'The Golden Tresses of the Dead' in the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley follows the young sleuth Flavia as she embarks on a new mystery involving a human finger found in a wedding cake. Teaming up with her partner Dogger, Flavia navigates through a convoluted investigation that includes missing letters, deaths, and a conspiracy of medical fraud. The book is set in a small English village in the 1950s, filled with idiosyncratic characters, unique crimes, and Flavia's ghoulish fascination with poisons.
The narrative of the book is driven by Flavia's sharp intellect, quirky personality, and her maturation as she faces familial loss, increasing responsibility, and cousin Undine's need for guidance. The author, Alan Bradley, weaves together elements of wit, charm, and humor in the writing, creating an engaging story that showcases Flavia's inquisitive nature, Dogger's brilliance, and their evolving partnership in solving mysteries.
From The Publisher:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A finger in a wedding cake is only the beginning in this deliciously shocking mystery featuring Flavia de Luce, "the world's greatest adolescent British chemist/busybody/sleuth" ( The Seattle Times ).
Although it is autumn in the small English town of Bishop's Lacey, the chapel is decked with exotic flowers. Yes, Flavia de Luce's sister Ophelia is at last getting hitched, like a mule to a wagon. "A church is a wonderful place for a wedding," muses Flavia, "surrounded as it is by the legions of the dead, whose listening bones bear silent witness to every promise made at the altar." Flavia is not your normal twelve-year-old girl. An expert in the chemical nature of poisons, she has solved many mysteries, sharpening her considerable detection skills to the point where she had little choice but to turn professional. So Flavia and dependable Dogger, estate gardener and sounding board extraordinaire, set up shop at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, eager to serve-not so simple an endeavor with her odious little moon-faced cousin, Undine, constantly underfoot. But Flavia and Dogger persevere. Little does she know that their first case will be extremely close to home, beginning with an unwelcome discovery in Ophelia's wedding cake: a human finger.
Praise for The Golden Tresses of the Dead
"Delightful . . . The mysteries in Mr. Bradley's books are engaging, but the real lure is Ms. de Luce, the irreverent youngster." - The Wall Street Journal
"A ghoulish question is at the heart of Bradley's excellent tenth Flavia de Luce novel. . . . Bradley, who has few peers at combining fair-play clueing with humor and has fun mocking genre conventions, shows no sign of running out of ideas." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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1 comment(s)
4 stars
Feely is getting married. But during the ceremony Feely faints dead away when a severed finger is found in the wedding cake. Flavia, who is quick and level headed whisks the finger away. She and Dogger has taken up finding the owner of that finger as the first case of their new business venture "Arthur W. Dogger & Associates"(I see future books here).
It was a really interesting read with witty dialogues and distinctive turn-of-phrase. Flavia continues to grow with each book, such a wonderful character. A bit sad I have finished all the books in the series. I hope there will be more. I highly recommend these series.
Happy Reading!!
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