order to solve a murder that entangles her father. Her evolving relationship with the inspector is the treat at the heart of this mystery.
Every book in this series is a keeper and I am always hoping for more.
Flavia de Luce is a true original. Don’t miss this series set in a quirky mid century British village, full of murders and other crimes solved by our charming, if a little crazy, young heroine. Lots of fun!
I have incredible memories of this story.
I really love Flavia deLuce. I will read everything Alan Bradley writes, especially in this series.
Girl sleuths were the mainstay of my childhood, so I was thrilled to be introduced to Flavia de Luce, the 11 y/o protagonist in this novel, the first of a series. Set in 1950’s England, Flavia, lives with her two older sisters and her widowed father. When a dead bird shows up on their doorstep with a unique stamp speared on its bill, followed by a body in the garden, Flavia fearlessly is on the case. I look forward to spending much time with her!
A delightfully charming book with a clever and entertaining young heroine. A fun read
I just found a three book bundle by this author and LOVE his main character, Flavia deLuce. The book is set in 1950 on an English estate, and Flavia is a too-clever child bent on tormenting her older sisters with her genius-level knowledge of chemistry–self-taught!
Matters turn serious after Flavia overhears her widowed father arguing with a mysterious stranger–one who ends up dying, half-buried, in the cucumber patch.
I’m really excited to read the rest of the book as well as the others.
I love the entire Flavia de Luce series. She is delightful and each book has held up to this first one. I highly recommend this charming series.
this series is a “must read” series. Start with the first book of t he series
I love Flavia. She’s delightfully precocious. I listened to the audio book, the actress captured Flavia beautifully, especially since it’s in the first person.
This was definitely interesting. The protagonist is an 11-year-old girl with a strong, logical mind and a passion for chemistry. For that reason alone, it was original and interesting. My issue with it, and the reason it was only okay for me, is that the cadence of the writing was difficult for me to get into. Maybe there were too many obscure English references or colloquialisms, but I just had such a hard time getting into the story. Additionally, I am not fond of stories where the siblings seem to hate each other so much and are actively trying to harm each other. The whole “but deep down they love each other” thing is not coming through for me, and it just left a bitter and unpleasant taste in my mouth. I will not be continuing on in this series.
I thought this was a really fun book. The characters, especially Flavia, are unique. The story was interesting, the mystery was fresh, there was intensity without being gruesome. I am really looking forward to the rest of the series.
Compelling in a fun way from start to finish!
Delightful! Flavia DeLuce is a wonderful heroine and can be enjoyed by young and old, The “chemistry” of this provides the right “solution”!
This book is completely delicious. The author stitches together words that create beautiful textures of emotion and thought. I can’t say how many times I read and re-read a sentence just because of the craft and beauty of the thing. It helped that the story was rich and believable, and that Flavia is completely enchanting. More, please!
A highly entertaining read! Flavia De Luce is quite the character and Bradley does a great job of inhabiting the mind of a bright and curious 11-year-old girl.
11-year-old Flavia is most concerned about the tricks her sisters are playing on her during the summer of 1950 until the day their housekeeper finds a jacksnipe with a postage stamp attached to his bill on the doorstep. This really upsets her father, but Flavia is shocked to stumble across a stranger dying in their cucumber patch a few hours later. How are these two events related?
This is a well plotted mystery with an unusual (at least for an adult audience book) main character. Flavia can act her age at times and she does drone on in the narration about chemistry (her passion) on a few occasions, but for the most part she leads a cast of fun characters. The plot is very entertaining with some nice surprises along the way to a suspenseful climax.