I’m lucky to have won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, as our library is a bit inconsistent in keeping up with current books in their collection.
I simply adore Flavia, and was left with a sense of loss and change when her father died. But Dogger is keeping the girls’ chins up and keeping them occupied. No surprise that Flavia discovers a dead body, and that she finds kindred spirits even away from home.
I think what I love most about these books, besides the fully fleshed out characters (and the chemistry lab) is the conversation. I laugh out loud at Flavia’s precociousness! I can just hear Alan Bradley chuckling as he writes.
What word nerd wouldn’t love these charming books?

Cosy mystery set in post-WWII England, Bradley's feisty young sleuth, Flavia, is a welcome distraction during the Pandemic.

Clearly I'm getting something out of these books because I keep reading them, and yet to tell the truth I am a bit sick of Flavia. (And after 9 years of books she has moved from being 11 to being 12. *eyeroll*) I had to bail on the audio because the narrator did such a good job of being smug and self-satisfied I couldn't take it any more. I can't say Flavia is too stupid to live sometimes, more the reverse - she is so sure she is smarter than everyone else that she allows herself to be put into life-threatening situations someone else has to save her from.

I do enjoy the 1950s English setting.

I'm sure I will read the next book but I'd like to see Flavia - I don't know, mature? Become less of a superior brat?

Listen to in the yard.

I enjoyed this, I've read all of the published Flavia de Luce mysteries and this is in the top four. Flavia's growing more skillful in manipulation and charm, relations with her bookish sister Daphne are less abrasive. The title in my head is "Three Women in a Boat (To Say Nothing About the Dogger)" but it's not a Jerome K. Jerome knee-slapper.

Six months after the death of their father, the de Luce daughters with Arthur Dogger take a punt on a summer holiday, in the interregnum between George VI and Elizabeth II. Flavia happens upon a body in the water, and soon her gloom and despair evaporate as she and Dogger set to improvised chemical experiments and investigations and Flavia practices some tact and extemporization.

Unrelated to the novel, am I the last one to learn that the late Bill Bryson was Alan Bradley's cousin?

It's been a hard few months for the de Luce girls. Left parentless, with Aunt Felicity as their defacto guardian, a holiday is much needed. As Dogger moves them down the river of the village they are visiting, Flavia skims the water with her fingers and allows her thoughts to meander. She's interrupted when her fingers catch something under the water. Excited to think she's somehow managed to hook a fish with her bare hand, Flavia is even more excited when she discovers it's not a fish but a body she's caught! Suddenly, she's starting to feel more like herself. This time, Flavia has help in her investigation - a village boy unexpectedly befriends her and comes to her aide with some photos he thinks are useless, but Flavia sees what he doesn't. Dogger and Flavia set up a lab, where Dogger teaches Flavia some new tricks, and Daphne even gets in on the fun, translating some poetry that illuminates some village secrets. As Flavia learns more and more about the dead man, it becomes clear that his death isn't the only one that needs to be solved. Let's hope another body isn't added to the count, that of Flavia's.

While the de Luce girls are in flux regarding their immediate futures, Bradley takes them on holiday and gives Flavia and Dogger a respite from the sadness that has followed them for several months. He may also be giving himself time to decide how to move Flavia and her sisters forward, accompanied by Dogger, Mrs. M, and Aunt Felicity. I loved including Dogger and Daphne in Flavia's investigation and the deepening relationship between Dogger and Flavia. I'm very curious to see what Bradley does with this family, of blood and spirit, in future titles.

Even at Book 9, this series seems as fresh as the first. Flavia is at her best here, despite such terrible circumstances.

Another excellent entry for Flavia de Luce! I always love diving back into this series and was really curious to see what direction this would take after the events of the last book. I do love that this series is always evolving as Flavia's life and circumstances change, rather than many ongoing series that feel like they're almost in a standstill.

I was extra happy to see the de Luce sisters getting along better here than ever before, and the ending is really leaving me curious as to what direction this series will be taking next time. Bradley just loves to keep us guessing!

Absolutely riveting , this installment of the Flavia de Luce series has a twisty plot and we learn more about the elusive Dogger. I love the quotes and the vocabulary--- perfect!