Books on Tap: The Flavia de Luce Mysteries

So I learned something new about myself this month: the amount I crave books is in direct proportion to the amount of cardboard boxes piled up in my house. When you can't even see from your sofa to your kitchen because of the stacks of boxes, or when you have turkey sandwiches, Bloody Marys and marshmallow Peeps on lawn chairs in your living room for Easter Sunday brunch (true story!), there's really nothing for it but to contort yourself to reach the bookcase and pull out one of the few remaining books that haven't been packed up.

I had a set of five books all planned out to read for this post, but when I read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie I immediately wanted to read the rest of the Flavia books. So I abandoned ship and read what I wanted. In the midst of chaos, it felt good. It felt right. I really enjoyed all of these books, so I hope you do, too.

xoxo,
E

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley. Fans of James Runcie's Grantchester Mysteries will love this book (and presumably the subsequent series). Like Grantchester, this book takes place in 1950s England and an amateur detective works to solve mysteries around the bucolic English town. Unlike Grantchester, the "detective" isn't a 30-year-old priest but instead an 11-year-old girl with a passion for chemistry, Flavia de Luce. In this particular book, Flavia finds a dead body in the cucumber patch of the garden and things spiral downward from there. She's a precocious and sweet narrator, utterly likeable, and it's fun to watch her solve the mystery, landing herself in a little hot water as she goes. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the Flavia de Luce mysteries - and I suggest you do, too.

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, by Alan Bradley. I'm not sure why I'm so in love with these books. Maybe it's that they take place in England. Maybe it's because Flavia is hilarious and brilliant. Whatever the reason, I have been reading these books in huge, hungry gulps. This book deals with the death of a puppeteer, which is connected with a crime that occurred long ago. The thing that gets me most about these mysteries is the way that Bradley weaves the plot together so neatly but so tightly that even I, as the reader, have no clue "whodunit" until Flavia does. I try to think who it could be and how they're connected, but I just can't figure it out. This is the work of quite a talented author.

A Red Herring Without Mustard, by Alan Bradley. The third in the Flavia de Luce series, this was as good as its predecessors. If possible, the mystery was even more convoluted and tangled. Featuring gypsies, dead bodies hanging from statues, an unknown painting, secret passageways, and, of course, chemistry, I had absolutely no clue who was responsible for the maiming of one character and the murder of another. My only complaint is that Flavia's two evil older sisters seem pretty flat. She is such a great character, and it's a shame the same effort wasn't put into developing her sisters, because it could be such a great addition. As it is, I like how she gets revenge on them when they torment and torture her, and I don't like them much more than she does.

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, by Alan Bradley. This is perhaps sad, but I really loved this book because it took place in the English countryside in winter. I'd absolutely love to be able to sit in a big manor house by a fire while the snow poured down outside. Setting aside, this was a great book. Due to financial constraints, Flavia's father allowed a movie crew to use their house, Buckshaw, for a month for a fee. While there, a cast member is found strangled to death with a reel of film. Flavia, of course, neatly tracks down the murderer, nearly getting herself into quite the pickle while she's at it. Even so, this 11-year-old fictional sleuth is probably a lot smarter than I am. Ah, well. She does the chemistry and the dead bodies, I do the words. To each his own.

Speaking From Among the Bones, by Alan Bradley. Digging up the 500-year-old bones of the local saint, Saint Tancred, Flavia, the vicar, and workers find the body of the missing choir director. Although frankly I'm wondering why bother digging up the saint's bones in the first place, the escapade launches Flavia into yet another murder mystery. In addition, her sister is getting engaged to the former German prisoner of war who is obsessed with the Bronte sisters and hopes to be an English teacher, and her father may have to sell their beloved family home. Anyway, the "whodunit" in this book is a real surprise, twisting and turning in ways you would never expect. Another great addition to the series.

The Dead in their Vaulted Arches, by Alan Bradley. Flavia's deceased mother's body is coming home from the Himalayas, where she died in a mountaineering accident ten years prior. At the station, when the body is arriving, a stranger whispers something cryptic in Flavia's ear; later, he's pushed under a train. And so begins mystery #6. The family is dealing with mourners in their house constantly and her mother is "lying in state" (if it considered lying in state if it's in your own house?) and Flavia's trying to, well, resurrect her mother using chemistry. But the best part is that we start to find out some family history and things get really juicy and interesting. This was my favorite book of the series, hands down.

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, by Alan Bradley. As far as book covers go, this is definitely my favorite because it's turquoise. It also stands out because it's the first not to take place at Buckshaw; instead, Flavia has been sent to boarding school in Canada. And on her first night there, a dead body falls out of the chimney in her room - a dead body...that's been there quite a while. She, of course, starts investigating everything immediately in her typical manner. The whole school and everyone in it start seeming suspicious; several students have disappeared in the last few years. It's creepy and intriguing, especially since a lot of people and mysterious circumstances are connected to Flavia's unique family history and her future life. This is currently the last book in the series, but I sincerely hope Alan Bradley writes more! Enjoy!