I've been a Flavia fan since book one was featured in the IndieNext list, so we've really been through a lot. Being the 10th book in the series, it's unlikely to be the one to draw in a lot of new readers, but I particularly liked this installment. Dogger really gets to come in to his own here, which is really heartwarming. And not to give away the mystery, I'll just say that the nature of the murder and what it revolves around makes reading about our young chemist friend's expertise all the more satisfying.

Flavia is a precocious 12 year old whose interests range from recreating chemical concoctions in her Uncle’s old lab to teaming up with her late father’s valet to solve mysteries.
The uniqueness of her personality along with imaginative story -line makes this a delightful read.. Can’t wait for next in series. Thanks to #NetGalley for early look at this #Golden Tresses of the Dead.

I absolutely love Flavia de Luce, and this newest novel was no exception! Our plucky, precocious heroine solves the mystery of a severed finger in her sister’s wedding cake in the most adorable fashion. I love the language and mood in these books, and they really scratch a particular literary itch. They’re always so fun to read, and the best cozy mysteries around in my book.

I wasn't as into this one - there's a lot more Dogger this go-round, which isn't a BAD thing, but it seemed that there was a lot LESS Flavia. It will be interesting to see how their partnership plays out in the next book - though I hope Flavia will be more center again.

t's autumn in Bishop's Lacey, and Flavia's older sister Ophelia (Feely) is finally wedding her suitor, Dieter, at Buckshaw. Mrs. Mullet, the housekeeper, and the ladies of the parish have gone all out to ensure that the wedding goes well. The event is a great success until Feely cuts into the cake and discovers a severed human finger. What could be a better first investigation for the firm of Arthur W. Dogger and Associates Investigations? The associate, of course, is 12-year-old Flavia. Their quest takes them into murky waters indeed; bogus missionaries, quack cures, and exotic poisons.

I have been a fan of Flavia de Luce since the beginning, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Flavia is one of the most original and beguiling characters I have ever read, with her chemistry fascination, humor, and adult intellect in a child's body. Arthur Dogger is one of my favorites and much more of a father to Flavia than her own father ever was. It's a pleasure to see Dogger coming out of his shell and becoming a much more central part of Flavia's life. Dogger came home from World War II severely psychologically damaged due to his captivity in Burma and finally appears to be recovering. Therefore, I found The Golden Tresses of the Dead extremely hard to rate and review. If the book is the last of the series then I was left with a lot of questions, primarily who put the finger in the cake, and why? I may have missed that, but I don't think so. Her other sister, Daphne (Daffy) barely makes an appearance, and cousin Undine just whets the appetite for more. Undine is as unique in her own way as Flavia. I have seen conflicting accounts as to whether this is the last book so I can only hope. I will miss the voice of Flavia and the many laughs she has given me over the years.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advance copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING- 3 Stars

THE GOLDEN TRESSES OF THE DEAD starts off with Flavia's sister Ophelia getting married. Flavia is delighted when Ophelia discovers a severed human finger in the cake and she rushes away to examine it...Whose finger is it to and why has it been placed in the wedding cake?

FULL REVIEW TO BE POSTED ON FRESH FICTION: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=67663

Yaroo! Fans of Alan Bradley's fun and fabulous Flavia de Luce series will be delighted to see all of the usual characters crossing this stage, from Carl Pendraka to the mint-popping doctor to the much adored Antigone and the beloved Dogger. The trade-off is that the plot, which involves a finger in a wedding cake, an elderly quack who may or may not be incapacitated, and, of course, a murder, feels a bit thin at spots, and even in the final pages I wasn't entirely sure of the who/what/where/why/and when. But you know what? I didn't really care. It's such a treat to spend time with this author and these characters (and Gladys), you'll join me and my daughter in praying that another book in the series is still to come.

Flavia de Luce #10 by Alan Bradley

This book, as listed above, is the tenth book in the wonderful Flavia de Luce series. While it is not my favorite in the group (I believe that honor belongs to #1), it is still pretty good.

*For those that haven't read the series, minor spoilers lie ahead.*

At the beginning of the novel, Flavia's sister discovers a finger in her wedding cake. This event kickstarts not one but two mysteries that Flavia and Dogger, who have now formed a detective agency, need to solve. I'm usually okay with violence and stuff in books, but for some reason, the severed finger thing felt...not good. The finger wasn't even the strangest part of the novel to me; the strangest part was how much Dogger spoke throughout the whole story, even more so than the last book.

So, while this may not have been the strongest book in the series, it was enjoyable, and it was as "random" as ever. If Mr. Bradley ever chooses to write anymore Flavia novels, I'll be ready to read them.

(A short version of this review is available on Goodreads and Litsy.)

