Scan barcode
hmicheles's review against another edition
2.0
This might just be my last Flavia du Luce mystery. Both books I've read in this series start out cutsie being that a 11 year old girl is the 'detective,' but things quickly get old. I find that there is so much additional information crammed into these books that it takes away from the mystery part of the novel that prompted me to read it in the first place. I also find it hard to believe that she is so quick and intelligent with her chemistry experiments that she is able to do the things she does. Meh.
paulhill53's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series - how very very charming. Can't wait to read the next one.
cooperl788's review against another edition
5.0
AHHH!! I am so addicted to these Flavia De Luce novels for my Audible. They're so much fun, and the reader has such a wonderful voice to give to Flavia. On to the next one!
renny_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this second Flavia de Luce installment nearly as much of the first. A major reason for that is the delightful narration by Jayne Entwistle. It's incredibly charming and a wonderful relief from stress as I commute home from work.
flashuu's review against another edition
4.0
I really did enjoy this book and wanted to give it five stars. Flavia is just such a fun character to follow. But it felt like there was something missing from this one that the first one had. It might have just been the thrill of starting a new series for me. That's the hope anyways.
karaelise's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
Very cute mystery. In my opinion, it was more complex and interesting than the last one (which was a bit predictable). I was impressed by the masterful way all the little puzzling clues uncovered in the course of the novel came together and tied up so neatly in the end..
But the highlight of the novel, as always, was Miss Flavia de Luce herself. Even with her frequent ecstasies over chemical reactions (which I can't really relate to), she is a very entertaining character. I thought Bradley did an fine job creating a girl who is both a highly-talented prodigy assured of her own powers of deduction and a lonely little girl who doesn't get enough attention from her family. One moment she'll be speaking pedantically of the best method of extracting vegetable alkaloid digitalin (C36H56O14) and the next she'll be pretending that she's "the ghost of Cathy Earnshaw flying to Heathcliff" (57) while bicycling to interview the next witness. I found her proud self-assurance consistently amusing, especially when it was playfully undercut with reminders that she's still eleven. It's a funny juxtaposition.
Her age does create some drawbacks, though. She's too young for romance or high-speed chases or any of that excitement.
Very cute mystery. In my opinion, it was more complex and interesting than the last one (which was a bit predictable). I was impressed by the masterful way all the little puzzling clues uncovered in the course of the novel came together and tied up so neatly in the end.
Spoiler
Grace Ingleby, really? I recognized that she was creepy, but I hadn't suspected her to be implicated at all. Dieter and Gordon held my suspicions until the very end...But the highlight of the novel, as always, was Miss Flavia de Luce herself. Even with her frequent ecstasies over chemical reactions (which I can't really relate to), she is a very entertaining character. I thought Bradley did an fine job creating a girl who is both a highly-talented prodigy assured of her own powers of deduction and a lonely little girl who doesn't get enough attention from her family. One moment she'll be speaking pedantically of the best method of extracting vegetable alkaloid digitalin (C36H56O14) and the next she'll be pretending that she's "the ghost of Cathy Earnshaw flying to Heathcliff" (57) while bicycling to interview the next witness. I found her proud self-assurance consistently amusing, especially when it was playfully undercut with reminders that she's still eleven. It's a funny juxtaposition.
Her age does create some drawbacks, though. She's too young for romance or high-speed chases or any of that excitement.
referentialist's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great palate-cleanser after the good but slightly ponderous metafictional novel I read just before. Flavia may not be the most believable child character out there but she sure is entertaining.
kelliemcc78's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a delightful read! Started off a little slower than the first one, but I completely enjoyed it. Flavia is one of my favorite characters, she makes me chuckle through the whole book.