One of the great secrets of writing books is to tap into a niche previously unexplored and make it your own. I can think of no other author who has done this so completely as Alan Bradley. True we often think of sleuths as hardboiled detectives, Sam Spade or Perry Mason. Even in the cozy area of mystery the detectives have an almost preternatural talent, special abilities and powers of observation beyond that of us normal humans. You would certainly never expect an eleven year-old with a passion for chemistry, living in a floundering, once grand estate in post-war England. Not in a million years. Yet Flavia de Luce has become the most original detective in mystery, the debut novel featuring her, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie won every major mystery and new book award out there and the two books that followed have both been international bestsellers. Not only is Flavia not what you expect, she is beyond your wildest expectations.
There is a woman I work with that I cross paths with occasionally, we never really talked all that much, just knew each other to say hello. One night I went to see Chris Bojhalian give a talk on The Double Bind in celebration of The Great Gatsby being chosen for the Big Read. To my surprise sitting there in the auditorium of a high school a few towns away was Jackie my work acquaintance. She invited me to sit with her and we've shared a love of books and the discussion of them ever since. Needless to say, in 2009 we saw each other after the summer vacation and both she and I couldn't wait to share the great book we had read with each other, the book about Flavia. Enough personal history, its turing into a red herring all its own.
I think that Bradley's water gets stronger and stronger with each tale. His writing funnier and more moving and his mysteries more complex. I read one review that claimed Flavia belongs in YA literature, however I think that the plot is a bit too complex and the language too elevated. While the antics of Flavia and her two older sisters might amuse, I'm not convinced that younger readers would be able to slog through. I think the British village cozy also appeals to an older generation, reminiscent of Miss Marple, Masterpiece Theater come to life. I have seen a few comparisons to Nancy Drew, but Flavia frankly leaves Nancy in the dust, she's much quicker and far less silly. That and the caliber of mystery doesn't even bear comparison, I think people merely draw parallels between the time period. Then again you could do this with any number of mystery series.
Flavia as a character, and her supporting cast of characters are worth the trip to Buckshaw even without the mystery. bradley brings them into much sharper focus in this volume of Flavia's adventures, with the dual problems of the family's bankruptcy and Flavia's longing for her long dead mother. I can't help but wonder what other goodies in terms of plot and character Flavia's life will bring, and of course what wonderful mysteries are yet to come.
