Play Book Tag discussion

Flavia de Luce, precocious eleven year old chemistry whiz and amateur sleuth, has gotten involved in yet another crime. Flavia decides to get her fortune told at the village fair and ends up burning down the tent of the gypsy fortune teller. It was just an accident but Flavia wants to make it up to her by taking her to Buckshaw (the family's crumbling estate) and letting her park her caravan while she recovers from the effects of smoke inhalation. When Flavia goes back to check on her she finds Fennella bludgeoned almost to death. It's not long before Brookie Harewood is found hanging from the Poseidon fountain, soon after Flavia finds him skulking in the drawing room. Flavia begins to pursue her own investigation and soon uncovers rumors of an ancient religious group, tales of a kidnapped baby, and valuable antiques disappearing and then reappearing.

Flavia is precocious, witty, sneaky and impish but there's an underlying sadness and loneliness around her. She makes me laugh and I feel sad at the same time. Flavia takes her trusty bike, Gladys, and uses charming subterfuge to give her an advantage over the local police detective, Inspector Hewitt. "How I adore that man", says Flavia with relish.

The charm of the series is really the delightful Flavia and her interaction with her distant father and torturous older sisters, the crumbling mansion they live in, and the charming English village of Bishop's Lacey in the 1950s.

The audio is narrated by Jayne Entwhistle who does a fabulous job of bringing the characters to life. You can hear the glee in her voice as she captures Flavia perfectly. Appealing characters and an intriguing mystery make this a delightful series.