The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bagby Alan Bradley
Delacorte, 2010. 358 pgs. Fiction.
In Flavia de Luce's latest mystery, the 11-year old chemist and amateur sleuth runs into a couple of stranded puppeteers whose van has broken down on their way to London. Rupert Porson, beloved creator of Snoddy the Squirrel, turns out to be a jerk in real life (so often the case), and his "traveling companion," tired of his abuse and philandering confides in Flavia and becomes a prime suspect when Rupert is murdered. Although she has to deal with the slights and insults of her older sisters, chores imposed by her father and her austere and demanding Aunt Felicity, she still manages to sort her way through multiple suspects and a boatload of red herrings to make the needed connection between Rupert's death and a local family tragedy. As is usual, the interest of the puzzle is generally swallowed up in the delight of character, setting, and British wit.
LW
1 comment:
Flavia de Luce is an eleven-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a knack for solving crimes. When a traveling puppeteer is electrocuted while visiting their town, Flavia can't resist sticking her nose into the events a bit, and discovers a mysterious connection to an unsolved death from years earlier. Flavia has a way of using her innocent demeanor to charm her way into situations and information that the police investigating the case can't access, and even the reader has a hard time resisting her precocious personality. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, read by a narrator who has no trouble bringing Flavia's zest to life. BHG
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