Monday, January 4, 2016

Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

I thought I'd read all the Flavia de Luce books (except for the latest one, which isn't in the NLB ebook catalog yet), but I was wrong. I hadn't read Speaking From Among the Bones, the fifth book in the Flavia de Luce series. It was a bit strange, reading a book when I already knew what happened before and after (technically), but I still enjoyed it.

In Speaking From Among the Bones, our favourite de Luce just happens to be around when a body is found in the Church. Unfortunately, it isn't the body of the local saint (which they were intending to dig up anyway), it's a more recent body, that of the Church organist. While this does mean her sister gets to be the organist at Easter (not that this is a motive anyone considered), it's generally a bad thing, and anyway, Flavia is going to get to the bottom of it.

As usual, this book is delightful. Flavia is her usual charming self, though the de Luce family is in a bit more financial trouble than usual, and it shows. But, if you know what's going to happen, like I did, then you probably won't worry about it. I wonder, if I read this book in order, would I be worrying along with Flavia?

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was her relationship with her sisters. There are a few fairly sweet moments between them in this book, which I think is a lot more sisterly. I suppose they have to pull together in the face of adversity, since they are family. But it does make some of the more cruel things they say to Flavia a bit more forgivable, since they're so much more likeable here.

Overall, I found this book to be an extremely fun read. If you're a fan of Flavia, you will enjoy the book, as she pokes around and solves a mystery. As for continuity, it's actually possible to skip this book, since in the overall scheme of things, the 'big news' comes at the end, and is merely a message at that. The next book is actually more important if you want to figure out what's happening in the de Luce family. But, it's probably a good idea to read this series in order.

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