Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd
by Alan Bradley 
★★★★★

The one big problem I had with this novel is that I read it way too fast! I’ve grown to love Flavia de Luce and I look forward to reading each new release, but it goes way too quickly. It’s a good problem to have. This is one of the few series I’ve read where the books just keep getting better.

Flavia is back from Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Canada, but the halls of her beloved Buckshaw are quieter than normal. Her father is sick with pneumonia in the hospital. Bradley carries the reader effortlessly into Bishop’s Lacey in the 1950s. Once again, Flavia discovers a dead body and we’re off!

As is always true for me with these books, the murder mystery is secondary to the characters. Each new book adds layer upon layer to Flavia and her relationships with her family and friends. She is growing into a brilliantly astute woman, but she still has the self-involved innocence of a child in some areas of life. 

Dogger, Buckshaw’s caretaker, remains my favorite character. His steadfast devotion to Flavia’s father and his quiet guidance never disappoint. 

BOTTOM LINE: I love this series now so much more than when I read the first books. The deeper you get into Flavia’s world, the more attached you are to her and the people of Bishop’s Lacey.

“Growing up is like that, I suppose: the strings fall away and you’re left standing on your own. It was sad in a way that is hard to describe.”

“One can learn from a glance at a person’s library, not what they are, but what they wish to be.”

"I do not encourage early-morning chirpiness, even in those whom I know and love. It is generally a sign of sloppy mind and is not to be encouraged."

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust

A Flavia de Luce Novel

by Alan Bradley

★★★★

The newest book in the Flavia de Luce series takes place far from Buckshaw and the tiny town of Bishop’s Lacey. Flavia is off to Canada to attend Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy, the same boarding school her mother Harriet attended.

Though she’s loath to admit it, she’s a bit homesick and is missing some of the people who she dearly loves like the vicar’s wife, Dogger and even her sisters and father. She is still as irascible as ever, with a short fuse and a wicked sense of humor.

She once again mentions that her father was in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during WWII and I couldn't help but think of the movie and book Unbroken. I can’t imagine how horrible her father’s experience must have been. No child could understand that, but it makes sense that he's more detached with his children.

More than the other Flavia books, this one lost me a bit as it tried to juggle the different cords of the plot. I felt like a few things we left unresolved. (*SPOILER* For Example: why was the body’s throat slit before it was shoved up the chimney? Why did no one recognize the missing girl, even her own sister, just because she just had a wig on? *SPOILERS OVER*)

I also felt like there were a few tangents that could have been cut to simplify things. But regardless I still loved it. I particularly enjoyed seeing Flavia interact with other clever girls her own age, who weren't her sisters! It was refreshing to get out of Bishop’s Lacey for a bit. There was also a fun nod to the Nancy Drew series.

I was a big fan of the reporter character. I thought it was hilarious that he was willing to share info with Flavia even though he didn't know her. He’d do anything to get more details! I'm glad Flavia is finally getting into her role as a spy. She's been pursuing it on her own for so long and now she can get real guidance.

BOTTOM LINE: A fun chance to see Flavia outside of her normal setting. The novel works well at moving the story forward. A must read for anyone who has read the first six books in the series.

*Jayne Entwhistle narrates the audio as she has done for the whole series and she’s just perfect. 

“Pride in a parent often takes strange forms.”

“There is a mystery in silence that can never be matched by mere words. Silence is power.”

The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse

A Flavia de Luce Story

by Alan Bradley

★★★☆

Flavia receives a note begging her to come at once to solve a murder. Of course she can’t resist and heads off immediately to the Anson House boy’s school. This is her very first paid case and it reads like a Sherlock Holmes short story. It's also the opposite of As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust because it’s set at a boy’s school. She flexes her mental muscles and lets her curiosity lead the way. It gives us a look at the career she could one they have as a private investigator or police detective she wants.

BOTTOM LINE: Short and sweet, but a wonderful glimpse at Flavia when she’s in pure business mode. It's just a quick novella but if you love the Flavia series it's worth reading. 

“’This is probably no place for a girl.’

‘Girl be blowed!’ I snapped. ‘I’m here as a brain, not as a female.’”

“I’ve always been amazed by the ease with which a stranger’s life can be reconstructed by simply snooping through their belongings. Art and imagination combine to tell a tale that’s more complete than even a fat printed biography could ever hope to equal.”

*This is a short story and is only available online.

**I’d like to add a quick note about the cover. The whole series is designed by Joe Montgomery and they are gorgeous! Each one is a bright pop of color with a sinister illustration, just perfect.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches

This review assumes you’ve read the first 5 books in the series.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches

by Alan Bradley
★★★★☆

The sixth book the Flavia de Luce series picks up right where the fifth book’s cliffhanger left off. Instead of once again following the new murder in a small town formula, this book breaks from tradition and reveals many of the answers that fans of the series have been waiting for. The payoff is everything I hoped it would be. Harriet de Luce, who was killed in a climbing accident in the Himalayas a decade earlier, has finally been found and is being returned home.

Honestly, the lack of focus on a regular murder didn’t bother me at all. I didn’t even miss that element. I loved seeing our heroine and her sisters attempt to cope with a grief they’ve never quite been able to verbalize. Feelings of abandonment and lack of closure tumble together and each of the members of the de Luce clan struggle to come to terms with these things in their own ways.

I’ve seen reviews where people say they hope the next book will return to the tired formula of the first five installments, but I hope it will not. Flavia is growing up and beginning a new chapter in her life. As much as I love her character, seeing that growth is much more rewarding than watching a character grow stale with repetition.

BOTTOM LINE: For me, this book rose above the rest of the series. It delved into the heart of the story it had been dancing around for so long. Harriet’s past and Flavia’s relationships with her father and siblings were what kept bringing me back to this series, not the victim of the week mysteries. This book was the rich reward for sticking with the characters.

