Only Flavia De Luce could catch a corpse in the palm of her hand while punting down a river. Of course she's on the river under duress. Dogger thought that Flavia and her sisters needed a distraction and decided a family trip was what was called for. But one can't help but feel the void, the person who isn't present, the girls' father who succumbed to pneumonia. He might not always have been the best or most present of fathers, but he was still their father and his memory is in every stone of Buckshaw, hence Dogger's enforced family vacation. Though there is one thing Flavia is looking forward to before her hand catches on the biggest distraction of all, a new case! The church they are passing in Volesthorpe, St. Mildred's-in-the-Marsh, is notorious for a recent multiple poisoning case when two years previously the vicar took matters into his own hands and did away with three of his busybody parishioners during communion. Murder! And with poison? It's almost as if the vicar killed these women just to make Flavia's day. But back to the corpse at hand. He's recently deceased and rather flamboyantly dressed in blue silk with ribbons at the knee and a single red ballet slipper. Flavia doesn't mind in the least when the local constabulary ask them to stay on as she discovered the corpse. It will give her plenty of time to investigate while Daphne sits in a room reading whatever book she's got to hand, and Ophelia bemoans her broken engagement. An engagement she broke it might be noted. Plus, Flavia has one up on the police, having taken a scarp of paper from the pocket of the corpse. The corpse is identified as Orlando Whitbread, an up-and-coming actor who happens to be the son of the "posioning parson!" Constable Otter quickly rules Orlando's death as nothing more than a drowning, which Flavia doesn't buy. She thinks it was poison. And while she's in town, she thinks that perhaps Canon Whitebread didn't poison those three women... But digging into the past could put Flavia in danger.

The Grave is a Fine and Private Place is possibly the strongest of the later entries in this series. Ever since the initial arc was completed in The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches this series has been struggling to find it's identity. It's like Alan Bradley simultaneously wants to let Flavia grow up while also keeping her the Flavia we know and love and this has lead to mixed results. She was sent off to Canada to promptly return, her father was killed unnecessarily in some misguided attempt to make Flavia face her own problems versus nosing into other people's. It's like we're constantly moving one step forward and two steps back. And I get the reasoning, I do. Why change something when it isn't broken? But seeing as the whole series is supposed to only take place over about a year it's stretching credulity, like how many years was That '70s Show treading water pretending it was 1979 because they were not going to become That '80s Show? There's only one Christmas in a year afterall... And the less said about the actual That '80s Show the better. But Flavia can not stay in this enforced stasis forever. And there are two things that point to her actually growing. The first is she actually asks one of her siblings for help. Usually Daphne and Feely are just thorns in her side and to be avoided at all costs. But having them forced together for Dogger's vacation and then locked away in the hotel together has lead to some growth in their relationship. Daffy is the biggest bookworm on the planet and it's her literary knowledge that helps fill in the gaps for Flavia. Because there is a secret bestselling poet amongst the residents of Volesthrope and Daffy knows the significance of the work. Also Dogger and Flavia make a plan for their future. Their future being Arthur Dogger and Associates, a detective agency they will run together. This development makes sense. I mean, the two of them are dropped down in this town of poisoners, failed actors, circus performers, and over-the-top theatricals and they still get to the bottom of the case once again. So why not make a business out of it? Here's hoping that Flavia continues to keep moving forward.

Love Flavia! This is a great entry in the series. I hope Bradley keeps it going, and allows Flavia to mature.

If you like Flavia de Luce novels, you'll like this one. As with the others, you could technically read it on its own, but it's better to read them in order as Flavia grows over time.

I have not been disappointed by a single one of these books. It would be easy for Bradley at this stage of success to regurgitate popular material in the series but he keeps reinventing the protagonist convincingly as she matures into adulthood. Touchingly so.

I love the Flavia DeLuce series and I love the amount of growth there was for Flavia and Dodger in this book. I truly hope there’s more to come.

