Alan Bradley, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d

Flavia is thrilled to be back in England after her Canadian adventure at Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy, but she soon discovers that all is not well at Buckshaw. Her oldest sister Feely is in a fight with her fiancé Dieter, and her annoying cousin Undine won’t leave her alone. Most upsetting of all, her father is sick with pneumonia, and she’s not even allowed to visit him in the hospital. Desperate for a distraction, Flavia agrees to run an errand for the vicar’s wife, delivering a message to the woodcarver who is refurbishing the church. But when Flavia arrives at the woodcarver’s residence, she discovers the man hanging upside-down from his bedroom door, quite dead. Of course, she jumps at the chance to solve another murder, which leads her to uncover a decades-old conspiracy involving a famous author. But as always, Flavia’s investigative skills are so sharp that she finds herself in danger.

I’m a longtime fan of the Flavia de Luce series, so I enjoyed this latest installment. However, I’m starting to feel so sad for Flavia that the books are becoming less fun to read. In the first few books, Flavia and her sisters are constantly fighting, but you get the sense that, deep down, they do care for each other. In this book, the arguments are so mean-spirited and brutal that it’s really no fun to read. Flavia also seems particularly isolated in this book; her father is almost entirely off page, her sisters ignore her when they’re not actively being cruel, and she doesn’t seem to have any friends at all (except the vicar’s wife). The ending of this book seems to indicate an even bleaker future for Flavia, and if that’s the case, the series might actually be too depressing for me to continue. I also didn’t love the mystery in this one, although I was happy to see some interaction between Flavia and her former teacher Mrs. Bannerman. Overall, I found this book somewhat disappointing, and I’m not sure I’ll be continuing with the series (although I may try one more book just to see if things improve).