This is book 6 of the Flavia De Luce series. Family and community plots thicken as Flavia unravels more mysteries, one quite personal and leaving her to wonder just exactly who she is, and, as always, the end of the book leaves one anxious to get to the next. ( )

spoiler do not read if you haven't read.
Not sure how to feel. Thought it was well done, as always, and understand the thinking that maybe a change of venue was needed, but a whole genre jump. There is already a Harrier the spy in childrens lit. , do we need another? I'll have to read the next one before I pass judgement ( )

The sixth outing in the Flavia de Luce cosy crime series takes a different tack as, although a murder does occur early on in the proceedings, Flavia is more concerned with the emotional fallout of her mother Harriet's 'return' to Buckshaw. I won't say a lot about the story as just about anything is a spoiler, but we do learn finally that Flavia's odd childhood has had a hidden agenda all along, and certain things said in an earlier book are now explained.

I enjoyed most of the book immensely and it was building up to a 5 star rating, but the hasty denouement in the church somewhat detracted from things. I had felt sure that Flavia, invited to a picnic after the funeral by someone she eventually realises is the murderer, was about to face a tense confrontation where her life hung in the balance, but the police suddenly intervened and everything was resolved somewhat disappointingly. However, the very end does leave an interesting glimpse of the future, with everything turned upside down including Flavia's relationship with her family. ( )

No, I'm sorry, I tried. Admittedly, I read four of the ten books in the series out of order, but Flavia (Flave-ia) didn't take long to change from a smart and quirky Scout Finch style narrator into an obnoxious enfant terrible of Little Britain. And oh dear, there's a story arc too, about a secret society - I hate story arcs!

This instalment is about the repatriation and burial of Flavia's mother, who died on a mountain in the Himalayas when Flavia was a baby, but the characters are so rigid and 'stiff upper lip' that I wasn't even affected by the family's grief. Lots of welling eyes and hyperbolic tributes to the late great Harriet - Winston Churchill tells Flavia that 'she was England', which made me gag - and Flavia herself decides to 'resurrect' her ten years dead mother's corpse with vitamin B. Okay, sweetie.

I wish whatever magic the second book had could have lasted, but I couldn't care less about the Nide and Flavia's future role in saving England. If she ever hits twelve, I won't be at the party, I'm afraid. ( )

This is really more like a 41/2 star read, but I'll round down because I have high hopes that a future Flavia de Luce adventure will rate the 5th star. This was pretty close though, in this pivotal, transformative novel
In this increasingly intriguing series. One of my biggest pet peeves of the story is even being resolved! Anyway, this mystery follows hard on the heels of the previous book, which dropped a major bombshell just at the end. Flavia's long-lost mother has returned to Buckshaw, and everything in Flavia's world is in an uproar. Secrets never even hinted at before are explosively revealed, and deep political and international intrigue are discovered. All this in the midst of great emotional turmoil and the coming of age of a young girl who is realizing she is growing up, whether she likes it or not. Flavia's world has changed dramatically, and I look forward to seeing how she copes with it. ( )

One of my favorites--I was hooked after "Sweetness...", but enjoyed "the weed...," "A Red Herring ..," "I Am Half-Sick..," and "speaking..." Just as much. ( )

I received this advance copy as a Goodreads giveaway.
This story zips along from start to finish. And while it has some macabre moments, overall it is probably the strongest of the series to date.
It resolves the cliffhanger from the last book, so that one is essential reading before picking up this one.
The story of Flavia de Luce's family, so troubled and enigmatical for so long now, is finally explained in this story. Why did Flavia's mother leave her young family ten years ago to be a supposed thrillseeker in the Himalayas? Why do Flavia's sisters resent her so much more than seems reasonable? What exactly happened to her father and Dogger during the war?
Some of the plot at first glance just seems bizarre, but you have to remember that you are reading the wishful thinking of an 11-year-old. An incredibly intelligent 11-year-old, but still, also one who has grown up bereaved of a mother in a very unusual family, and remains fairly naive about things other than chemistry.
And the explanations that come from Aunt Felicity are also, in a way, straight out of an 11-year-old's box of "amazing things that should happen." And yet there's just enough detail and characterization that you as a reader are mostly willing to accept it.
This series has just crossed into new territory. It'll be interesting to see where it goes next. ( )

This is a great series. I think early teens and their parents would like this book. It's interesting enough for multiple age groups which is quite rare. ( )

I keep thinking that Flavia's adventures will grow stale somehow, but they do not -- they transform continuously as she grows and uncover different facets to the world. My particular love in this book was he father's statement that he had fought to give her a childhood. That bit, as plaintive and heartbreaking as Flavie innocently plotting to revive her dead mother's corpse. ( )

I absolutely love Flavia, for me the greatest YA hero. More a hero then Harry Potter who has a group of friends supporting him, more brave the Katniss Everdeen who has tremendous physical skills, Flavia only has her brain which she puts to great use. I love an 11 year old girl who keeps a book about poisons on her bedside table as a comfort read, a detective that uses only her chemistry lab and brain to solve mysteries. ( )

Holy moly, game changer. This Flavia novel is much different from the others and sends the series is a totally different direction. I've liked the series before, but I feel like I'm going to love it going forward. ( )

A somber mood has descended on Buckshaw. Word has reached Flavia de Luce and her family that her mother, missing for over a decade, has been found. As they prepare for her return home, questions surrounding her disappearance continue to swirl about unanswered, and in this, her sixth book, Flavia resolves to unearth a more conclusive explanation about her mother's mysterious disappearance when she was only an infant.

