What better Christmas surprise for detective-in-training Flavia de Luce than a dreadful murder under Buckshaw's roof - and a snowbound house full of suspects!
It's Christmas time, and our beloved Flavia is tucked away in her laboratory whipping up a sticky concoction to trap that infamous sneak, Saint Nick, and thereby prove once and for all - despite the claims of her evil sisters - that he does exist. But she is soon distracted from her task: Colonel de Luce, in desperate need of funds, has rented the family's crumbling manor house to a film company for the holidays. When its crew arrives from London to shoot a movie starring the reclusive and renowned actress, Phyllis Wyvern, there's no end to the disruptions - and dramas - demanding Flavia's attention.
When Wyvern is convinced to perform a famous scene to help raise funds for the local church, it is decided that Buckshaw Manor is the only suitable location. Its foyer alone is bigger than the parish hall, and could fit every man, woman, and child in Bishop's Lacey, to a soul. It's almost Christmas Eve, but - to no one's surprise - all of the village inhabitants fight their way through a raging snowstorm to be in the audience that magical night.
As the actors take to the stage, however, the blizzard sets in, and it becomes clear that the villagers will have to hunker down at Buckshaw for the night. Sleeping head to toe in the de Luces' foyer seems amenable to most, until word spreads of the evening'sshocking conclusion - Phyllis Wyvern is found strangled to death in the Blue Bedroom, with a length of film from one of her movies tied in an elaborate bow around her neck.
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 her chemical cleverness and crime-solving prowess to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight. But when she does piece the puzzle together and deduce who has committed this twisted crime, will Flavia be able to escape in one piece?
C'est Noël, et Flavia de Luce - enquêtrice amateur de 11 ans avec une passion pour la chimie - s'est enfermée dans son laboratoire pour concocter une potion afin de piéger le Père Noël. Mais elle est dérangée par l'arrivée d'une équipe de cinéma venue tourner un film dans le manoir familial croulant de Buckshaw, avec la fameuse Phyllis Wyvern dans le rôle principal. Malgré le blizzard, tout le village de Bishop's Lacey se retrouve à Buckshaw pour assister à la performance de Wyvern. Personne, pourtant, ne s'attendait à ce que la soirée se termine sur une note aussi macabre : un cadavre est retrouvé étranglé avec une bobine de film.
It's Christmastime, and in spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. But instead of a joyous homecoming, she is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news: Her father has fallen ill, and a hospital visit will have to wait while he rests.
Après les aventures qui ont agité, quelques mois plus tôt, le manoir de Buckshaw et révélé ses talents de détective, Flavia pensait en avoir fini avec les enquêtes.
...
Take one precocious eleven-year-old girl called Flavia. Add an ancient country house somewhere in England in 1950. Then sprinkle with murder, mystery and dark family secrets...
What better Christmas surprise for detective-in-training Flavia de Luce than a dreadful murder under Buckshaw's roof - and a snowbound house full of suspects!It's Christmas time, and our beloved Flavia is tucked away in her laboratory whipping up a sticky concoction to trap that infamous sneak, Saint Nick, and thereby prove once and for all - despite the claims of her evil sisters - that he does exist. But she is soon distracted from her task: Colonel de Luce, in desperate need of funds, has rented the family's crumbling manor house to a film company for the holidays. When its crew arrives from London to shoot a movie starring the reclusive and renowned actress, Phyllis Wyvern, there's no end to the disruptions - and dramas - demanding Flavia's attention.When Wyvern is convinced to perform a famous scene to help raise funds for the local church, it is decided that Buckshaw Manor is the only suitable location. Its foyer alone is bigger than the parish hall, and could fit every man, woman, and child in Bishop's Lacey, to a soul. It's almost Christmas Eve, but - to no one's surprise - all of the village inhabitants fight their way through a raging snowstorm to be in the audience that magical night. As the actors take to the stage, however, the blizzard sets in, and it becomes clear that the villagers will have to hunker down at Buckshaw for the night. Sleeping head to toe in the de Luces' foyer seems amenable to most, until word spreads of the evening'sshocking conclusion - Phyllis Wyvern is found strangled to death in the Blue Bedroom, with a length of film from one of her movies tied in an elaborate bow around her neck. 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 her chemical cleverness and crime-solving prowess to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight. But when she does piece the puzzle together and deduce who has committed this twisted crime, will Flavia be able to escape in one piece?
