AHMM, May 2010 by Dell Magazine Authors

Author:Dell Magazine Authors
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dell Magazines

Department: BOOKED & PRINTED by Robert C. Hahn

They ought to constitute an oxymoron, but sometimes humor and murder pair up nicely. This month, we'll look at three new books that blend comedy and criminal mischief: Alan Bradley follows his successful debut novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, with a new Flavia De Luce adventure; G. M. Malliet offers an academic sendup with a Cambridge University setting; and while it's not exactly crime fiction, a collection of essays from America's doyenne of legal thrillers, Lisa Scottoline, will certianly tickle your funny bone.

* * * *

Alan Bradley's smart, funny Flavia de Luce again copes with her bothersome older sisters and the adult world in his delightful second novel, the weed that strings the hangman's bag (Delacorte, $24). Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie won the Debut Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers’ Association. That was an auspicious debut for the author, now in his early seventies, and his second novel confirms the promise of the first. Bradley plans four more adventures in what he calls The Buckshaw Chronicles, named after the family's home.

Young Flavia, like her sisters Ophelia (Feely) and Daphne (Daffy), has special talents. Ophelia favors the muse of music, and Daphne explores literature at every turn. Eleven-year-old Flavia has a knack for chemistry, especially poisons.

Flavia fell in love with the science the first time she discovered the amazing Victorian chemistry laboratory assembled by her deceased mother's Uncle Tar and left untouched since his death. That laboratory and all its possibilities have become Flavia's sole province in the strange household, and she delights in unlocking nature's secrets.

Sharp-witted, curious, and manipulative, Flavia trades insults and mischief with her older sisters, who often treat her with the kind of cruelty only siblings can manage.

When famous puppeteer Rupert Porson's van breaks down, stranding him and his beautiful assistant Nialla in Bishop's Lacy, they are persuaded to mount a few performances at St. Tancred, the local church. Porson's The Magic Kingdom is a popular television show, and his appearance is a major event in the village.

Needless to say, Flavia is involved from the beginning, helping set up the show, asking questions, and observing everything from the bruises on Nialla's arms to the lack of a wedding ring on her finger. When a fatal fall suddenly ruins Porson's performance before a packed house, the death leaves the police and Flavia wondering if it was an accident or murder. Once again Flavia arrives at the answer before the police, and despite Inspector Hewitt's treating her like a little girl instead of the “seasoned” investigator she is, she helps unravel the mystery.

Bradley is a writer of great charm and insight, and he infuses even minor characters with indelible personality. He peppers his prose with gently funny gems: “Drusilla was a very great reader of English novels. She consumed books like a whale eats krill.” Flavia de Luce, both eleven and ageless, is a marvel and a delight.

* * * *

G. M.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.