In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It is the summer of 1950--and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia's family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and ...
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In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It is the summer of 1950--and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia's family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn't. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life. To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father, a man raising his three daughters alone, is seized, accused of murder. And in a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story--of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school's tower thirty years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: her father is innocent of murder--but protecting her and her sisters from something even worse.... An enthralling mystery, a piercing depiction of class and society, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a masterfully told tale of deceptions--and a rich literary delight. From the Hardcover edition.
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Add this copy of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Thorndike Press to cart. $47.57, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Thorndike Pr.
A lovely mystery to keep you guessing! Flavia is quite a unique 11-year-old girl. She is sweet herself, yet mysterious. The fact that she loves chemistry and talks like a true chemist keeps you on your toes---you never know what masterful chemical reaction may happen in her laboratory. The 1950 setting is beautiful and a bit rustic---charming, to say the least. "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" is a wonderful start to an intriguing series!
Karl K
May 15, 2014
Great and Fun
This is the starting book in the series, and I generally like to read a series in order, but with these you can start with any one of them and enjoy them all!
Irene K
Oct 18, 2012
Great Tween reading
Gift to granddaughter who loves this book and the rest of the triology.
CARLA K
Mar 31, 2011
50's Flashforward
Loved this book! Nostalgia, and a mystery, all rolled into one, through the eyes of an 11 year old who could match wits with Holmes!
SusieS
Aug 5, 2010
Refreshing
Refreshing describes the mystery solved by the 11-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry. Flavia's enthusiastic, youthful drive to explore clues delights the reader and propels the story forward. Since a friend had highly recommended that I read this book, I willingly purchased the sequel to share with her as a thank you for alerting me to this fresh suspense novel.