NEW YORK TIMESyes'>#160;BESTSELLERAlan Bradley, author of the most award-winning series debut of any year, returns with another irresistible Flavia de Luce novelyes'>#160;In the hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey, the insidiously clever and unflappable eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce had asked a Gypsy woman to tell her fortuneyes'>mdash;never expecting to later stumble across the poor soul, bludgeoned almost to death in the wee hours in her own caravan. Was this an act of retribution by those convinced that the soothsayer abducted a local child years ago? Certainly Flavia understands the bliss of settling scores; revenge is a delightful pastime when one has two odious older sisters. But how could this crime be connected to the missing baby? As the red herrings pile up, Flavia must sort through clues fishy and foul to untangle dark deeds and dangerous secrets.BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alan Bradley's I Am Half-Sick of Shadows.
@2@@20h2> Even ghosts have secrets... @21@@3@@2@Two deaths, ten years apart, give Flavia de Luce the distraction she needs at a time when her family are more remote and dysfunctional than ever. Especially when a bizarre series of deadly events is casting a long shadow over everyone at Buckshaw.@3@@2@For Flavia, a gruesome crime to solve is only one of the mysteries confronting her, as she begins to unravel the shocking revelations surrounding the mysterious disappearance of her mother. And as she starts putting the clues together, she discovers an extraordinary tale of espionage and betrayal that may also be the key to her own destiny.@3@@2@@20@Praise for the historical Flavia de Luce mysteries:@21@@16@ 'The Flavia de Luce novels are now a cult favourite' @18@Mail on Sunday@19@@3@@2@ 'A cross between Dodie Smith's @18@I Capture The Castle @19@and the Addams family...delightfully entertaining' @18@Guardian@19@@3@@2@ @20@Fans of M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin, Frances Brody and Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy the Flavia de Luce mysteries:@21@@16@ @18@1. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie@19@@16@ @18@2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag@19@@16@ @18@3. A Red Herring Without Mustard@19@@16@ @18@4. I Am Half Sick of Shadows@19@@16@ @18@5. Speaking From Among the Bones@19@@16@ @18@6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches@19@@16@ @18@7. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust@19@@16@ @18@8. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd@19@@16@ @18@9. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place@19@@3@@2@ @20@If you're looking for a cosy crime series to keep you hooked then look no further than the Flavia de Luce mysteries.@21@@3@@2@ * Each Flavia de Luce mystery can be read as a standalone or in series order *@3@
@00000327@@00000373@NEW YORK TIMES @00000155@BESTSELLER @00000041@bull; @00000041@ldquo;The world@00000065@s greatest adolescent British chemist/busybody/sleuth@00000041@rdquo; (@00000373@The Seattle Times@00000155@), Flavia de Luce, returns in a twisty mystery novel from award-winning author Alan Bradley.@00000133@@00000341@@00000341@In the wake of an unthinkable family tragedy, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is struggling to fill her empty days. For a needed escape, Dogger, the loyal family servant, suggests a boating trip for Flavia and her two older sisters. As their punt drifts past the church where a notorious vicar had recently dispatched three of his female parishioners by spiking their communion wine with cyanide, Flavia, an expert chemist with a passion for poisons, is ecstatic. Suddenly something grazes her fingers as she dangles them in the water. She clamps down on the object, imagining herself Ernest Hemingway battling a marlin, and pulls up what she expects will be a giant fish. But in Flavia@00000065@s grip is something far better: a human head, attached to a human body. If anything could take Flavia@00000065@s mind off sorrow, it is solving a murder--although one that may lead the young sleuth to an early grave.@00000341@@00000341@@00000327@Praise for @00000373@The Grave@00000065@s a Fine and Private Place@00000155@@00000133@@00000341@@00000341@@00000041@ldquo;Flavia [is] irrepressible, precocious and indefatigable. . . . A whole new chapter of Flavia@00000065@s life opens as she approaches adolescence. Will she become the Madame Curie of crime?@00000041@rdquo;@00000327@--@00000373@Bookreporter@00000155@@00000133@@00000341@@00000341@@00000041@ldquo;Outstanding . . . As usual, Bradley makes his improbable series conceit work and relieves the plot@00000065@s inherent darkness with clever humor.@00000041@rdquo;@00000327@--@00000373@Publishers Weekly@00000155@ (starred review)@00000133@@00000341@ @00000341@ @00000041@ldquo;There@00000065@s only one Flavia. . . . Series fans will anticipate the details of this investigation, along with one last taste of Flavia@00000065@s unorthodox family life.@00000041@rdquo;@00000327@--@00000373@Library Journal@00000155@ (starred review)@00000133@@00000341@ @00000341@ @00000041@ldquo;Bradley@00000065@s unquenchable heroine brings @00000050@the most complicated case I had ever come across@00000065@ to a highly satisfying conclusion, with the promise of still brighter days ahead.@00000041@rdquo;@00000327@--@00000373@Kirkus Reviews@00000155@@00000133@
