Reviewed by Laura Flaugher
‘The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag’
By Alan Bradley Bantam
2/8/11
$15
400 pp
Falling in love with Flavia de Luce is easy to do. Fans of “The Sweetness
at the Bottom of the Pie” will be happy to find this sequel now in paperback.
If you’ve never met her before, you’re in for a treat. But don’t
worry; it’s not required in order to start reading “The Weed that
Strings the Hangman’s Bag.”
De Luce is the plucky, self-appointed crime solver of her rural English town.
She lives in a shabby, old mansion, the third floor of which boasts a fully
functional chemistry lab. She spends much of her time here analyzing evidence
and concocting pranks (think injecting chocolates with a less than sweet
filling.) The rest of her time is spent furiously pedaling around town on
her bike to spy on people and perform her investigations.
De Luce embodies the independent, intelligently, funny kid we all wish we
could have been (breaking into the library to do urgent research, outwitting
a lead detective, sneaking into the coroner’s office to observe a dead
body.) Her innocence and impudence will have you rooting for her all the
way.
Snappy dialogue is punctuated with moments that will have you chuckling out
loud. The mystery is a delightful puzzle, full of possible suspects and enough
twists to keep you guessing until the end.
Can’t get enough of this little whippersnapper? Look for the next book
in the series “A Red Herring Without Mustard” recently released
in hardcover. CV
