A Dictionary of Scoundrels

The Swift family reunion turns deadly while relatives search for Vile's Hoard, a treasure hidden somewhere on the grounds of the House. Young Shenanigan Swift, along with her sisters Phenomena and Felicity, and their cousin Erf, investigate the murders (attempted and actual), trying to ascertain motive and opportunity, and catch the killer before they strike again.

A little bit Addams Family, a little bit Clue, a little bit The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and wholly satisfying, clever, and delightful, this twisty mystery is enhanced even more by Claire Powell's marvelous illustrations (some full-page, and one at the head of each chapter). Erf is nonbinary and chooses their own name; Fauna is trans. Shenanigan is Shenanigan.

See show more also: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

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Re-read (audiobook, excellent) April 2024. I remembered who the main villain was, but had forgotten some of the other details; it was delightful all over again. See also: No One Leaves the Castle

Quotes

[Shenanigan] has just the mix of stubbornness and curiosity that either rediscovered lost cities or landed a person in prison. (26)

When you are faced with a problem, it can be very difficult to admit that doing nothing might be just as good as doing something. (30)

"...just because two things seem connected, it doesn't mean they actually are." (41)

...translation can be a sort of treasure if words mean more to you than gold. (139)

While Phenomena, Shenanigan, and Erf had been in the library proving that Gumshoe's death wasn't an accident, Inheritance had been in the Evening Room, telling everyone that it was. (171)

[Daisy] was like a bouquet of flowers with a crowbar in the middle. (173)

She didn't care about all these "hows" or "whys" - only the "whos." She felt like an arrow in a bow. She needed to be pointed at a target, and let fly. (177)

She didn't lie, but she did act. The trick to acting was to find a bit of truth, and pull it around you like a raincoat until it covered your whole body. (190)

"A hunch is just your brain subconsciously taking in data and coming to a conclusion without you really being aware of it." (197)

"Sometimes it all feels a bit...inevitable." (216)

"There will always be people who think they know you better than you know yourself. But I quickly learned that they don't matter; the people who love you are the people who listen." (Fauna to Erf, 217)

Each of them was too upset to see the others properly. (249)

People often reasonably discuss such unreasonable things. (266)

Growing up happens whenever it wants to, in fits and starts and all over the place....Now she was grown-up enough to be afraid. (285)

Maybe the Naming was all rubbish, after all, she thought. Some people acted the way they were expected to, and some didn't....Shenanigan was who she was. (286-287)

From now on, Shenanigan would have to learn how to be afraid. And, most important of all, how to be afraid and keep going anyway. (299) show less

Does your name determine your fate? Young Shenanigan Swift has many opportunities to ponder this question throughout this suspense filled tale of a family reunion that goes very wrong. The reader meets the girl as she’s struggling with the front end of her aunt Schadenfreude’s coffin, and aunt Schadenfreude is displeased. Schadenfreude Swift is the matriarch of the Swift household and family and she’s rather a perfectionist. That’s why Shenanigan and other members of the homestead are required to regularly rehearse their aunt’s funeral to her satisfaction.

The first mystery of the book for the reader this may be, why would any parents pick names like Schadenfreude or Shenanigan for their newborn’s name? The Oxford English show more Dictionary defines Shenanigan is a mid 19th century noun of American origin as “Trickery, skulduggery, machination, intrigue; teasing, ‘kidding’, nonsense; (usually plural) a plot, a trick, a prank, an exhibition of high spirits, a carry-on.” Even worse, Schadenfreude is a word borrowed from the German language that means “Malicious enjoyment of the misfortunes of others.”

My word! Indeed, part of the delight of this book is the author’s play with words and their use and misuse or misunderstanding by the characters.

But what is the origin of this unusual custom? According to Lincoln:

Back in the old tights-and-doublets days of the Swift family, every child was named either Mary or John. It got terribly confusing at dinnertime when someone asked John to pass the potatoes and ten hands shot up at once, and so Mary Swift XXXV had begun the tradition of naming her children using the Family Dictionary. The idea stuck, and the Swifts prospered. People often overlook a Mary or a John, but they seldom forgot a person named Meretricious or Flinch.

After the birth of each new child his or her mother would place her hand on a page from the dictionary thus naming the child and perhaps foretelling the child’s future. Alas for aunt Schadenfreude her parents were traveling through Germany when she was born and the Family Dictionary was not at hand, so a German dictionary was used instead.

There is a second tradition, in the Swift family, that goes along with the Naming. It’s not as cheerful. A week or so after a child is born, a large, heavy package arrives at Swift House to be stored in the cellar until it is needed.

