Hailed as "a combination of Eloise and Sherlock Holmes" by The Boston Globe, Flavia de Luce returns ready to solve another mystery in this latest installment of the series from award-winning and bestselling author, Alan Bradley.

In spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. But instead of a joyous homecoming, she is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news: Her father has fallen ill, and a hospital visit will have to wait while he rests. But with Flavia's blasted sisters and insufferable cousin underfoot, Buckshaw now seems both too empty—and not empty enough. Only too eager to run an errand for the vicar's wife, Flavia hops on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to deliver a message to a reclusive wood-carver. Finding the front door ajar, Flavia enters and stumbles upon the poor man's body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene. Curiosity may not kill this cat, but Flavia is energized at the prospect of a new investigation. It's amazing what the discovery of a corpse can do for one's spirits. But what awaits Flavia will shake her to the very core.

Alan Bradley's profile page

Alan Bradley is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven Flavia de Luce mystery novels and the memoir The Shoebox bible. His first Flavia novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, received the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award, the Dilys Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Agatha Award, the Macavity Award, and the Barry Award, and was nominated for the Anthony Award. His other Flavia de Luce novels are The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag, A Red Herring Without Mustard, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, Speaking from Among the Bones, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d, The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place, and The Golden Tresses of the Dead, as well as the ebook short story “The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse.” Originally from Toronto, he now lives and writes on an island in the middle of the Irish Sea.

National Bestseller
New York Times Bestseller
"There is such a thing as willing suspension of disbelief brought on by sheer outlandish charm, and that's what [Alan] Bradley and some delicious writing have tapped." —London Free Press
"Mystery fans seeking novels of wit, an immersive English countryside setting and rich characterizations will be rewarded with this newest entry in the award-winning series." —Library Journal, starred review

"Bradley's preteen heroine comes through in the end with a series of deductions so clever she wants to hug herself. So will you." —Kirkus Reviews

"Flavia's a winner, a mix of sparky irreverence and wrathful propriety." —Publishers Weekly
"Bradley's heroine is one of the most delightful, and one of the sharpest, sleuths to come along in a long, long time." —Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
"The preteen version of Miss Marple. . . . In addition to the meticulous investigations, what makes these novels, including this eighth in the series, so enjoyable is the personality of the primary character who, while being a murder investigator savant, is also an emotionally vulnerable little girl. It is a very unusual combination . . . and it works." —MysteryScene
"A Flavia de Luce mystery is a bitter, dark and thoroughly scrumptious treat. . . . Highly recommended; don’t miss this!" —Historical Novel Society