“Silence is a question mark that cannot be ignored.”

Speaking From Among the Bones

Speaking from Among the Bones
by Alan Bradley
★★★★

This is the fifth book in the Flavia de Luce mystery novels. Each one features Flavia, an 11-year-old detective, as she investigates a murder in a small English town. Honestly each of the mysteries blends together in my mind, but the characters' relationships stand out. As long as Flavia and Dogger are main characters in these books I will never grow tired of them.

Flavia's awkward fumbling to figure out who she is as a young woman and who her missing mother was is enthralling. She is such a brilliant girl, but she's also been neglected by her depressed father. He is caught in the midst of money troubles and has to put their home, Buckshaw, up for sale. Left to her own devises she tries hard to act older than she is, but she's still vulnerable.

"As was your mother, you have been given the fatal gift of genius. Because of it, your life will not be an easy one."

This mystery revolves around a young man, Crispin Collicut, who is found dead in the church. At the same time the bones of a saint are being exhumed and a missing diamond might be at the heart of the story. The writing in the series is always good and this addition is no exception. I particularly loved learning more about the Vicar Denwyn Richardson and his wife Cynthia and their deceased daughter Hannah.

BOTTOM LINE: I love Flavia and I'm so glad Bradley keeps adding to the series. If he keeps writing them I will keep reading them.

"I was learning that the best conversations consisted of keeping quiet and listening and speaking, when one spoke at all, and a single syllable."

"Was sorrow, in the end, a private thing? A closed container? Something that could be borne only on a single pair of shoulders?"

"'I'm sorry,' I said, aware even as I spoke, what useless things, really, words of sympathy are, even though they're sometimes all we have."

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows

I Am Half Sick of Shadows
by Alan Bradley
★★★★☆

Christmas at Buckshaw is just what I wanted. Only Flavia de Luce would think of flooding an entire portrait gallery to create an indoor ice skating rink. The amateur chemist and detective is back for a holiday adventure. Her overly-logical brain has worked out a plot to “catch” Santa with a sticky chemical solution applied to the roof. She’s so clever it’s easy to forget that she’s still a little girl, wondering if Santa exists.

As the de Luce family’s finances dwindle, Flavia’s father decides to rent out their home, Buckshaw, to a movie studio as a filming location. An entire crew, including the director and aging movie stars arrive in the small English town and set things buzzing.

Instead of having Flavia flit about the town of Bishop’s Lacey, as she has in the other novels, the entire town heads to Buckshaw. The actors agree to perform a scene from Romeo & Juliet to raise money for the local parish and the villagers brave the snow and head to Flavia’s home for the show. A blizzard ensures that they won’t be leaving anytime soon and the novel takes on the feel of an Agatha Christie novel. When an unexpected murder occurs, all of the suspects are confined to one location. Throw in a few crabby sisters, some fireworks and an on-going battle of the wits with local Inspector Hewitt and it’s the perfect holiday treat.

I would say the pacing is very similar to the first three books. If you loved those, like I have, you’ll probably love this one as well. Many feel unsatisfied with the books thus far and I would say that this one isn’t a deviation from the previous ones. There are bits and pieces revealed about the main characters, but nothing huge. I would think that most of us know if we like a series or not by the fourth book, so go with your instincts.

Dogger has always been one of my favorite characters in the series. Even if he’s not in the spotlight, he’s always standing quietly in the background, loyally waiting to provide whatever is needed. This book sheds more light on why he is the way he is and I was so glad to get to know him a bit better.

The restricted setting really worked for me. I loved having all the characters in one place. I think it helped move things along quickly. The murder mystery is always a background for the bigger story of the de Luce family itself and setting the entire book in their home helped hone that focus.

It boils down to this, if you love Flavia and the whole crazy de Luce household, this is a must for the holiday season.

“Impertinent children ought to be given six coats of shellac and set up in public places as a warning to others.”

“There are those of us who create because all around us, things visible and invisible are crumbling.”

My reviews of the first three books in the series can be found here: one, two and three

This book is a review copy provided by LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program.

A Red Herring Without Mustard

A Red Herring Without Mustard
by Alan Bradley
★★★★☆

Oh how I love Flavia de Luce. This is the third book in the series (here are reviews of one and two) and instead of getting lazy and assuming the audience from previous books would love her regardless of his efforts, the author has delved deeper into what makes her tick. It’s a wonderful addition to the series.

This mystery has her trying to find out who killed a local boy and beat a gypsy within an inch of her life. Though the plot is great, it’s really secondary to the developing relationships in the series. What I truly loved about this book was getting to know a bit more about Harriet, Flavia’s mother. We also had the chance to see a bit more of her illusive father. He has completely cut himself off from his daughters because of his debilitating grief, but we are getting the chance to see flashes of the man he once was.


The novel still gives us the same old Flavia, curious to a fault, but endlessly entertaining. Yet there are a few moments of maturity that weren’t there in the previous books. While she’s always been wise beyond her years when it comes to chemistry, she’s still a little girl in most ways. In this book we realize that she’s starting to grow up.

In one scene, a new friend is talking about how her mother died too young. Flavia realizes that it would be easy to bring up the death of her own mother, but instead she lets the matter lie, because at that moment, the grief in the room belonged to her friend. In scenes like that we get to see a bit of the woman she will one day become, but I hope we don’t get there too soon, because I love the mix of childish delight and grown-up analytical thought processes that is Flavia.

“Whoever had chosen the paint, I decided, wanted to ensure that anyone who wasn’t sick when they entered the hospital, jolly well would be before they left.”

I read this for the R.I.P. Challenge hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings here.

For more R.I.P reviews visit here.