The Golden Tresses of the Dead
Large Print - 2019
"Although it is autumn in the small English town of Bishop's Lacey, the chapel is decked with exotic flowers. Yes, Flavia de Luce's sister Ophelia is at last getting hitched, like a mule to a wagon. "A church is a wonderful place for a wedding," muses Flavia, "surrounded as it is by the legions of the dead, whose listening bones bear silent witness to every promise made at the altar." Flavia is not your normal twelve-year-old girl. An expert in the chemical nature of poisons, she has solved many mysteries, which has sharpened her considerable detection skills to the point where she had little choice but to turn professional. So Flavia and dependable Dogger, estate gardener and sounding board extraordinaire, set up shop at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, eager to serve--not so simple an endeavor with her odious, little moon-faced cousin, Undine, constantly underfoot. But Flavia and Dogger persevere. Little does she know that their first case will be extremely close to home, beginning with an unwelcome discovery in Ophelia's wedding cake: a human finger"-- Provided by publisher.
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Publisher:
Waterville, Maine :, Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company,, 2019
Edition:
Large print edition
Copyright Date:
©2019
ISBN:
9781432859220
1432859226
1432859226
Characteristics:
409 pages (large print) ; 22 cm
large print,rdafs
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Add a CommentGreat fun, as always.
The series matures, in this book, as Undine takes Flavia's place as an intelligent, odd and endearing child and Flavia begins to deal with some hormonal swings and resulting changes in the way she perceives and reacts to the world
Flavia is one the most hilarious and comparable detectives in literary history. Love these books!
I love this series! Flavia de Luce was 11 when the series started; she must be at least 12 or 13 by now, with all that has happened. She is a chemist and a detective, and wise beyond her years. She has a totally bizarre family situation. This is the 10th book in the series, which takes place during the years following WWI in a small village in England.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! In addition to other subplots, Flavia and Dogger are working together to assist people who need investigations done (under the name Arthur W. Dogger and Associates). When their client ends up dead, the investigation becomes even more interesting. I can not tell you much more about the plot without spoiling the earlier books.
At times this book made me laugh out loud. Here is one quote that will illustrate Flavia’s quirks. She and Dogger are in the process of dissecting a rat. Flavia observes:
“Dogger was making light of a grim job, I knew, to protect my sensitivities, but he needn’t have bothered. I don’t know if you’ve ever dissected a rat, but to me, there was only one word for it: exhilarating.”
I am pretty sure I have never dissected a rat (high school biology class would have been my only opportunity), but I can guarantee that “exhilarating” would not be my reaction!
This series is delightful, and absolutely must be read in order. Each book builds on the previous books. I think a reader would be lost if he or she started in the middle. The first book is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
I love Flavia’s wit and humour, enjoy the personification of Gladys the bicycle, which is always included, and it’s refreshing to see Flavia grow into her own with Dogger’s constant support. For those who bemoan the dwindling presence of the sisters Daphne and Ophelia, I think the time has come for them to take a back seat. Flavia has inherited the house and Father is no longer the anchor holding it all down. Beware cousin Undine, who is just as clever and the upcoming nemesis of Flavia. You can bet she will feature more prominently in future!
I did not like the book. It seem to be a little less detailed than previous stories. Missed some of the characters such as the sisters working together. The book seems to be an afterthought of the author.
Fantastic series!
Another great adventure with Flavia the intrepid detective and brilliant chemist. In this episode, the relationship between Flavia and Dogger develops and I was glad that she has someone watching over her so diligently. Over the series I have enjoyed the love-hate relationships Flavia had with her sisters, but in this book Feely goes off on her honeymoon and Daffy is nearly invisible, so I missed those sibling interactions. Once again the ending is not really tied up in a neat bow and a few questions linger. It's part of the charm of this series and I hope there is more Flavia to read in the future.
Not my favorite book in the series. Flavia and Dogger are much more developed characters than appear in this book.
Flavia continues to be a delight! Her sharp, analytical mind paired with her still-vulnerable preteen self and hilarious turns of phrase make her an unforgettable heroine. This latest installment brings her comradeship with Dogger to the fore (a cheer from me) and lets the pair revel in their respective areas of expertise as they investigate poisons, curious medicines, and small town intrigues.
Bradley's fans of novels about the character, Flavia de Luce, will find his recent novel filled to capacity with cliques, similes, allusions, quotes, chemical names, and definitions of Greek and Latin words. Somewhere amongst this verbiage is a plot. Flavia and Dogger solve 2 murders, but, with all of the above distractions acting as fillers and thus extending the novel, the plot isn't that thrilling. Bradley's fans probably enjoy his books more for his clever use of English and his characterization of the child detective, Flavia, than for the plot. This novel could be read as a stand alone, but the relationships among the characters, which have been built throughout the series, would not be as clear.