Amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce, along with her pestilent younger cousin, investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers secrets that bring the greatest shock of her life.

Flavia de Luce has taken on the mentorship of her odious, moon-faced cousin Undine, who has come to live at Buckshaw following the death of her mother. Undine's main talent seems to be getting underfoot, although in her best moments she shows potential for trespassing and trickery.

When Major Greyleigh, a local recluse and former hangman, is found dead from ingesting poisonous mushrooms, suspicion fall on the de Luce family's longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet. After all, it was she who picked the mushrooms, cooked the omlette, and served it to Greyleigh in the moments before his death. "I have to admit," says Flavia, a budding expert in the chemical nature of poisons, "that I'd been praying to God for a mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a gift such as mine without giving her the opportunitiy to use it?"

But Flavia knows the beloved Mrs. Mullet is innocent. Together with Dogger, estate gardener and partner-in-crime, and Undine, whose help she does not welcome but begrudgingly accepts, she sets out to find the real killer and clear Mrs. Mullet's good name. Little does she know that following the case's twists and turns will lead her to a most surprising discovery—one with the power to upend her entire life.

Alan Bradley's profile page

ALAN BRADLEY is the New York Times bestselling author of many short stories, children's stories, newspaper columns and the memoir The Shoebox Bible. His first Flavia de Luce novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, received the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award, the Dilys Winn 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, The Golden Tresses of the Dead as well as the ebook short story "The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse."

"I love the Flavia de Luce novels! I identify, though I unfortunately didn’t have an Uncle Tarquin and was forced to make do with a Christmas chemistry set from the Sears catalog. Flavia is the best female detective I’ve ever read, full of realism, self-confidence and emotion (in roughly equal parts), and her tales are hilarious, engaging and occasionally heart-breaking." —Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series

"To say I am overjoyed by the return of the magnificent Flavia is a massive understatement. It is a great day when we have her back in our lives with a new, and riveting, crime to solve. Brava Flavia. Bravo Alan!" —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Gamache series

"Cozy mystery fans will love this latest installment featuring Flavia de Luce, Alan Bradley's plucky and spirited protagonist. Delightful!" —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid