The Weed That Swings the Hangman's Bag
Flavia deLuca mystery, 2

By Alan Bradley

        TV star Rupert Porson arrives in the quiet English town of Bishop's Lacey with his traveling puppet show with his assistant and wife Nialla. They agree to put on a show, Jack and the Bean Stalk, for the church. During the performance Rupert is electrocuted.

Flavia, who in addition to being fascinated by chemistry especially poisons, is convinced that this is no accident. With a genius for solving mysteries, she sets out to solve this and finds there is a connection between this and an earlier crime involving an ancient rotting giblet. She must try to untangle the clues that threaten her own life.

This is another entertaining mystery featuring a precocious imaginative intelligent 11 year old Flavia. She lives in an old English country home with her insufferable older sisters and reclusive father. There is an excellent sense of time and place, it is set in the 1950's. There is a blend of the present and ancient history with enough twists and turns to hold the reader's interest. Perhaps Flavia could be considered a British Nancy Drew. May we hope for more of her adventures in the future!