This is the sixth in the Flavia de Luce series — but the first one I have read. No doubt there are aspects of the novel that I didn’t appreciate since I was familiar with the stock characters.
In this episode, Flavia’s mother Harriet (who has been missing since she was a baby) is coming home. Winston Churchill himself is riding the funeral train that is bringing Harriet’s body back to the family home. Caught up in her confused emotions, and dealing with her family’s own mourning, Flavia (as always) forges her own path. Digging in the attic, she finds an undeveloped reel of film. Her refreshing way of seeing the world is the most engaging aspect of the book. Her voice is clear and spunky.
It’s things like this that really shake me: sudden terrifying glimpses into the world of being an adult, and they are sometimes things that I am not sure I really want to know. Loc. 466
We might as well face it: Death is a bore. It is even harder on the survivors than on the deceased, who at least don’t have to worry about when to sit and stand, or when to permit a pale smile and when to glance tragically away. Loc. 811
I’m not really proud of that but it’s true. There is a strength in secrets which can never be achieved by spilling one’s guts. Loc. 1912
This is a quick, adventurous read and I will certainly be going back to read the rest of the series.
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Series: Flavia de Luce
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press (January 14, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385344058
ISBN-13: 978-0385344050