I’ve yet to read a Flavia story that didn’t pull laughs from me. Mr. Bradley is also a strong character builder. His characters can be over-the-top but that works in a mystery story better than anywhere else. It helps to distract the reader from the clues. Occasionally, the leaps a 12-year old makes and the knowledge she possesses does seem a stretch but never so much to pull me out of the story.

My biggest takeaway from this volume is the budding partnership between Flavia and Dogger. They work together to solve this mystery. It was the most Dogger has been featured to this point. But it wasn’t only Dogger and Flavia’s relationship that received some attention, those between her and her sisters were also developed.

The solutions, too, was clear yet not. Which is a trademark of the series as much as the humor. It’s a trait that reminds me of Raymond Chandler books. Though the two themes and voices are quite different, they’re both more concerned with characters than weaving a tight mystery. And you know what? That’s fine by me. If I want one of those stories, I can always turn to Christie or Doyle.