What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust

A Flavia de Luce Mystery

By: Alan Bradley

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

AN INSTANT GLOBE AND MAIL BESTSELLER

Amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce, along with her pestilent younger cousin, investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers secrets that bring the greatest shock of her life.

Flavia de Luce has taken on the mentorship of her odious, moon-faced cousin Undine who has come to live at Buckshaw following the death of her mother. Undine’s main talent, aside from cultivating disgusting habits, seems to be raising Flavia’s hackles, although in her best moments she shows potential for trespassing, trickery, and other assorted mayhem.

When Major Greyleigh, a local recluse and former hangman, is found dead after a breakfast of poisonous mushrooms, suspicion falls on the de Luce family's longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet. After all, wasn't it she who'd picked the mushrooms, cooked the omlette, and served it to Greyleigh in the moments before his death? "I have to admit," says Flavia, an expert in the chemical nature of poisons, "that I'd been praying to God for a jolly good old-fashioned mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a girl a gift such as mine without giving her the opportunity to use it?"

But Flavia knows the beloved Mrs. Mullet is innocent. Together with Dogger, estate gardener and partner-in-crime, and the obnoxious Undine, Flavia sets out to find the real killer and clear Mrs. Mullet's good name. Little does she know that following the case's twists and turns will lead her to a most surprising discovery—one with the power to upend her entire life.

©2024 Alan Bradley (P)2024 Doubleday Canada

Critic reviews

"Anyone who's read Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series knows that the author's superpowers are creating the pitch-perfect emotional vulnerability and mental prowess of his prococious pre-teen heroine, as well as depicting the sometimes-silly antics and logical deductions of this amazing girl. We're ecstatic that Flavia has returned."—Canadian Living

"I love the Flavia de Luce novels! I identify, though I unfortunately didn’t have an Uncle Tarquin and was forced to make do with a Christmas chemistry set from the Sears catalog. Flavia is the best female detective I’ve ever read, full of realism, self-confidence and emotion (in roughly equal parts), and her tales are hilarious, engaging and occasionally heart-breaking."—Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series

"To say I am overjoyed by the return of the magnificent Flavia is a massive understatement. It is a great day when we have her back in our lives with a new, and riveting, crime to solve. Brava Flavia. Bravo Alan!"—Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Gamache series

Love this series

Flavia seems to be growing up at last! I am so looking forward to her journey.