It’s a gravestone. “Their names are quite literally set in stone.”

This is the gothic setting for a huge family reunion at the ancestral home of Grand-Uncle Vile Swift who killed his brother and hid a fortune somewhere on the grounds. Twelve year old Shenanigan has been mapping the floor plan of the house and finding secret passages for some time now. She’s frustrated by this huge crowd of out of town relatives swarming all over her home, poking around looking for the treasure for themselves. But the most shocking thing is the discovery of Aunt Schadenfreude’s body lying face down, prone on the floor at the bottom of a staircase, with every indication that she was pushed. Which of the Swifts are so desperate for the treasure that they are willing to murder. It will be up to Shenanigan and her sisters Felicity and Phenomenon to find out, unless cousin Gumshoe Swift gets there first. It’s a fast paced chase, filled with misunderstandings, deception, plot twists, and laughing gas, by turns tense and humorous. It’s a fast paced chase, filled with misunderstandings, deception, plot twists, and laughing gas, by turns tense and humorous.

All and all, the book is as eccentric as its characters and plot, and it's brilliantly crafted.

And everyone is not as dead as they may seem. And no one finds the treasure trove. I can hardly wait for the sequel. show less

What a unique and entertaining story. We meet 3 sisters born into a family that names their children based on a word from the dictionary. Following Shenanigan Swift through her adventures and trials was a true pleasure. Answering the question of how much of a self-fulfilling prophecy our name could be was truly unique.

When Aunt Inheritance calls for a family reunion, Shenanigan Swift's home is filled with extended family -- then murder (attempted) soon follows. Shenanigan, her sisters Phenomena and Felicity, along with her cousin, Erf, follow the clues to discover who is killing their family members.

Very clever, lots of fun/old words. Perhaps not for the youngest of middle grades as their IS murder, but an adult that enjoys mysteries should definitely give it a try.

this is so fun. it's full of word games and puns and twisty mysteries, but also it is a strong message about not being bound by what people think they know of you or what they tell you you should be. fantastic all around. (i'm pretty sure that more than half of it went over my 11 year-old's head, though.)

First sentence: It was a bright, well-dressed morning in early May and the Swifts were in the middle of a funeral. The House looked very fine. The lawns had been swept clean of leaves, the hedge maze had been trimmed, and the statues had been scrubbed behind the ears. The Family had spent the morning practicing their eulogies in front of a mirror, and now they walked in slow procession through the cemetery, faces professionally grim.

Premise/plot: The Swifts are something else. Shenanigan Swift, our narrator, has a LARGE, bizarre, odd, quirky, whimsical, one-of-a-kind family. And they're all coming--well the living ones--to a Reunion. Some may choose to partake in an actual treasure hunt--a Vile relation, literally named Vile Swift--hid show more treasure on the property way back when that has yet to be discovered. He lived up to his name. Supposedly, all Swifts lift up their names. But do they? Maybe. Maybe not. Shenanigan has spent much of her time mapping out the LARGE equally bizarre, quirky, one-of-a-kind house and looking for secret tunnels, secret rooms, secret hiding places, etc. She may not be the matriarch or the archivist, but, she's accumulating knowledge in her spare time--knowledge that may just prove useful once this family reunion turns deadly.

This whimsical mystery packed with dark humor is unique. There are dozens of characters--or suspects, or victims--and dozens of clues. There's plenty of twists and turns.

My thoughts: I liked many things about this one. It was a little crazy--for better or worse. And by crazy I don't make an allusion to anything regarding mental health or well-being. I mean zany, topsy-turvy, out-there, bizarre, whimsical, quirky. It was a little OVER the top. So over the top that it goes right past "realistic fiction." Imagine if Roald Dahl ever wrote a family reunion with a treasure hunt. It isn't so much about in-depth characterization and believable story as it is just a roller coaster ride of whimsy.

Erf. I personally am not a fan. I think giving them an actual name beyond "Erf" would go a long way. I can get--or try to get--why they would want to choose a new name for themself that wouldn't be the one on their birth certificate. But why Erf? And is Erf a new name? a nickname? an-in-between name? Is a better sounding name coming? I'm glad that Shenanigan makes a friend. But still... show less

This one was so cute!!! I loved the interactions between Shenanigan and her relatives, and Lincoln was able to keep the plot line intriguing. It is rather vocabulary-intensive, but they integrate the dictionary sub-plot well into the narrative. This would be a great book for a youth book club, as it brought up a lot of themes on identity, how others should be treated, and how to stand up to bullying. It is a good read alike for those who have liked The Mysterious Benedict Society. All around a great read!