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place is the 9th Flavia de Luce novel by Alan Bradley. I don't think that Flavia is really an acquired taste, though I seem to be more delighted by each addition to the series. Flavia is wickedly wryly funny (and clever) and Bradley is a gifted author. She and her dogsbody/batman, appropriately named Dogger are a force to be reckoned with and outmaneuver, outflank and outwit all comers.

I wouldn't recommend this book as a standalone. I do think that all the necessary background info is provided for doing so, but there are a number of spoilers/plot twists from previous entries which are referred to in this book. Much more fun to find a rainy fall weekend and binge read the whole series.

For readers who are unfamiliar with Flavia, she's not your average adolescent. She's self contained and prodigiously interested in chemistry and crime. Dogger does the heavy lifting.

I don't often laugh out loud at books, but I have done so with every single one of the Flavia books.

I have recommended these books to my circle of crime-reading friends and the verdicts seem to be almost evenly split between 'wonderful' and 'no, thanks'. Definitely worth a try if you appreciate very well crafted mysteries with a touch of the absurd and/or slightly gallows humor.

Info:
Release date: 30 Jan 2018.
384 pages, available in hardback, paperback, audio and ebook formats.

Five stars in my appreciative estimation. Long may she reign!

A wonderful addition to a great series. The author writes such good characters you can imagine that you know them in real life.

I really enjoyed this latest installment from Alan Bradley. I've read and listened (audible) to all of the earlier Flavia books with an almost universal thumbs up. This book was a nice return to the level of fun and character development that I have come to expect from this series after a couple of slower books recently. I highly recommend the entire series to anyone.

Flavia is back & I couldn't stop reading. This book was a super delight & very enjoyable. I highly recommend.

Flavia finds a body in the local river, and soon discovers it connects to the deaths of three local gossips in the middle of a church service. Bradley has developed such interesting characters and locations, and intricately plotted murders.

The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place
A Flavia de Luce Novel #9
Alan Bradley
Delacorte Press, January 2018
ISBN 978-0-345539991
Hardcover
Random House Audio
Narrated by Jayne Entwistle
Downloaded Unabridged Audiobook

Great sadness and a near-cliffhanger enveloped our cheeky pre-teen detective at the end of the previous book and fans had to wait, with huge anticipation, for this newest book to find out what would become of the de Luce family and its faithful servants, Dogger and Mrs. Mullet. When Aunt Felicity becomes overbearing and a bit of a bully, Flavia decides to do away with herself but Fate intervenes when Dogger suggests an outing, a boat trip on a nearby river. Is anyone surprised when Flavia quite literally catches a corpse, setting her off on another investigation?

Rumor has it the next book, The Golden Tresses of the Dead (January 2019), will be the last we see of Flavia but, oh my goodness, I hope not and the surprise at the end of The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place gives me a little bit of hope for her future. Who knew, back in 2009 when the series began, that so many mystery readers would fall in love with this kid?

As always, narrator Jayne Entwistle kept me entranced and, at times, sitting in the car in my driveway or a parking lot so I could continue to listen. I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: Jayne Entwistle brings Flavia to life and I highly, highly recommend the audiobooks and/or the print books (I do both so I won’t miss anything) but reading in order is a must.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, May 2018.

This books is amazing. I regretfully jumped into this series with this particular book and I am definitely bummed that I didn’t follow along through Flavia and her sisters and of course Dogger from the very beginning. I can only imagine Flavia coming across her first mysterious death and becoming absolutely delighted at solving the mystery.

I adore Flavia, though she does make me a bit nervous at her absolute fascination with death and the insinuating dead bodies. It feels even a bit vaguely more than a scientific glee. That girl is obsessed with death and murderers. However I am also fascinated by her brain! For an 11 year old her emotional and mental intelligence is beyond amazing. She was very endearing while also hitting every concern button in my emotional repertoire.

I adore Dogger. He was by far my favorite character, I wish he had more scene time in the book but he somehow also I always was center stage in spirit as well. You can see that Dogger is a large role model for Flavia.

