A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel Author: Visit Amazon's Alan Bradley Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0385343469 | Format: EPUB
A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel Description
From Booklist
Stubborn, precocious Flavia de Luce seems old beyond her 11 years, but readers of her previous encounters with dead bodies and mystery know she has a vulnerable side, as well. Nowhere is that more visible than in her relationships with her distant father and her sisters, who constantly taunt her. In her latest adventure, the family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Father is auctioning his beloved stamps and selling the family silver. In the midst of this crisis, the irrepressible young snoop investigates the beating of a gypsy fortune-teller and the murder of a local thief, which seem somehow connected to a group of religious eccentrics, an antique shop, a missing baby, and a strange, fishy smell. Sound complicated? It is, but Bradley handles it so well you hardly notice. Buttressed by consistently quirky characters and an English country-village backdrop, Flavia�s chatterbox narration reveals the amateur sleuth�s obnoxiousness as well as her intellegence and irrepressible curiosity. The upshot is a spirited, surprisingly innocent tale, despite murky goings-on at its center. Think of Flavia as a new Sherlock in the making. --Stephanie Zvirin
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“Irresistibly appealing.”—The New York Times Book Review
“This idiosyncratic young heroine continues to charm.”—TheWall Street Journal
“Full of pithy dialogue and colorful characters, this series would appeal strongly to fans of Dorothy Sayers, Gladys Mitchell, and Leo Bruce as well as readers who like clever humor mixed in with their mysteries.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Think preteen Nancy Drew, only savvier . . . and you have Flavia de Luce.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Outstanding . . . [a] marvelous blend of whimsy and mystery.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Delightful . . . a treasure.”—TheSeattle Times
See all Editorial Reviews
- Series: Flavia de Luce Mysteries
- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Bantam (October 18, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385343469
- ISBN-13: 978-0385343466
- Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
This charming series of novels written by Alan Bradley is positively addictive. You can start at any point, with any of the three, but Flavia along with her family, friends and neighbors in the tiny British hamlet of Bishop's Lacey will surely capture your imagination, your sympathy, or your heart. Probably all three.
Flavia is the most unusual eleven year old girl you could ever meet. Her interests are centered around chemistry, riding her bicycle (called Gladys) and escaping the evil clutches of her two older sisters who torture her at every turn. Ah, siblings. In this third action packed adventure Flavia starts out wanting to have her fortune told at the village f?te and ends up burning down the tent of the gypsy fortune teller. Of course it was all an accident and Flavia does her best to make amends by seeing that Fenella Faa has a safe place to park her caravan while she recovers from the effects of the smoke she inhaled. And what better place than on the grounds of her family's estate, Buckshaw? Events begin to spiral into more and more unusual situations as Flavia begins to uncover facts of an ancient religious group, a kidnapped infant, valuable antiques disappearing and then reappearing, and a vicious attack, then a murder. All the while the police are pursuing their inquiries and Flavia is pursuing her own investigation. What is that smell of dead fish she seems to keep noticing?
I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I had been looking forward to following along while this young detective solved the puzzles which seemed to keep mounting up and I certainly was not disappointed. The deeper Flavia went into the attack on Fenella the more questions were raised about other things going on in both Bishop's Lacey and other nearby villages.
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