Flavia's back and as endearing, complicated, and conflicted as ever. I love this story world and all of its characters. This installation carried the higher story arc craftily and the mystery was delightfully full of typical de Lucian twists, turns, and a little bit of turmoil. Undine is coming into her own and and witnessing her relationship with Flavia unflold is delightful.

Was happy to see this title. I've read them all and feared Miss Flavia's adventures were done after last book. The snappy dialog,humor, and plot twists readers of the series expect are here, but IMO the characters have shown more growth and forward movement.
At times,the plot seemed a bit unbelievable but that can be forgiven with the fun involved.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I greatly enjoyed spending time with Flavia - she's witty, brilliant, and opinionated. In this book she investigates the death of a neighbor, deals with her cousin Undine, and discovers some shocking things about herself and her family.

The mystery was good, but the getting there was more interesting. I do like the cast of characters - especially Dogger and Mrs. Mullet (who is blamed for the murder). The story seemed to speed by.

Note: Some revelations happen in this book that could constitute spoilers for previous books in the series. However, I think the book can be read and enjoyed greatly as a stand alone - in fact, that's how I did it. And I do now want to read the previous books.

Thank you to Netgalley for this exciting prepub of What Time thé Sexton’s Soade Doth Rust. Such a wonderful surprise to find dear Flavia on my literary door step again. After a five year hiatus, author Bradley continues with the Flavia story without missing a beat. The word-smithery,, twelve year old humor, and scientific info roll on as if we just spoke yesterday. All the familiar characters are near and dear. Flavia is becoming more self aware as adolescence sneaks a peek over the hedgerows. The plot was more convoluted than usual as it contains sub plots and sub sub plots. And happily, the story lends itself to more in the series.
I can’t wait to hear the audio version!

I like to start a book without knowing what I’m getting in to, it’s like an adventure. This started out very quirky, took me a chapter or two to realize I liked the crazy characters. Not very long into the book I could tell this was a series, although you don’t need to read prior books to enjoy this. I found this charming and interesting, enough that I’d read the author’s other books

Flavia de Luce is adjusting to being the owner of her family’s estate, Buckshaw, when there is a murder in the village. An older man who was the former hangman has been poisoned, and Flavia’s cook, Mrs. Mullet has been wrongly accused. Flavia, along with loyal gardener Dogger and annoying cousin Undine set out to investigate and prove Mrs. Mullet’s innocence.

This latest installment in the Flavia de Luce series was a welcome surprise as my understanding was the series had ended with the previous book. Flavia comes back just as strong, intelligent, tenacious and of course humorous as ever! I am hopeful to see another book in this delightful series.

For faithful readers of the series, it may come as a surprise that this is the first Flavia book I’ve ever read. Prior to cracking the digital spine on this one, I was of the opinion that a book about a young girl solving crimes, though I found it appealing in my youth, wouldn’t appeal to me as an adult. Boy, was I wrong. This book was absolutely delightful.

First off, the writing is excellent. Everything about it is perfect, the creation of unique and clever characters, an intricate murder, and vivid scene descriptions in such detail that I felt I as though I was constantly at Flavia’s side. Flavia herself is quite a character; where were these young girls when I was growing up? Intelligent, curious, agile, and with a wonderful sense of humor, I immediately fell in love with her. Second, while the character of Flavia is an absolute delight, I also found myself warming up to Flavia’s flatulent, sometimes sidekick, Undine, who showed a bit of mental forte herself as the story progressed.

When Buckshaw housekeeper, Mrs. Mullet, becomes the main suspect in the murder of Major Greyleigh, Flavia, along with Dogger, and her trusty bicycle, Gladys, seeks to prove her innocent, and unveil the real killer. Observing her reach a satisfactory conclusion in the most clever of ways, made this book a joy to read. This may have been my first experience with Flavia, but it certainly will not be my last, and I am delighted that there are ten other books in the series to provide hours of reading enjoyment.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Alan Bradley, and Random House/Ballantine for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read and enjoyed every book in this series, and this was no exception. Contained a couple of twists I definitely did NOT see coming and can't wait to see where life takes Flavia and Dodger next!