I am not very good with Chemistry, it was not my favorite science subject. However, I feel like Alan Bradley must be a practicing chemist or at the very least a hobbyist. If not he definitely did his research! Everything was spot on and easy to understand. It was very much wholly scientific without being overly technical. I very much enjoyed it.

The plot was definitely intriguing. I think I was fairly more interested in Flavia than I was the death and who the murder was. So by the end I was pretty surprised at the culprit and even somewhat sckeptical at the reasons. I was somewhat disappointed in that but the characters really made up for the weak plot.

I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to continue with this series!

Flavia is probably my favorite teenager. I love reading about all of her exploits and this book was no exception. But as a single older lady, I don't have to deal with them. That is best left to Dogger. In this book Flavia is enjoying the summer, spending her days punting along the river with her reluctant family. Languishing in boredom, she drags a slack hand in the water, and catches her fingers in the open mouth of a drowned corpse. Brought to shore, the dead man is found to be dressed in blue silk with ribbons at the knee, and wearing a single red ballet slipper. And of course, Flavia must solve the mystery of his death.

I find the Flavia well written and entertaining. One or two have been a little draggy but not this one. The keenly hold my interest. I often wonder how the author comes up with all of the ideas in the book including those about chemistry. And then weaving the music in also. And I liked the ending which told me there had to be more Flavia books in the future.

I also like that the author is trying new settings and introducing new characters to give the books flavor. But I missed some of the ones from previous books this time. I especially like her relationship with the Inspector. On the other hand, I see the need to introduce someone who Flavia does not immediately get along with.

This book was a copy provided for my review. The comments are my own and I was under no agreement to provide only a positive review.

Another great read with our favorite slueth, Flavia De Luce! This time, Flavia is on holiday with Dogger and her sisters after the death of her father. While floating in a boat, Flavia let's her hand skim the water only to hook on to a dead body. From there on, Flavia is in full detective mode. Fun read. Bradley can not write fast enough!

Dogger, the de Luce family’s faithful servant, has decided to take the family – Flavia and her sisters, Daffy and Feely - on a boating trip after the recent family tragedy. Their lives will soon be changing as Feely will be marrying soon, Daffy is going off to college, and Buckshaw, the family’s ancestral home, may be sold. As the family boats past St-Mildred’s-in-the-Marsh, where Canon Whitbread, the “Poisoning Parson,” killed some of his female parishioners, Flavia drags her fingers in the water and brings up a skull. Soon the entire de Luce family is involved pursuing a murderer.

The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place is the 9th book in Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series. I received a copy from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review. Although this book may be read as a standalone, there is so much background in the previous stories that the reader would be doing themselves a disservice to start with this book.

I have been eagerly, but warily, awaiting this book after the events of the 8th book in the series, as I knew that Flavia’s life and those of her family would be forever changed. I am thrilled with the story and the turn of events. With few exceptions, the majority of this series has taken place in the village of Bishop’s Lacey; however, I think Bradley made a great decision to take the action to a different location. The murder was very interesting and unique, but it was possible to follow along with Flavia to discover whodunit. However, I read this series just as much for the characters as I do for the mystery. Flavia is a lively and intelligent young girl, and her antics are delightfully humorous. This series has become one of my favorite series.

I highly recommend this book and this series to anyone who likes a fun and interesting murder mysteries.