By now, on this still-so-satisfying 10th outing with Flavia de Luce, one knows that the mysteries in these mystery novels are not the reason one reads Alan Bradley’s books. The mysteries would be standard fare without the magic ingredient of precocious British tween Miss Flavia de Luce, the irresistible and clever chemistry-lover who is drawn to death like flies to a corpse. Now, she is fatherless as well as motherless, and she’s the official owner of the de Luce estate Buckshaw. What matters most is that she still has a chemistry lab. She still has her two sisters, Ophelia (or Feely) and Daphne (Daffy), but at the beginning of this new story, Feely and Dieter Schrantz are getting married. And Flavia has become a partner in investigative work with her father’s friend and devoted family butler/gardener/driver/all-round handyman, Arthur Dogger.

A couple of mysteries present themselves at the beginning of this book: first, Feely finds a severed human finger in her wedding cake. Second, a local woman comes to Arthur W. Dogger and Associates for help in finding some lost letters. Eventually, there’s a murder. And naturally Flavia, this time aided by Dogger, gets to do some investigating.

Dogger had played a smaller part in books up until the ninth of the series, and it’s been sweet to see him come more to the forefront, to watch his character take on new roles through the eyes of the narrator, Flavia. She loves him and is protective of him because she has seen over the years the terrors he relives regularly because of his experiences in World War II. She is amazed in several places in this book to watch him talk more than she’s ever seen him talk and interact with others, and she is reminded how much she doesn’t know about him but is enjoying finding out some of those things as they spend more time together. Readers get to observe him as well through Flavia’s still limited point of view as a young person, precocious though she may be in certain aspects of life, and draw conclusions about him based on what they know about life as older people (much of the audience likely are not tweens or teens). This brings a certain extra depth to the story and is just as endearing and sweet as other similar points have come up over the series.

As always, this book didn’t disappoint and, as always, I’m already eager for a new installment.

Flavia de Luce’s sister almost had her dream wedding day. Everything was going swimmingly until the bride cut the cake and revealed a delicate finger still smelling slightly of formaldehyde. After soothing the bride’s hysterics by claiming it was only a cocktail sausage and sending the happy couple on their honey, Flavia and her partner Dogger set out to identify the owner of the singular digit. It should technically be the first investigative case for Arthur W .Dogger and Associates, but it has to be set aside when the duo are asked to solve the mystery of the purloined letters by the president of the Altar Guild. For a fee….

When Flavia and Dogger start pulling on the threads of the clues for the missing letters they find even more problems which lead them to, among other things, dodgy missionaries, patent medicine cures, mental institutions, more body parts, and even a special train that delivers caskets to cemeteries. Twelve-year -old Flavia’s genius with chemical analysis, Dogger’s life experience in so many fields, and even a precocious statement from the demon child nine-year-old Undine, eventually lead to a solution which includes the severed finger which started it all.

This tenth book in the series can be read as a standalone but the mystery would be more enjoyable if the reader is familiar with the backstory. Flavia’s relationship with her family, Dogger’s relationship with Flavia’s deceased father, the vicar and his wife, the

Flavia de Luce is back! In The Golden Tresses of the Dead, Flavia has returned to solve more mysteries. This time around Flavia has teamed up with her late father’s valet, Arthur Dogger, to form a detective agency so her sleuthing can be done officially.

The action begins at her sister Ophelia’s wedding where an unpleasant surprise is found in the wedding cake. Then Arthur Dogger and Associates are hired by Anastasia Prill to recover sensitive letters relating to her father’s homeopathic practice. Flavia and Dogger and soon caught up in an hilarious adventure that includes a dead guitarist, two female missionaries who have just returned from Africa, a retiree who may or may not be faking his own mental deficiencies and the village regulars who pepper this snarky and witty series.

Fans old and new of these delightful books will rejoice in Flavia’s return and relish this new adventure.

"The Golden Tresses of the Dead," by Alan Bradley, Delacorte Press, 352 pages, Jan. 22, 2019.

This is the tenth book in the series featuring Flavia DeLuce, 12-year old amateur detective and chemist.

It is now 1952, the long-awaited wedding day for Flavia's sister, Ophelia, and her fiancé, Dieter Schrantz. Dieter was a pilot in the Luftwaffe, who was shot down in England and became a prisoner of war. He and Ophelia met while he was on a work detail.

The wedding was delayed because their father, Colonel de Luce, died. Their mother died when Flavia was a baby. Arthur Dogger, the estate manager, and Mrs. Mullet, the cook and housekeeper, keep the house, Buckshaw, running. Aunt Felicity dropped in and brought a young cousin, Undine, to live there.

Flavia and Dogger founded the Arthur W. Dogger and Associates detective agency. Their agency gets its first case when a human finger is found in the wedding cake. Then Anastasia Brocken Prill, the daughter of a renowned homeopathic doctor, hires them to recover some stolen letters. The search soon leads them to a body.

