A Red Herring Without Mustard

A Flavia de Luce Novel

By: Alan Bradley

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Award-winning author Alan Bradley returns with another beguiling novel starring the insidiously clever and unflappable 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce. The precocious chemist with a passion for poisons uncovers a fresh slew of misdeeds in the hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey - mysteries involving a missing tot, a fortune-teller, and a corpse in Flavia’s own backyard. Flavia had asked the old Gypsy woman to tell her fortune, but never expected to stumble across the poor soul, bludgeoned in the wee hours in her own caravan. Was this an act of retribution by those convinced that the soothsayer had abducted a local child years ago? Certainly Flavia understands the bliss of settling scores; revenge is a delightful pastime when one has two odious older sisters. But how could this crime be connected to the missing baby? Had it something to do with the weird sect who met at the river to practice their secret rites? While still pondering the possibilities, Flavia stumbles upon another corpse - that of a notorious layabout who had been caught prowling about the de Luce’s drawing room.

Pedaling Gladys, her faithful bicycle, across the countryside in search of clues to both crimes, Flavia uncovers some odd new twists. Most intriguing is her introduction to an elegant artist with a very special object in her possession - a portrait that sheds light on the biggest mystery of all: Who is Flavia?

As the red herrings pile up, Flavia must sort through clues fishy and foul to untangle dark deeds and dangerous secrets.

©2011 Alan Bradley (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“Flavia is incisive, cutting and hilarious . . . one of the most remarkable creations in recent literature.” ( USA Today)

captivating.

The first two Flavia de Luce novels had me searching for other titles from the same author, searching every few days for a sequel. This is an author that you wait for in anxious anticipation. Jayne Entwistle's voice is the perfect Flavia, and this book in the series does not disappoint.

A Red Herring without Mustard

Great story, though not my absolute favorite in the series, I'm chomping at the bits to listen to the next installment! Even though I found the ending slightly weak, it was a thoroughly satisfying read. Flavia, as always, was brilliant--a perfect mixture of Sherlock Holmes, Violet Baudelaire, and even Shinichi Kudo, (for all those anime fans out there).

While taking some getting used to, having read-not listened-to the first two books, the narrator does an excellent job overall & quickly transports listeners right into the story.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone; though I suggest consuming the first two in the series before jumping head first into this one.

Wonderful story, read by a wonderful narrator.

Jayne Entwistle is a perfect match for Alan Bradley's brilliant, curious, quirky, Flavia. As much as I enjoy reading these stories, the audiobooks are even more fun.

Good story/series, GREAT reader

When I started my first Flavia de Luce book, my thought on hearing the voice of Flavia was, oh no, it's Veruca Salt, can I listen to this for hours? Well, as it turns out, Flavia is a sort of a Veruca Salt who keeps that dark side in check. I admire the author's masterful way of allowing this brilliant mini-chemist/crime solver to outwit the police one minute yet return to being a little girl the next, trying to understand her older sisters' ascent into adulthood and her father dealing with the travails of adult life. She is actually a lonely little girl who misses the dead mother she never knew, gets little attention from her withdrawn father, and whose only friend seems to be her bike, which she has named Gladys. That no one pays particular attention to Flavia allows her to roam around the town poking her nose into the latest scandal or death. For one thinking they are interested in following the series, may I recommend starting at the beginning - though it certainly is not necessary. It's just that I found the actual mystery in this book to take a back seat to small revelations about Flavia as a character. It was nice to have gotten to know her in the previous books to appreciate these details. This series is just great entertainment for any anglophile. Jayne Entwistle is simply astounding in her narration, 5+ starts in my book.

Ya gotta love Flavia!

Where does A Red Herring Without Mustard rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This series is one of my favorites - although each book is intriguing in it's own right they are best read in order and it is delightful to watch the whole story unfold with each new book. We are watching Flavia grow up. And as I read each book, it is the best.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Red Herring Without Mustard?