THE GRAVE’S A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE (Hist Mys-Flavia de Luce- England-1952) – VG+
Bradley, Alan – 9th in series
Delacorte Press, Jan 2018
First Sentence: I am on my deathbed.
Flavia de Luce, her two sisters and Dogger, their loyal family servant, go on holiday to the hamlet of Volesthorpe. Drifting in a boat on the river, hand in the water, Flavia becomes snagged on what she imagines is Hemingway’s great marlin from “The Old Man and the Sea.” Even more to Flavia’s style, is the discovery that her hand caught in the mouth of a corpse. The dead man was the son of the local church’s Canon, who was hanged for poisoning three of his parishioners; the church ladies. But was the Canon really guilty? And who killed his son? What better than a murder investigation to take Flavia’s mind off her troubles?
The first thing one should remember about Flavia is that she is 14 years’ old, brilliant and highly dramatic. She is also wonderfully written by Bradley who has created the perfect voice for her, and the perfect opening. As with most series, one does best to read the books in order. However, Bradley ensured first-time readers are fully introduced to the characters, their roles, and are brought quickly up to date.
Some may find Flavia’s viewpoint a bit uncomfortable—“Most people probably never stop to think about why our burial places are so green. But if they ever did, their faces might turn the very shade of that graveyard grass… For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,” the Bible tells us. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” says The Book of Common Prayer. But both of these books, having been written mostly in good taste, fail to mention either the stinking jelly or the oozing liquids and the gaseous phases through which each of us must pass on our way to the Great Beyond.” Yet for others of us, it is that perspective which makes her unique and delightful, and the way in which Flavia comes across the first body is very bit Flavia.
Bradley’s use of humor shows through in most situation, including his metaphors—“But, believe it or not, at that very instant, an idea came flying out of nowhere and landed on my head, like a pigeon on a statue of Lord Nelson.” The inclusion of rare and unusual bits of information, such as how one can cause oneself to blush, add to that which makes Bradley’s writing so delightful.
We do see changes and growth in the characters. It is nice that we see a new side of Flavia’s sister, Feeley, at the same time as does she. We realize that Dogger is, in some ways, an older and more experienced version of Flavia. Although set in the 1950s, we are made aware of how recent was WWII, and of its impact through Dogger’s incidence with PTSD. It’s nice to see him develop as a character who is coming into his own. He is observant, rather wise; a father-figure, friend and advisor to Flavia—“I love it when Dogger talked like this. It made me feel that we were partners.” Flavia is gaining some self-awareness and is maturing, yet Flavia is a character one either loves, or finds rather terrifying, or both.
In spite of the title and the humor, this is no cozy. The mystery, and the investigation, is well-plotted and executed, with red herrings and well-done suspense. Bradley always plays fair with the readers, laying out the clues as we read.
“The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place” is a captivating and delightful read, with a maturing Flavia, and a wonderful ending that leaves one very anxious for the next book.

Flavia is taking a short trip down the river with her sisters Ophelia and Daphne and their faithful servant/devoted friend Dogger. But this is Flavia de Luce, and they have hardly started down the river when they discover a dead body. After they fish the body out and have a terse encounter with local law enforcement, Flavia quickly realizes that they are in the same town where several people were poisoned. Are the deaths connected? Of course they are, dear reader, and we are off on another delightful adventure with Flavia and the family.

The first five books in this series are formulaic (in a good way). Flavia finds a mystery in her tiny English town and then she solves it, with the help of various family members and neighbors. In more recent books, Alan Bradley has introduced some truly world-shaking events into the de Luce family. I have never written a long series like this, but I have to imagine that Mr. Bradley knows exactly where he is taking our beloved Flavia.

This is where some of my frustration comes into play though--each book seems to change the family, but we don't really get a chance to see what it looks like before the next crisis occurs. Books seven and eight seemed to hint that the books would go in an entirely new direction and finally give us some answers about the lives and work of Flavia's parents and aunt. But we still haven't received any of those answers and this book felt to me a bit like the middle book in a trilogy--we needed some more information before we could get back to the real action.

The mystery itself in The Grave's A Fine and Private Place is a good one and it's interesting to see the lives of people who don't live in Bishop's Lacey. I also loved seeing Flavia grow up a bit; she even takes a young boy under her wing as a sort of mentor. Most of all, I'm excited to see what happens to Flavia and the family in book ten (which will purportedly be the last one). This story ends with the suggestion of a big change, so I hope we actually get to see what that looks like in book ten and see how all of these threads will come together for Flavia.