This can be read as a stand alone novel, although the earlier books are very enjoyable. The reasoning behind the murder is fascinating. Flavia is one of my favorite detectives, but I am glad that her sarcasm has been toned down. While originally it was said that there would only 10 books in this series, there's no official word that the series is over.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

the latest flavia de luce story, the golden tresses of the dead, begins with a wedding instead of a dead body. except maybe there's a piece of a dead body? and maybe flavia's newfound detective agency with her trusty comrade in arms, dogger will soon find itself inundated with mysteries and dead bodies galore?

obviously, the answer to those questions is yes. and it's just such a delight to be back at buckshaw with the irrepressible flavia. she's growing up, and has more overall empathy and a sense of propriety that wasn't always there before. but she's still hella precocious and uber intelligent and just good fun.

her new partnership with dogger gives the series some direction, and instead of this being the end, it feels like a real new beginning. that unfortunate chapter at miss boodicoot's school notwithstanding, i mean, i didn't hate it, but i love flavia best when she's at home surrounded by her kooky cast of characters who we've come to love and anticipate.

mysteries are no fun when spoiled, so i'll just say if you enjoyed all the books that came before, you will also enjoy this one. if you've never picked up dear flavia, then don't start here. look for the sweetness at the bottom of the pie and you won't be disappointed.

**the golden tresses of the dead will publish on january 22, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/ random house publishing group (delacorte press) in exchange for my honest review.

Alan Bradley has created a one-of-a-kind detective duo: Precocious prodigy Flavia de Luce has teamed up with family retainer Arthur Dogger to solve mysteries.

The first puzzle is how a human finger wound up in Flavia's sister's wedding cake, The second is who murdered the daughter of a man who made millions selling homeopathic remedies.

"The Golden Tresses of the Dead" is book 10 in the Flavia series but it's just the beginning of the Flavia-Dogger partnership. Flavia is growing up and Bradley is paring down his cast of characters. As Flavia's mentor and substitute father, Dogger is coping with his PTSD. Mrs. Mullet, the housekeeper, provides comic relief with her malapropisms. Cousin Undine takes the place of the younger Flavia and exhibits her own kind of de Luce brilliance.

There's lots of life left in this series.

Flavia De Luce is at it professionally with her partner Dogger. They even have a client who is willing to pay, that is until she turns up dead before their official meeting. Undeterred Dogger and Flavia are going to solve this case even though they have only sketchy information. Undine, Flavia's younger, orphaned cousin, is another brilliant, precocious child who is a thorn in Flavia's side and a mischievous imp. Ophelia is now married and sister Daphne is keeping to herself, as usual.

I always enjoy a Flavia mystery. I like that she is rather bloodthirsty and brilliant; she does not disappoint here in this 11th installment in the series. In fact we tend to see glimpses of a more thoughtful, kind and tender Flavia. This book had me a bit confused with the Dogger-Flavia duo solving two mysteries at once. I kept thinking that there would be a stronger connection between the two. But that was probably just me.

I still highly recommend this book and the series if you want to enjoy a truly wonderful, unique character and very intriguing mysteries.

Flavia's sister, Feely, is finally getting married. But at the wedding, as Feely and Dieter cut their cake, Feely slices into a human finger! How very Flavia! It's certainly a case for Arthur W. Dogger & Associates, with Flavia being the main associate, of course. And, not long after, the two are hired by a Mrs. Prill to help track down some missing letters. Flavia and Dogger barely know where to focus first. Then someone else winds up dead--with Flavia and Dogger in the thick of things--and things spiral from there..

"Aside from that-except for the human remains-it was a beautiful occasion."

So says Flavia of Feely's wedding, in very Flavia fashion. By now, if you've read the first nine books in this series, this one will feel quite familiar and sweet to you. Flavia is her usual fun, clever self, and I can't help but love her to pieces. She's up to her usual tricks in her laboratory and busy working away with her beloved Dogger, who may be the best butler/sidekick/friend in the history of mystery novels.

"I'd like to remark at the outset that I'm a girl with better than an average brain."

These books are always wonderfully descriptive, and I love seeing the world from Flavia's unique point of view:

"I don't know if you've ever dissected a rat, but to me, there was only one word for it: exhilarating."

Flavia and Dogger have two cases to solve here--and they intersect quickly. We get plenty of Flavia and Dogger time, which is great. Unfortunately, Feely is shipped off on her honeymoon, and we barely see any of Daffy. I missed the usual sarcasm and biting wit that comes with de Luce sister time. There is more of Flavia's cousin, Undine, who I admit is growing on me (and perhaps Flavia?). She will be a good companion Flavia, I think.

