Fantastic series, terribly fun characters, good solid mysteries. I love this series. ( )

Delightful! That's is precisely what this book is. Just a delightful story with the precocious Flavia de Luce. This time is she trying to find out who killed the famous puppeteer Rupert Porson and she does her usual way, by being curious, listening to gossip and putting two and two together. And, thinking of ways of killing people with poisons..especially her sisters.

Flavia de Luce is such a wonderful characters, she will either be a great detective when she grows up or a very deadly poisoner. Her love for chemistry shows through the book and she is especially fond of poisons. But of course, she is still just eleven and even though she is clever there are moments when she doesn't understand things, grow up things like secret relations between grown-ups and I love Dogger when he tries to explain that it's when two people are really good friends. And, I feel for her when her two older sister bullies her. It's not easy with a father who rather spends his time with his stamps, a dead mother, and two older sisters that whenever opportunity shows up tries to tell her that their parents never wanted her. And, in this book her aunt Felicity shows up, but I think that Flavia, in the end, came to appreciate her visiting, especially after they had a talk alone.

The first book in this series was good, but I enjoyed the story in this book even more and it was so many suspects in the story that I didn't figure out how and when was behind it all until the very end. I really enjoyed the part in the end when she explained it all to the police. Hilarious. They should hire her. ( )

Alan Bradley is brilliant at telling a good story. Great pacing, great characters, and a sense of place that is lyrical and nostaligic without cloying in the least. His books satisfy me in the way that Dorothy Sayers books do. ( )

This was a more satisfying ending that the first Flavia novel and more great fun as the 11 year old protagonist again uses her wits to get even with her sisters, solve a murder and describe in detail the 1950's small village life.

Re-read first read 2011, listen to the audiobook for this "re-read", Jayne Entwistle does an amazing job as the narrator.
Character List

Alan Bradley - The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (Flavia de Luce #2)
setting village of Bishop's Lacey,

Flavia de Luce braces and pigtails like a typical 11-year-old girl, chemist
Gladys - her bicycle,
Ophelia de Luce (17)
Daphne de Luce (13)
Dogger, Arthur Wellesley loyal retainer
Mrs. Mullet housekeeper and cook
Alf, her husband
Inspector Hewitt
Colonel de Luce a philatelist and former amateur illusionist
Harriet de Luce wife mother a free spirit who disappeared on a mountaineering adventure in Tibet 10 years earlier and is presumed dead.

Rupert Porson, as in Snoddy the Squirrel--The Magic Kingdom- PORSON'S PUPPETS alf was caged in a heavy iron brace.
Nialla red head But you can call me Mother Goose. Rupert's assistant
Canon Denwyn Richardson was not anyone's image of a typical village vicar. He was large and bluff
Cynthia Richardson - wife and vicars assistant
Inglebys, Gordon and Grace, owned Culverhouse Farm morose individuals who kept mostly
to themselves. Gordon Ingleby was an avid pigeon fancier,
son Robin Ingleby had been found hanging.
"Mad Meg's picks up empty tins, rather like a magpie.
Mrs. Witty ballet teacher
Dieter Schrantz works for Inglebys
Sally Straw, a member of the Women's Land Army
Clarence Mundy sat waiting, perched on one of the wings of his taxicab,
Aunt Felicity.
Tom Batts the postman
Mutt Wilmott, Rupert's producer at BBC
Constable Linnet
Detective Sergeant Woolmer with his plate camera
Detective Sergeant Graves
Dr. Darby
Ned Cropper went to show with Mary, does chores for Tully Stoker at the Thirteen Drakes
Mr. Sowbell undertaker
Aurelia & Lavinia Puddock - owners St. Nicholas Tea Room


Mother Shipton's prophecies were in doggerel verse








https://www.goodreads.com/series/46160-flavia-de-luce
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Liked it. Flavia has moments of enjoyable cussedness. Her command of chemistry/poisons is surprisingly convincingly drawn. Will look for the first one now. ( )