Flavia is back! This time she has to save her beloved Mrs Mullet after the local hangman is found dead from eating mushrooms prepared by her. Will Flavia and Dogger be able to prove her innocence or will annoying Undine bungle their case? And what does the local American airbase have to do with anything? Conspiracy theories abound and no one can figure them out better than Flavia De Luce!
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC- my opinions are my own.

Flavia, who considers herself an amateur sleuth, has inherited Buckshaw, upon the death of her mother. She is quite young to take on the running and management of such a large property, however, their longtime cook and housekeeper Mrs. Mullet as well as the groundskeeper and handman, Dogger are there to help and provide whatever she needs. Dogger has also become quite adept in helping her solve various crimes. Her sister has gotten married and moved away, and Daffy, another sister, is seldom found without her nose in a book and will soon attend University. Flavia takes in her difficult, challenging cousin, Undine who follows her around constantly and also lives at Buckshaw.
A local recluse, Major Greyleigh is found dead after breakfast. It is suspected that he was fed poisonous mushrooms by the de Luce family cook, Mrs. Mullet. She picked the mushrooms, as well as made and served the Major the omelet. Flavia, with the assistance of Dogger, takes on the job of clearing Mrs. Mullet from the suspected murder of Major Greyleigh.
This book has many delightful, interesting characters and goes from one adventure to the next. What a surprise to discover Undine is quite brilliant. Flavia is in for the shock of her life, and questions if one even can fully recover from such a trauma. Occasionally it is necessary to pause reading to be able to take a breath, and laugh out loud!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

I love Flavia de Luce and was delighted to read about her again. This book does not disappoint. Flavia is getting older but is still irrepressible. Her irritating young cousin, Undine, keeps things interesting. In this case, Major Greyleigh, has died after ingesting poison mushrooms. To Flavia's indignation her beloved Mrs. Mullet is the prime suspect.

It’s been five years since Alan Bradley’s last Flavia de Luce mystery. I was surprised to see his new one, What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust. I thought he and Flavia had retired, although Flavia has so many fans.

Eleven? Twelve? It’s hard to say how old Flavia is now, although Bradley once said he was never going to age his young chemist. But, if nothing else, she has had traumatic events in her life, including the death of her mother. When her father died, he left the family home, Buckshaw, to Flavia. Now, she’s living there with her sister, Daffy, her obnoxious younger cousin, Undine, Mrs. Mullet, the housekeeper, and Dogger, the gardener, handyman, protector, advisor, and friend.

When one of the neighbor’s, Major Greyleigh, is found dead in his cottage, the police suspect Mrs. Mullet, who was doing some cleaning and cooking breakfast for the man. In fact, she had picked the mushrooms that were his last meal. But, Flavia, always loyal to the household staff, knows Mrs. Mullet didn’t kill anyone, and she sets out to prove it. After all, she and Dogger make up Arthur Dogger & Associates, Discreet Enquiries.

Flavia’s fans will once again enjoy her adventures on her bike, Gladys, and her search for answers as she roams around the village of Bishop’s Lacey, listening to gossip and searching for clues. However, she’s disgruntled when Undine seems to uncover a number of the clues. But, it’s Flavia’s scattershot approach to her investigation that sends her to the American military base where she uncovers secrets that will change her forever.

If you’re a reader who can’t get enough of Flavia, What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust will remind you why you enjoy her adventures and company. For those of us who only occasionally read one of the books, the insufferable Undine will remind us why we only appreciated Flavia in small doses. Every five years is more than enough.

I just adore these books and especially Flavia de Luce! How can you not? Her character is unique, precocious and adorable! She’s formidable, brilliant, and has the exquisite gift of gab! And her young cousin, Undine. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Alan Bradley’s descriptive writing is nothing less than exquisite! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for sending this novel for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Flavia de Luce is back! I was so excited to hear that there was a new addition to this series. She is the perfect mix of smart, funny and sassy. She’s joined again by housekeeper Mrs Mullet, her beloved Dogger and her very spunky younger cousin Undine.

