Monday, May 3, 2010

Chemistry And Cucumber Sandwiches And A Bicycle Named Gladys...

The Weed That Strings The Hangman's Bag was delightful...and as previously stated...even better than the first book in this series.  I cannot tell you too much about it...the plot is involved and tricky and the cast of characters is quirky and diverse.  There is a master puppeteer, his beautiful yet flawed assistant, a mysterious death from the past, a driven country lady who is overwrought with grief and self loathing, and  an entire cast of English country characters including a reverend and his no nonsense wife, various shop owners who all have secrets to divulge and even a mad woman who lives in the woods.  Flavia is  precocious and smart and an incredible genius when it comes to chemistry and using her head to figure things out.  I even loved her relationships with her father and her sisters and her Aunt Felicity in this book.  They are so much more personable this time around.  Daffy and Feely are a bit more human and perhaps even a bit less horrible to Flavia  and  more likeable in an odd sort of way.  Flavia is so right on in her deductions concerning "the murder" and that is all that I will say about "the murder"...that she even amazes the very uptight and upstanding Inspector Hewitt.  This is just a totally wonderful book and I am so happy to say that Mr. Bradley is hard at work on book number three!!!   Thank goodness!!!

6 comments:

  1. I'm not too far in the first book and I love Flavia so far. Her dad hasn't been around much. It sounds like this is going to be a great series!

    ReplyDelete
  2. this sounds like a fantastic series!

    btw, i have an award for you at
    http://anovelsource.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stacy...thanks...and it is a most wonderful series...you will love it...

    ReplyDelete
  4. i haven't read the series yet but the picture you posted here and your description makes this book so intriguing especially the puppeteer character you mention. and a bicycle named gladys? hmmm

    ReplyDelete
  5. You must read it...and he is working on the third book as we chat...Flavia is amazing and the books are delightful...get on your bike most likely not named Gladys and race to get these books now...

    ReplyDelete