Review: A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan C. Bradley (A Flavia de Luce Novel, Book 3)

Synopsis: In the hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey, the insidiously clever and unflappable eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce had asked a Gypsy woman to tell her fortune—never expecting to later stumble across the poor soul, bludgeoned almost to death in the wee hours in her own caravan. Was this an act of retribution by those convinced that the soothsayer abducted a local child years ago? Certainly Flavia understands the bliss of settling scores; revenge is a delightful pastime when one has two odious older sisters. But how could this crime be connected to the missing baby? As the red herrings pile up, Flavia must sort through clues fishy and foul to untangle dark deeds and dangerous secrets. (from the back of the book)

Review: Once again, I "read" this by listening to the unabridged audiobook, performed by the talented Jane Entwhistle. As with the previous two, it was marvelous. Bradley's story combined with Entwhistle's voice acting make this story alive, sparking, intriguing, and delightful. Miss Flavia once again finds herself in the midst of murder (her favorite) and, much to the outward annoyance and inward amusement of the local constabulary, sets out to solve the mystery herself. To avoid spoiling the story, I won't go into the details, but I will say the mystery wasn't as tight as the previous two, and had some rather odd bits and far-fetched answers. But to be honest, I don't read it for the mystery - at least, not the murders. I read it because Flavia is just my sort of person, because Bradley's other characters have depth, charm, and intrigue enough, and because watching Flavia grow is fascinating. I'm eager to see how the young miss gets on in the next adventure!

Bookmarks: 8 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-0-385-34346-6
Date Finished: 12-28-2015
Pages: 415
Audio Hours: 10 hours and 47 Mintues
Read by: Jane Entwhistle