When a neighbor is poisoned, Mrs Mullet is suspected because she cooks breakfast for him. Flavia and Undine find the clues to help the police figure out what happened, and Flavia is able to use her chemistry skills to figure out what poison was used.

There is a very big plot twist in this one that I never would have guessed. My heart aches for Flavia with all that she’s been through. I think it takes a very special writer to be able to invoke such strong feelings from a reader.

I would have liked more witty insults from Daffy, and maybe some encouraging words from either the vicar’s wife or the inspector’s wife. But overall very happy with this newest edition of the series.

I will be pre-ordering/purchasing the audiobook with my own money/Audible credits because the narrator of this series is one of my favorites.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced Kindle edition of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After a five year hiatus (where all hope was lost for another Flavia book to even happen), Flavia is back and ready to solve another murder! This time Mrs Mullet is involved in the series of events that lead to the murder of a local who used to be a hangman in the small village of Bishop's Lacey.

Packed full of all the usual things you would expect, and all the usual characters-Undine, Dogger, and of course, Gladys, this particular installment came with a lot of reveals and further revelations about some of the underlying story that has been thread throughout some of the later books in the series. You can still read this one without having read all of the others, but truth be told you'll lose some context and not really "get" everything that is going on.

Highly recommend for old and new fans alike. Fingers crossed for more adventures with Flavia!

Flavia DeLuce is always a delightful character. All of the books in this series are fun to read and great for mother-daughter book clubs. But I was disappointed that this one had so many stray plot strands and such an abrupt ending.

First of all, I'd like to say thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy of this book!!!

I LOVE THIS SERIES! I just want it to go on forever. In this one Mrs. Mullet is in a pickle and Flavia has to investigate and finds out way more than she wants to know. It was nice to find out more about Mrs. Mullet after all this time. Also Undine is starting to become a real character instead of just being unbearably annoying. Flavia is growing up and becoming aware of that fact, but this book has lost none of the charm in the rest of the series. I'll keep reading them as long as Alan Bradley keeps writing them.

Quick, fun easy read, have not read previous books, so was completely unaware that the heroine is only 12! Nice cost littler mystery.

Review of What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley
Publication date: September 3, 2024

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for offering me an ARC of this title.

I was absolutely thrilled to receive an email from Random House not only offering me this ARC but also learning that Flavia was back! I was sad as 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, passed with no word of another wonderful story of Flavia de Luce from Alan Bradley. In fact, I had read that The Golden Tresses of the Dead (book #10) was the last book in the series. I had just about come to terms with this delightful series being over. What a wonderful surprise! This review contains NO spoilers, just feelings and impressions.

To be honest, it did take me a chapter or two to dredge up my memories of the preceding 10 Flavia books. And at first, I was slow to buy into the natural consequence of Flavia growing up. After all, she can’t remain a precocious, fun, child forever. Once I acclimated to Flavia’s growing up a bit and her cousin Undine’s continued presence, I settled back into loving Flavia and getting more and more used to Undine. It seems that Undine is here to stay, so I am choosing to embrace her.

A LOT happens in this book. I won’t go into details, because I hope you will read it and enjoy it yourself. What I am most happy about is that this book makes it very clear that there is more to come and more story to tell. YEA!!! A bit of research has uncovered a 12th book in the series coming in the fall of 2025. I look forward to continuing this story.

If you are reading this short review and are new to this series of books, please do start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie…the first book in the series. I hope you will love them all as much as I do.

This review is biased: I am an unabashed Flavia de Luce fan:

She makes me smile.
I love her brains.
I admire her sass.
I melt at her sweet partnership/friendship with her Gardner.
And, I understand her complicated relationship with family.

I hope Alan Bradley continues with this series for many years.