Sadly, though, I've read in several places that this is the last of the Flavia de Luce series. If so, this book felt woefully unresolved on several fronts for me. The mysteries felt underwhelming, as if the loose ends didn't really tie together; I was confused about how it all wrapped up in the end. And if this is really the last book, it just didn't seem as if it did our amazing heroine justice. Flavia went out with a whimper, not a bang. I would have liked to see more finality, more resolution somehow, instead of some partially ended cases and no real conclusion. It just didn't feel like a satisfactory end to what has been an amazing series featuring such a plucky girl who has been through so very much.

Still, I'm really glad I've had a chance to read this series, and I certainly enjoyed this book and all of Flavia's adventures. She's such a fun, unique character, and I can't recommend this lovely series enough. 3.5 stars.

Flavia's big sister Feely is getting married, a procedure that bores Flavia until a severed finger shows up in the cake. Then her new agency, Arthur W. Dogger & Associates, gets an even better chance to practice their deductions when they get a real customer. Anastasia Prill's purloined letters lead Flavia and her associate Dogger down a path littered with skulduggery. Though the story is supposedly Flavia's, it is Dogger who actually solves the case; Flavia contributes chemistry and shameless nosiness. She makes a charmingly morbid narrator and her relationship with Dogger is delightful, but making Flavia second fiddle in her own book lessens both the narrative and the mystery.

I have come to see Flavia, Dogger, Mrs. Mullet, and Buckshaw as such warm, comfortable friends. The mystery in this one was as well-designed as always, and the writing, impeccable. I did miss the sisterly dynamic, but Undine provides a new spin on that thread. Another Flavia hit!

I’ve enjoyed every book that I have read in the series. I was captivated by the character of Flavia de Luce right from the very first. Her character has grown considerably even though she is still only twelve years old.

She is still working with her poisons which continue to captivate her but she is also actively solving mysteries as part of the Arthur W. Dogger & Associates, Discreet Investigations group (of two – Dogger and herself.) With the maturing of the group, there has been a change in how the mysteries are being solved.

Dogger has emerged as a kind of Sherlock Holmes type character. He seems to the the individual who comes up with conclusions while Flavia is more of a Watson type who has access to her laboratory for testing bits and pieces for poison, et al. She sits in admiration as Dogger states the case, proposes action, and comes up with solutions. He also seems to know the chemical essentials of what Flavia will be testing, so Flavia is relegated to almost a technician status.

However, she is still front and center as the character of note in the fun and funny happenings that seem to surround this area of England. The character of her cousin, Undine, was a taste of the first Flavia but on steroids. Undine is even younger, is rather obnoxious at times, is incredibly smart (with a photographic memory) and has, for her age, a rather regrettable knowledge of the bad elements of the world.

The story is interesting but the solution is just a tad off. While the whodunnit is solved, there is no reference to punishment or proof other than Dogger and Flavia’s say so. Without going into the end, I wish that it was a bit more expanded upon. While it may be that it would be done in the future, the books do not seem to capture what is decided in the courts at later dates.

Still, this is a series that I enjoy and I look forward to the next book. If it is the eleventh book in the series or the first in a new one, I will certainly be reading it.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley is the very highly recommended 10th Flavia de Luce novel. Twelve-year-old Flavia has formed a private detective agency with Dogger and the two take on their first case and client.

Arthur W. Dogger & Associates, Discreet Investigations, is now in business at Buckshaw. Flavia and Dogger discover their first case at her sister Ophelia's wedding in the chapel at Bishop’s Lacey. How did a severed finger end up in the wedding cake and who does it belong to? Then they take on their first client when Anastasia Prill asks them to find some stolen letters belonging to her father. The case deepens when something happens to Miss Prill and two missionaries, Doris Pursemaker and Ardella Stonebrook, end up staying at Buckshaw. While Flavia and Dogger are applying their detective skills to the cases, Flavia's cousin, Undine, seems intent to be in the way.

Flavia is well established as a chemistry prodigy in the series set in 1950s England. It's always nice to see a strong female character with a gift for science featured in a novel. At this point she is a well-developed character and it is entertaining to follow along the plot as she deduces clues, works in her lab, and follows leads to solve the case. Flavia and Dogger work great together and it's nice to see him gently helping Flavia. I would predict that Undine is going to begin to play a much larger role in the books and will take over Flavia's former bratty persona, as in this outing Flavia is definitely maturing and growing up. It almost seems that she is older now and might need another birthday soon.

These are all well-written novels and are Bradley inserts a fair amount of humor in the narrative that makes these novels even more enjoyable than simply a who-done-it. While not YA, all of the Flavia novels are suitable for teens to adults. They should be read in order so you have Flavia's whole backstory and family history. The word is the Bradley will be continuing the series, so expect more cases for Arthur W. Dogger & Associates, Discreet Investigations in the future.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.

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