Speaking from Among the Bones

Why can\’t Amazon post a simple list of an author\’s titles in order of publication? If you discover an author, you might like to read them in the order they were written, to appreciate the characters\’ (and the author\’s) development. Here\’s the list of Alan Bradley\’s charming, scary, funny Flavia de Luce Novels, as of December 2014. Alan Bradley\’s Flavia de Luce novels in order: 1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, 1/2010 2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman\’s Bag, 2/2011 3. A Red Herring Without Mustard, 10/2011 4. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, 10/2012 5. Speaking from Among the Bones, 12/2013 6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, 1/2014 7. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, 1/2015 Enjoy!

I\’ve read the first half of the books in the Flavia de Luce series. All of them are very good, in multiple ways, but Speaking from Among the Bones is one of the best. The more I read in the series, the more I realize what importance the author has given to the story of Flavia and her family, in addition to the mystery in each book. This book had one of the most surprising and educational mysteries, from beginning to end, and what was happening with her family made my jaw drop at the end. I\’d advise anyone to read the whole series, preferably in order, and not just pick and choose among them. I have recently been rereading Agatha Christie\’s Miss Marple mysteries, which I like, but I think Alan Bradley\’s writing in this series is quite superior to Christie\’s. The portrayals are gemlike, but still relate to ordinary human life.

I ordered this book nearly 5 years ago and it has sat in the queue until last night, when I finally cracked it open. Good thing today was Saturday as I spent the better part of the day absorbed in the story … what a delight! I did not realize until I opened it up that this was book 5 in the series, but the characters and setting are more than adequately described to help the reader dive right in. Good plot, plenty of twists and turns, and loose ends neatly tied up – however, it does end on a cliffhanger and in this regard I am glad I waited this long to read this – upon completion I immediately ordered the next two books in the series. Although I generally I lean towards non-fiction/history, I do like the occasional YA as they usually offer a good dose of fresh air. So glad I stumbled onto this series.

Easter is approaching in Bishop’s Lacey, and St Tancred’s church is commemorating its five hundredth anniversary by opening the tomb of the namesake patron saint. Flavia deLuce is eager to witness the exhumation for herself; on opening the tomb however, the onlookers find not the moldering remains of St Tancred, but the recently dead church organist, Mr. Collicutt. Who wanted Mr. Collicutt dead, and why are some church officials so reluctant to proceed with the excavation? Once again, Flavia is on the case, whether the police like it or not. The fifth Flavia book gets the ball rolling rather quickly with the main murder plot, but there are a lot of other subplots from previous novels that are starting to come together here. The de Luce family’s financial problems have finally come to a head, and Buckshaw is up for sale. There is a cliffhanger here at the end, and the next book seems to be headed for a resolution of sorts. If you’ve enjoyed the other books in the series, this one is a must read.

Flavia, 11 years old, and smarter, better educated, and more informed about almost everything than all the adults in Bishops Lacey, even than Sherlock Holmes would be were he there too. It is pretty unlikely, isn\’t it. One wonders why she never goes to school. She never has friends her age. She is partially orphaned in a very dysfunctional and unloving family, and yet, she thrives. Her only confidante is a shell shocked, former prisoner of war, named Dogger. It is pretty unlikely, isn\’t it that she\’d be the heroine. And in every Flavia de Luce novel she is frequently the one who finds the body, and definitely the one who solves the mystery of the death. It is pretty unlikely isn\’t it. And just how many murder/mysterious deaths can occur during an 11 year old\’s life in one small English shire before she turns 12? And could she really, really be the chemist she is portrayed to be? Unlikely. This novel is particularly weird because everything occurs in a Church\’s graveyard or crypt anyway. And even weirder is that there are two possible murderers, or at least they think themselves to be. And only Flavia can explain it all to the police inspector Hewett. Pretty unlikely, isn\’t it. And yet, as unlikely as this heroine, and the repetitive mysterious death plot in every novel is, this series is really fun reading. It speaks to Bradley\’s good writing, doesn\’t it.

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