Book Review: The Grave's a Fine and Private Place

I'm always eager to crack open another Flavia de Luce mystery. Alan Bradley has written quite a string of them (this is the ninth novel in the series, plus a short story I haven't read). I didn't seem to enjoy the tale as much when Flavia was transplanted to Canada for a year of school, but now that she has returned to the English countryside in this volume, she was back to her usual antics and Bradley's writing back to its stellar form.

In The Grave's a Fine and Private Place, we find Flavia travelling with her sisters down a river while taking a holiday with Dogger. It is no surprise when Flavia happens upon a dead body in the water. Nor is it a shock that she plans to ferret out the clues and solve the mystery. In this novel, there are five dead bodies to account for. Two years back, three women died after taking communion and the vicar was tried and executed for their murder. But, when the vicar's son shows up snagged by the teeth from the river, Flavia feels certain that there's a connection somewhere.

I think my love of Flavia stems from several aspects of her personality. She is plucky and strong. Her love of chemistry flavors every situation. And, best of all, she has wonderful asides where she thinks aloud to herself about her own precocity. It makes me laugh every time. Flavia de Luce is truly the best twelve-year-old sleuth I've encountered. I agree with the Daily Mail, she "is as addictive as dark chocolate."

I was touched by the section in the author's acknowledgements devoted to Bradley's wife. He writes, "And finally, as always, to my wife, Shirley, who has allowed Flavia to occupy our days, our nights, and our home for nearly ten years. If anyone deserves a medal, it is Shirley, and so I hereby award her the first and only Companion of Valor, First Class, for love and patience and tolerance far, far beyond the vows of marriage." Beautiful! I pray her patience endures and Bradley continues to conjure up more Flavia for readers in the coming decade.