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The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley is the 6th book in the Flavia de Luce mystery series.

In general, I find mystery novels hard to review without giving away too much of plot. This is doubly so for Flavia’s 6th murder investigation.

11-year-old Flavia Sabina de Luce is one of my favorite protagonists. She is the youngest of three sisters, and lives in a mansion, where she has taken over the chemistry lab of her dearly departed Uncle Tar. When she is not experimenting with poisons in the lab, she is out sleuthing for clues to the latest murder in Bishop’s Lacey, the quiet English village where the de Luce family resides.

If you haven’t read any of the series, I highly recommend you start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, the first in the series. From here, you will follow Flavia on her journey and come to know the de Luce family, as well as many others from Bishop’s Lacey, and the surrounding towns.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches is one of the best yet. This novel propels Miss Flavia into a new chapter in her life, and illuminates some of the mystery surrounding her mother Harriet’s disappearance. I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series, to see what future awaits for dear Flavia Sabina de Luce.

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this through NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The English translation of this children’s fiction novel is due out in March of 2014. I was lucky enough to get a (free) digital copy in advance through NetGalley, in exchange for fair and honest feedback. It’s a fun, quick read.

Suitcase of Stars tells the story of how Finley comes to meet the Lily Family, and the story of the Enchanted Emporium. The emporium is a store full of magical items, and ownership of the store has been rotating between seven families for centuries.

Finley and his dog Patches make quite the pair in this fun, magical adventure story. The writing is solid and the main characters are fairly well done. I would have liked to learn more about Ailby Lily and her father. I feel like there could possibly be enough material about them to make a sequel. Finley gets the most attention, almost too much, with the beginning of the book being a little slow. It picks up at the end though!

My only complaint about the novel is that it’s billed, somewhat, as a mystery novel. In that regard, I feel it’s a let down. To be honest, Finley saves the day at the end, but from who and why? There’s some parts that just don’t add up at the end. What was the involvement of Mr. Everett? Why was Unther Farla there? Is the reader supposed to link the two based on Everett’s mention of being asked to assist as an interpreter?

All in all, this was very enjoyable to read, and I would certainly read more if there were a sequel or series with these characters in the future.

netgalley

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches: A Flavia de Luce Novel

Suitcase of Stars by Baccalario Pierdomenico