The Grave's A Fine and Private Place
Flavia de Luce #9
By Alan Bradley
Bantam January 2018
384 pages
Read via Netgalley

Alan Bradley has created a wonderful post WWII world with the Flavia de Luce mystery series. As the 9th book in the series, THE GRAVE IS A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE follows the exploits of Flavia, her sisters, and Dogger as they try to take their minds off of the events of book #8 by punting up the river on a lazy summer day. Of course, Flavia finds a body in short order and the entourage is stuck in a small river town as authorities attempt to sort things out. Flavia, as usual, is a step ahead.

Flavia de Luce has always been one of my favorite detectives. That she is a child prodigy only added to her charm. But, alas, time marches on, and Flavia is growing up, almost a teen at this point, and dealing with some very grown-up stuff. I am sad to see the precocious kiddo begin to fade. I am, however, overjoyed to see Dogger take such a central role in this book and the sisters’ relationships mature. Away from her home turf this time around, I miss the crumbling manor, her home village and its inhabitants, and Gladys (her bicycle).

The mystery within the pages concerning the former vicar’s son, an actor, is interesting enough, and the subplots dealing with somewhat recent murders and the tavern owner’s wife help to fill out the tale. All of the plot threads tie together nicely in the end, and I impatiently wait to see what Flavia gets into next. My only problem is that it seems that Flavia lies more than ever.

I recommend THE GRAVE IS A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE to fans of the series and readers who enjoy quirky characters and a talented young sleuth.

How I love a Flavia de Luce novel! I started reading these about a year ago. I began with (unknowingly) book 7, and then I back tracked to the first one. And I have always been impressed. I have listened to all 8 through Overdrive. I managed to get book 6.5 from the library. When I found The Grave’s a Fine and Lonely Place (book 9) on NetGalley, I just had to snatch it up.
A little non-spoiler history on the Flavia de Luce books:
The books start with Flavia as an 11 year old girl. She’s brilliant, especially when it comes to chemistry. But she does have an uncanny ability to find a dead body. Using her sense and chemical knowledge, Flavia has been able to solve many crimes, even before the police can find a suspect.
Flavia’s home life is a little unusual. She lives with her father and three sisters, Ophelia and Daphne. The sisters do not have the best relationship, and their father has not been the same since his wife disappeared on a mountain hiking trip. Her only dear friend is the ‘butler’ Dogger.
The first 6 books are delightful, but a little dark. From there, the series starts to make a transition – the books get darker and Flavia begins to mature. By book 8 everything has changed and it leaves the reader wondering how the series will continue.
Well never fear! Alan Bradley has geniusly taken Flavia to a whole new level and direction.
The Grave’s a Fine and Lonely Places finds Flavia, Feely, and Daffy on a much needed holiday on the river with Dogger. Flavia dips her fingers into the water and low and behold, catches a fish!! When she looks down, it’s not a fish at all. Her fingers are inside the mouth of a dead corpse.
Flavia and Dogger seek to solve the murder and uncover hidden stories from town. Things get more difficult with four dead bodies connected with the current murder.
I am so excited to be reading the Flavia de Luce series. I could not be any happier with how this story is heading. The transition with Flavia from a school girl, to now a mature woman has lead the series into something more than a childhood past time.
With the new family circumstances, Flavia has become a little closer to her sisters and their relationships are beginning to improve and grow. It really makes an effort in the importance of family.
Dogger has also taken a larger role in the series. He has suffered from severe PTSD, but now he seems to be growing stronger by the minute. He and Flavia have the best relationship and it helps Flavia in her chemical experiments.
Everything has changed with this book, but Bradley has brought everything together. I cannot wait to read the next installment.
The Grave’s a Fine and Lonely Place by Alan Bradley gets 4 stars.

3 1/2 stars. Flavia, her sisters, and Dogger are boating down a river when they discover a dead man. Asked to remain in the nearest village during the investigation, Flavia makes friends and enemies as she pokes around to discover the secrets villagers are keeping. With plenty of chemistry and ghoulish thoughts, an unexpected alliance, and a close call, Flavia sorts through the clues to get to the truth.