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A finger in a wedding cake is only the beginning in this deliciously shocking mystery featuring Flavia de Luce, the worlds greatest adolescent British chemist/busybody/sleuth ( The Seattle Times ). Although it is autumn in the small English town of Bishops Lacey, the chapel is decked with exotic flowers. Yes, Flavia de Luces sister Ophelia is at last getting hitched, like a mule to a wagon. A church is a wonderful place for a wedding, muses Flavia, surrounded as it is by the legions of the dead, whose listening bones bear silent witness to every promise made at the altar. Flavia is not your normal twelve-year-old girl. An expert in the chemical nature of poisons, she has solved many mysteries, sharpening her considerable detection skills to the point where she had little choice but to turn professional. So Flavia and dependable Dogger, estate gardener and sounding board extraordinaire, set up shop at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, eager to serve--not so simple an endeavor with her odious little moon-faced cousin, Undine, constantly underfoot. But Flavia and Dogger persevere. Little does she know that their first case will be extremely close to home, beginning with an unwelcome discovery in Ophelias wedding cake: a human finger. Praise for The Golden Tresses of the Dead Delightful . . . The mysteries in Mr. Bradleys books are engaging, but the real lure is Ms. de Luce, the irreverent youngster. -- The Wall Street Journal A winning tenth mystery. -- People A ghoulish question is at the heart of Bradleys excellent tenth Flavia de Luce novel. . . . Bradley, who has few peers at combining fair-play clueing with humor and has fun mocking genre conventions, shows no sign of running out of ideas. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Flavias over-the-top use of alliteration . . . and proudly precocious, sesquipedalian vocabulary . . . along with the thoroughly endearing cast of characters, make this series tenth installment a laugh-out-loud winner. -- Booklist (starred review) Flavia de Luce hasnt lost a sister, shes gained a case--and what a case. . . . Perhaps the most consistently hilarious adventure of the alarmingly precocious heroine. -- Kirkus Reviews
Young chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce once again uses her knowledge of poisons and her indefatigable spirit to solve a crime, but this time she leaves behind the English countryside and enters the unexpectedly unsavory world of Canadian boarding schools. (mystery & detective). Simultaneous.
En accueillant une vieille diseuse de bonne aventure sur les terres de Buckshaw, Flavia ignore qu'elle vient de mettre le pied dans une toute nouvelle aventure. En quelques jours, la gitane échappe de peu à une tentative de meurtre, un jeune vaurien est retrouvé pendu à une fontaine non loin du manoir, et on déterre le corps d'un enfant disparu des années plus tôt.
Pour faire la lumière sur cette affaire sans queue ni tête, Flavia va devoir recourir à sa science des poisons et à son sens de la débrouille, car M. de Luce et les inspecteurs de police sont bien décidés à ne pas la laisser faire. Qui a agressé la gitane ? Quel est ce groupe étrange appelé les Hobblers ? Brookie Harewood est-il un faussaire ? Et d'ailleurs, d'où vient cette horrible odeur de poisson ?
Pour Flavia de Luce, presque 11 ans, la découverte d'un oiseau mort sur le seuil de Buckshaw, la manoir en ruine de la famille de Luce, constitue un mystère passionnant - d'autant plus qu'un timbre assez rare est planté sur son bec. Mais ce qui est encore plus curieux, c'est l'effet terrifiant produit par cet oiseau de malheur sur son père, veuf mélancolique et grand philatéliste. Bientôt, Flavia découvre quelque chose d'encore plus choquant gisant dans le champ de concombre qui confirme le drame annoncé par cet oiseau de mauvais augure. Alors que la police s'invite à Buckshaw, Flavia décide que c'est à elle de rassembler les indices et de résoudre le puzzle...
