AN INSTANT GLOBE AND MAIL BESTSELLER
Amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce, along with her pestilent younger cousin, investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers secrets that bring the greatest shock of her life.
Flavia de Luce has taken on the mentorship of her odious, moon-faced cousin Undine who has come to live at Buckshaw following the death of her mother. Undine’s main talent, aside from cultivating disgusting habits, seems to be raising Flavia’s hackles, although in her best moments she shows potential for trespassing, trickery, and other assorted mayhem.
When Major Greyleigh, a local recluse and former hangman, is found dead after a breakfast of poisonous mushrooms, suspicion falls on the de Luce family's longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet. After all, wasn't it she who'd picked the mushrooms, cooked the omlette, and served it to Greyleigh in the moments before his death? "I have to admit," says Flavia, an expert in the chemical nature of poisons, "that I'd been praying to God for a jolly good old-fashioned mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a girl a gift such as mine without giving her the opportunity to use it?"
But Flavia knows the beloved Mrs. Mullet is innocent. Together with Dogger, estate gardener and partner-in-crime, and the obnoxious Undine, Flavia sets out to find the real killer and clear Mrs. Mullet's good name. Little does she know that following the case's twists and turns will lead her to a most surprising discovery—one with the power to upend her entire life.
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""Bradley’s intrepid amateur sleuth is witty and whip smart as ever, and Bishop’s Lacey remains both a colourful backdrop and a microcosm of a nation in transition, paralleling Flavia’s own trepidation at entering adulthood. A layered plot rife with dastardly deeds and shocking revelations makes for an intriguing and entertaining read, and nicely tees up the (one hopes) next installment in the irresistible Flavia de Luce series."
— BookPage
To say I am overjoyed by the return of the magnificent Flavia is a massive understatement. It is a great day when we have her back in our lives with a new, and riveting, crime to solve. Brava Flavia. Bravo Alan!
— Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Gamache seriesCozy mystery fans will love this latest installment featuring Flavia de Luce, Alan Bradley's plucky and spirited protagonist. Delightful!
— Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The MaidI love the Flavia de Luce novels! I identify, though I unfortunately didn’t have an Uncle Tarquin and was forced to make do with a Christmas chemistry set from the Sears catalog. Flavia is the best female detective I’ve ever read, full of realism, self-confidence and emotion (in roughly equal parts), and her tales are hilarious, engaging and occasionally heart-breaking.
— Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander seriesCozy mystery fans will love this latest installment featuring Flavia de Luce, Alan Bradley's plucky and spirited protagonist. Delightful!
— Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid"The enchanting 12th installment of Bradley's Flavia de Luce series. . . . Flavia's characteristic quirky humor and unorthodox thinking are on full display, and the ending finds her taking a well-earned step forward in her maturity. This series is as fresh as ever.
— Publishers Weekly"The enchanting 12th installment of Bradley's Flavia de Luce series. . . . Flavia's characteristic quirky humor and unorthodox thinking are on full display, and the ending finds her taking a well-earned step forward in her maturity. This series is as fresh as ever.
— Publishers Weekly"Flavia De Luce is in top form. . . . Bradley gives his loyal readers a story that will more than satisfy their expectations while also inviting new readers to discover an endlessly entertaining amateur young sleuth who has much to teach her elders.
— Booklist (starred review)Anyone who's read Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series knows that the author's superpowers are creating the pitch-perfect emotional vulnerability and mental prowess of his prococious pre-teen heroine, as well as depicting the sometimes-silly antics and logical deductions of this amazing girl. We're ecstatic that Flavia has returned.
— Canadian Living"Flavia De Luce is in top form. . . . Bradley gives his loyal readers a story that will more than satisfy their expectations while also inviting new readers to discover an endlessly entertaining amateur young sleuth who has much to teach her elders.
— Booklist (starred review)"Rejoice, fans of fiction’s youngest franchise detective: Flavia de Luce is back after a five-year hiatus, and she hasn’t aged a bit. . . . Nobody could possibly unite intelligence work, mythological monsters and village gossip as adroitly as Bradley’s heroine.
— Kirkus Reviews"Rejoice, fans of fiction’s youngest franchise detective: Flavia de Luce is back after a five-year hiatus, and she hasn’t aged a bit. . . . Nobody could possibly unite intelligence work, mythological monsters and village gossip as adroitly as Bradley’s heroine.
— Kirkus Reviews"A lively and welcome 11th instalment [to the series].Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Alan Bradley is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of novels, short stories, children’s stories, newspaper columns, and the memoir The Shoebox Bible. His first Flavia de Luce novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, received the CWA Debut Dagger Award, the Dilys Winn Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Agatha Award, the Macavity Award, and the Barry Award, and was nominated for the Anthony Award.
Jayne Entwistle is a voice talent and Earphones Award–winning narrator.