As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
Flavia de Luce #7
by Alan Bradley
392 pages // published in 2015 // historical mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Hard on the heels of the return of her mother’s body from the frozen reaches of the Himalayas, Flavia, for her indiscretions, is banished from her home at Buckshaw and shipped across the ocean to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Toronto, her mother’s alma mater, there to be inducted into a mysterious organization known as the Nide.
No sooner does she arrive, however, than a body comes crashing down out of the chimney and into her room, setting off a series of investigations into mysterious disappearances of girls from the school.
Hard on the heels of the return of her mother’s body from the frozen reaches of the Himalayas, Flavia, for her indiscretions, is banished from her home at Buckshaw and shipped across the ocean to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Toronto, her mother’s alma mater, there to be inducted into a mysterious organization known as the Nide.
No sooner does she arrive, however, than a body comes crashing down out of the chimney and into her room, setting off a series of investigations into mysterious disappearances of girls from the school.
I always love a good Flavia book, and this one is fantastic -- except for one small thing. My one itty bitty problem is a curse word that is thrown in there -- the strong boldness of it surprised me, as I don't expect or desire some vulgar language in this series.
Anyways, this volume may just take the cake in regard to dramatic dead body entrance onto the scene. It's one you won't be forgetting.
I definitely enjoyed the story, how it begins with a "banishment" from Flavia's ancestral home. We, the readers, have never experienced the like before. What do we end finding out? Interesting things about Harriet, Flavia's deceased mother, and a few new hinted secrets too -- just to keep us guessing!
Overall? A perfectly charming murder mystery for Flavia to flex her brains on. The story could actually be one of my favorites of the series (except that I was personally homesick for Buckshaw!). It is too bad I had to decrease my star rating though.
Book #4 completed
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This plot sounds like it may be the best in the series; I read two so far and thought they were OK, not great.
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