Library Notes
Cathy Brown

Did you know that all the really famous (or should that be infamous?) poisoners in history have names that begin with the letter ‘C’? Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce does. Thanks to the Victorian-era chemistry laboratory left behind by her uncle, Tar de Luce, Flavia knows a great deal about chemistry—both the kind that will kill and the kind that will just really annoy her older sisters.

In the Flavia de Luce series, Canadian Alan Bradley has created a unique heroine. Flavia lives in the small British village of Bishop’s Lacey, which seems to have more than its fair share of murder and intrigue, in the post-World War II years. While being tormented by her sisters and seemingly never able to please her philatelist father, Flavia dreams of the day she will be recognized as the great chemist she knows she is. To that end, Flavia uses her knowledge to help the local police (whether they want her help or not) in the first three novels of a planned six: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag, and A Red Herring Without Mustard.

One does not have to have Flavia’s knowledge of poisons to enjoy the books, but don’t make the mistake of thinking these are just standard murder mysteries either. With Flavia as the novels’ narrator, Bradley has done a wonderful job of letting the reader see the citizens of Bishop’s Lacey through the eyes of a child. Flavia may be “book smart” beyond her years, but she is not as nearly “street smart,” which leads to her placing herself in a series of dangerous situations in her efforts to find the truth.

Published in 2009, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie involves Flavia in a murder that occurs in her father’s cucumber patch. Through her knowledge of the chemicals, pure stubbornness and riding a bicycle named Gladys, Flavia not only solves that murder, but also solves the twenty-year-old mystery of the suicide of her father’s school headmaster.

Last year, Flavia returned in The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag. When the citizens of Bishop’s Lacey witness the death of a nationally renowned puppeteer during a show, Flavia (and Gladys) once again ride in to bring the killer to justice. In the process, Flavia uses her deductive skills to solve the mysterious eight-year-old death of a local child and find, along with discovering a local drug ring.

This past February, Flavia’s latest adventure, A Red Herring Without Mustard, was published. Due to her guilt over accidentally burning down a gypsy tent, Flavia is tied to one murder attempt, one actual murder, and accidentally solves the mystery of an infant that disappeared several years before.

Those that enjoy a good mystery will definitely take delight in the antics and deductive powers of young Flavia. Contact Rowan Public Library to check out any of the books in the series and to find other great mysteries.