Since the fires in my town last summer didn't seem to be enough, we got a freak snowstorm that knocked my power out for a week, crushed the hood of my car and some of my roof, and blocked me into my driveway with huge fallen trees. It was very cold, but the handy LED camping lanterns I ordered off Amazon (plus utilization of natural light during the day) allowed me to get caught up on some reading. The dreary mood put me in the mind of someone long ago, perhaps before modern conveniences were readily available. My book choices were guided by that, and I had the pleasure of reading two books that were similar in tone and mood, and I loved them both.
Flavia de Luce is one of my favorite fictional characters, and I am so grateful to Random House - Ballantine and Delacorte Press for giving me an ARC. I was delighted to return to Bishop's Lacey for Ophelia's wedding. However, there is a damper put on the celebration when a severed finger is found inside the wedding cake during cutting. This sends 12 year old Flavia and her investigative partner, Dogger, on a hunt for who the finger belonged to and why it had landed in the cake. Was it a threat? A clue? This was a very fun read, as are all Flavia de Luce books. As usual, the mystery unravels in a satisfying way, and I consider this series to be a real standout in the cozy mystery genre. They read great as standalones, so don't worry if you haven't read the nine books preceding this.
Oof, I meant to write this review ages ago. However, things got a little nutty with the storm, and I found this in my drafts folder. I loved this book so much it would be remiss of me to not publish this, even if it's a bit archival! Especially since the publisher was nice enough to send me a paper ARC. I love Victorian mysteries, and the mood fit the storm, so I dove right in! I finished it within 2 days, and would have done so sooner, but I could only read by natural light when my power was out, so it cut my viable hours shorter than I would have liked.
This was my first read in the Charles Lenox series, but as it's a prequel I find that almost appropriate. Now when I start the series from Book 1, I will have a better idea of the characters and what shaped them. Charles has a lovely way with words, and you can almost see and smell your surroundings when you're reading this book. I was walking the cobblestone streets of London at night, I was sleuthing right along with Lenox, and I was laughing at Lancelot's antics.
I absolutely loved the mood of this book, and the mystery it contained. I hope I am not remiss in saying this, as I would never want to offend either author, but it was very reminiscent of Alan Bradley's books to me (which is why I reviewed them in the same post). I could see Flavia de Luce teaming up effortlessly with Charles Lenox, even if they are from different time periods. It was quaint in the very best way. I will be hungrily reading the rest of the series now, as if I don't have a towering TBR pile!
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