297 pages
English language
Published Dec. 17, 2011 by Delacorte Press.
It's Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce - an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving - is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces' decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern.
Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop's Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern perform, yet nobody is prepared for the evening's shocking conclusion: a body found, past midnight, strangled to death with a length of film. But who among the assembled guests would stage such a chilling scene? As the storm worsens and the list of suspects grows, Flavia must use every ounce of sly wit at her disposal to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight.
Not bad, but not as good as others in the series. I enjoy the heroine but for a YA novel, some of the aspects of this tale seem a bit too adult. But don't trust me on that, I'm an old fuddy duddy. I recommend parents check this out before recommending it especially to young teens.
Better than the previous one, this was full of twists and turns, yet always plausible and engaging.
But best of all, I am hugely impressed with Bradley's skill: his brilliant (often hilarious!) use of metaphor and simile, his style, the laugh out loud humor, and the suspense. I am intrigued by the ongoing mysteries within the family dynamic itself, too, that are slowly being disclosed over the course of the series.
I have enjoyed countless "cozies" but these are really wonderfully crafted, far above most of the cutesy, gimmicky stuff that floods the market.
Intelligent, droll, and never cliched, they are a little heady, so I don't want to gobble them down one after another. But I am definitely looking forward to the next one.
The book felt slower than the earlier ones somehow. No crime / mystery happens until half-way through the book, and while lots of stuff happens after that, the ending feels a bit like a let-down: I wanted more snooping, more deducing, more of Flavia's wonderful trains of thoughts. Not bad, but not the best in the series.
LOVED the reader of this book! Really, I think the narrator is the whole reason I liked this so much.
Short and not as good as the others in the series, unfortunately. Can easily read it in an afternoon.