When the children were trapped in the tunnel.

Which scene was your favorite?

The moments when her father begins to recognize Flavia's gifts.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Unraveling the secrets of the families of Bishops Lacey

Any additional comments?

Since this is an audio book I'm not sure of the spelling of the estate.

I loved it!!!!!

I’m going right on to the next one in the series !!!!!!
Thank you very much.

Flavia De Luce is my hero

Flavia De Luce is like Anne of Green Gables on steroids. I love this remarkable yet believable character so much that I plan on following her high jinks and mystery solving to the very end at which time I will mourn the fact that there isn't more. Jayne Entwistle Is perfect as the voice of Flavia and I am amazed at how she can sound like an eleven year old girl in on breath and a middle aged man the next. Great stuff!!

Wonderful

I always enjoy this series! Jayne Entwistle is absolutely phenomenal narrating Flavia and the various characters throughout. I don’t think I could ever bring myself to “read” this in print. She makes the whole book so much more enjoyable and entertaining. I love precocious Flavia and her crime solving adventures. I always look forward to hearing the next story.

Excellent Adult and Family Fare

Mr. Bradley, in his 70's, has caught the flair of a 12-year-old girl for local adventure, impish pranks, and self-analysis. If you can catch him on a book tour, do so. He is as entertaining in person as he is in his writing, and this series is matchless.

Precocious little sleuth!

It is challenging to say more about Flavia de Luce than has already been written. She is a precocious 11 year old, who seems to channel parts of the essence of older Bobbsey twins or a younger Nancy Drew--but this time for grownups. I loved Nancy Drew as a kid--and I feel as though this series touches some long forgotten place of delight & admiration I held for that clever adolescent when I was quite young!

Flavia, as most people now know, lives in a huge old house, which is burdened by debt, with her father (who is mostly concerned with his stamp collections), and two older sisters (almost as cruel as Cinderella's step sisters)--except they are full sisters who just spend all their time torturing Flavia, the youngest.

Flavia has been born with a talent and intellect that appear to be genius level, and as fate (and the writer) would have it, she has inherited the curiosity and analytical mind of her (late) Great Uncle Tarquin, who has left behind a full laboratory--complete with chemicals and scholarly books on chemistry. Naturally, by the time she has turned 11, she has mastered all of it--and so, in this rather quirky household, she turns to the laboratory and her knowledge of chemistry (as well as her quick mind for putting puzzles together) to help solve the murders and mysteries that tend to appear with regularity all around her.

In this case, she feels responsible for an old gypsy woman whom she consulted earlier in the day, when she winds up assaulted on the de Luce property in the middle of the night. She wants to find who would do this to her, and in her further adventures in that attempt, she learns of other mysterious doings that all (in the end) touch on the gypsy's plight.

One has to suspend a bit of belief of course, to enjoy the characterization of a child who cleverly solves murders that even elude the police. On the one hand, she has her young age and innocent look to help get her places that perhaps adults could only go with suspicion. She also has her great sidekick, the old bike she has named "Gladys." She has an unusual level of trust by the police (due to her previous successes) and is helped greatly by the family gardener and cook. But mostly, she just noses about, occasionally gets herself into real danger, but comes out in the end with the solution in hand.

While the mysteries are good,and the people (are deliberately--as suits the overall effrect) somewhat two dimensional, the real joy in these is the freshness of approach that Alan Bradley has used to create such a charming little character. And I would say that the narration is particularly difficult--because an adult having to simulate a child's voice through much of the book--cannot be easy. But I think that Jayne Entwhistle has done a wonderful job of achieving a credible child's voice. These are fun to listen to--made a bit easier when all the characters (and their attached personality traits) are absorbed. When I read the first one, I began it with some readiness not to enjoy it. But I have truly enjoyed them--especially for the realization that a grown man has done such an excellent job of creating an 11 year old girl for the heroine!