Departing from the lighthearted mood of previous novels, the spirit of this story is rather more subdued and heartbreaking, though Flavia is no less clever and charming — not to mention strong, stalwart and courageous. Though a happy reunion seemed unlikely, as a reader I admit my hopes were elevated briefly. I had found the domestic parallel narrative playing out concurrently with the criminal plots of the previous novels intriguing, and now two have merged in this book. I'm curious to see what shape the next books will take. ( )

I don’t know what it is about this series that makes it so exceptional. Flavia is undoubtedly charming as well as impossible. Bradley’s ability to see the world through an eleven year old’s eyes is exceptional. ( )

Not very interesting. ( )

series mystery (read them in order!) set in 1951 Britain on audiobook lovingly brought to life by [a:Jayne Entwistle|2894215|Jayne Entwistle|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1431261697p2/2894215.jpg]
All the backstories, and also all of the sadness! Flavia finds out more about her father's and Dogger's history as POWs in Japan, her mother's body is recovered after her sudden disappearance nearly 12 years ago, revealing some suspicious circumstances and the De Luce family's involvement in a secret wartime project.
! Make sure you read the first 5 books first (or at least most of them), as this particular installment is best read when you are already familiar with the characters. ( )

I found myself much more engaged with this book in the Flavia de Luce series. Often with this series while I am listening, I will find myself tuning out during certain parts (like when Flavia goes on a mini-montage about chemical properties and the like). This one definitely held my attention much better than the past two. It perhaps would be because we have continued to hear about Flavia's mother's mysterious disappearance and have never been able to hear about what has actually happened to her. This mystery has always kept me wondering and now that Harriot (her mother) comes home, I wanted to know what had happened to her. I enjoyed learning about this one and I was really connected to the family aspect of this novel. There were definitely things that I still didn't enjoy about it, but overall, I did like this book better than some of the others. ( )

Perhaps not quite as engaging as some of the earlier books, because Flavia is "not herself" so much in this book. Her spirit is (understandably) dampened by what has transpired, and I miss her delightful precociousness. However, I enjoyed it nonetheless. ( )

4 and a half stars, really. I listened to this as an audiobook and am convinced the British accents make it all the more charming. Flavia is solving mysteries again, but this one hits closer to home. SPOILER ALERT. Flavia's missing mother, Harriet,has been found in a glacial crevasse and so Flavia's childhood innocence comes to a screeching halt. It is one thing to know your mother is missing and another to know she is dead. As Flavia seeks to learn about the mother she never knew, she uncovers other family secrets as well about the de Luce relationship to the Crown and their role in WWII. All told with the trademark Flavia enthusiasm for chemistry and death with a dose of sisterly squabbling thrown in. Just not quite as developed and drawn out of an investigation as some of the other books. ( )

Another great installment! I have really enjoyed this series. ( )

Pheasant sandwiches
a tricky meal to swallow
just think of England. ( )

Not much of a mystery in this one but still has all the charm present in the series so far. There is some nice family stuff and a few interesting reveals that should play out nicely in future books. The audio is, of course, perfect and Jane Entwhistle continues to define the voice of Flavia. Really looking forward to the next one. ( )

this review is for the audiobook edition, narrated by jayden entwistle.

ummm.... ouch! be warned: if you listen to the audiobook, there is singing. an adult woman acting the voice of a precocious 12yo girl... singing. it was not pleasant. at all.

apart from those moments, i liked this story. we get more background on the de luce family, and the mystery of their missing mother. and big new things are in store for flavia, so book 7 brings a change of scenery and a bit more canadian content. could be interesting! ( )

Entertaining and quite quirky ( )

So, it seems that the body of Flavia de Luce's mother, Harriet, has been found in a glacier in the Himalayas and is to be returned to their estate, Buckshaw, for a proper interment. When the train rolls into the village, someone gets crushed under the wheels of the train just moments after the victim gave Flavia a weird, coded message.

So, we have the mystery of how Flavia's mother died and on top of it the new death. Did the man merely trip and fall under the train or was he pushed? Is there some vague relationship between the newly deceased and Flavia's mother, who had been gone some ten years? Well, Flavia tries to figure these things out, while also trying to work out a chemical approach to revivifying her mother.

I dunno, it was ok, but the weakest so far of the half dozen Flavia de Luce books I've read.

( )

This installment was a bit of a letdown after the book 5 cliffhanger. Nonetheless, Flavia is always at least a little bit fun. I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes now that Flavia is off to boarding school. ( )