The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag

Alan Bradley has brought Flavia de Luce back in all her 11 year old splendor. This time she starts off her adventure not by finding a dead body but by finding a weeping woman in a grave yard. Flavia befriends the woman who happens to be part of a traveling puppet show and the adventure is on.

Flavia investigates the woman, her traveling companion and takes another look into the death of a young boy from years before. The story line includes all the characters from the first book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. She continues to confound her father and torture her older sisters, one of who develops a love interest. The 11 year old also helps the police solve yet another murder. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag give more information about Flavia and her family. There is an aunt who appears and helps Flavia out with some personal advice and there is some detail about Flavia's mother.

These books are delightful reads. Somewhat different than a regular "cozy mystery" the book is told from the view point of a child. A precocious child to be sure, but still an 11 year old poison expert. They story line moves along at a leisurely pace, lulling you into the story. There are multiple plat lines going on but each blends with the other resulting in a surprising conclusion. Even Flavia is somewhat surprised by the conclusion.

If you are looking for an easy mystery that will hold you attention, give Flavia a try.

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery
By Bradley, Alan
2010-03 - Delacorte Press
9780385342315 Check Our Catalog
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From Dagger Award-winning author Bradley comes this utterly beguiling mystery starring one of fiction's most remarkable sleuths: Flavia de Luce, a dangerously brilliant eleven-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders. …More