15 of 52 in my 2011 book blogging challenge.
I adored the first book in this series, but I liked The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag even better. One again we have the delightful Flavia, eleven-year-old chemist and detective, showing us the world through her English, post-war eyes.
This time the mystery involves a puppeteer, a ring of drug dealers, a little romantic intrigue, and not one but two unexplained deaths. The story in this book is a little more adult than that of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, though Flavia is no more grownup. For example, she figures out who has had an affair with whom, but she doesn’t figure out what an affair is.
I think it is the fact that there is a little more irony as well as a little more intrigue in this book that makes me like it better than the first in the series.
There isn’t particular depth to these books. They just offer a lighthearted mystery along with a little slice of 1950s English life. They might not be eye-opening or shattering in any way, but they are thoroughly enjoyable. I read them while I happened to have a fair share of real-life stress going on. They made a perfect little escape.
I’ve also already read the third book in the series, A Red Herring Without Mustard. I’m not going to give it its own blog entry. I don’t have enough more to say about the Flavia series, but I will say that #3 is my least favorite of the three. In it, I felt the sibling rivalry between Flavia and her sisters was just over-the-top. Too much time was devoted to it in ways that detracted from the plot, and the nature of the rivalry crossed the line from harmless sibling teasing to true cruelty. I did not care for that aspect of the story. Aside from that, I still enjoyed Flavia and her charming personality.
These little mysteries have lots of literary and lots of scientific references. If you don’t learn anything else from reading them, you’ll probably learn a thing or two about the chemical makeup of standard household items. I find those details coming from the point of view of a quirky child to be a real draw. If you ever find yourself in need of a nice old restful day with a good book, look up Alan Bradley. I enthusiastically recommend.
As of now, the third is the final book in this series, but a fourth is due out in January 2012 from Random House. It looks like, from his website, that Bradley has contracted for six books. I look forward to them all.
