The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: The gripping first novel in the cosy Flavia De Luce series

What a refreshing book series this is! The author really takes the time to develop complex and believable characters in the midst of fun and interesting story-telling. It has been a while since I have enjoyed a new series as much as Flavia de Luce.The internal dialogue of Flavia is so well done. The family dynamics are fascinating and completely believable. With a mixture of love, humor, and realistic family conflict, the de Luce family is a key character in these stories -- not just Flavia.Love it!

I can’t put this book down! It’s one of the best mysteries I have read. Flavia is exceedingly smart with a strong character. She knows how to pick a lock, untie her hands behind her back and she knows all her poisons !

The article arrived in time and it's corresponding to my expectations. I will read it as soon as possible. Thank's

The narrator of this book is Flavia, an eleven year old budding chemist and amateur detective.She lives in a decaying English mansion called Buckshaw with her father, Colonel de Luce, hardened by the war and saddened by his wife Harriet's tragic death while mountain climbing.He is also an avid collector of Postage Stamps. Flavia has two older sisters, Ophelia(Feely)and Daphne(Daffy). There is sibling rivalry between the sisters and Flavia. Mrs.Mullet prepares the family meals and is housekeeper. She bakes her famous custard pies that no one likes. Dogger, a former soldier and POW was initially hired as the Colonel's valet, moved on to being chauffeur, handyman and because of his nervousness and flashbacks, he is now the family gardener. He is very loyal to the Colonel and the only person who Flavia trusts with all her secrets. Dogger likes Flavia and protects her from harm.Flavia is left on her own and keeps herself busy in the house's laboratory, experimenting and reading. She has a love of Poisons and also reads all about the discoveries of the great chemists.One day, Mrs. Mullet opens the kitchen door and lets out a shriek. On the doorstep on its back lies a dead bird, a Jack Snipe, with a postage stamp stuck to its beak. The Colonel and Flavia were in the room and with Mrs. Mullet still shaky, he asks her to remove it. The Colonel then leaves for his study and Flavia takes off for her bedroom. Flavia is trying to understand who would do such a thing.In the evening, there are sounds coming from her father's study. Flavia goes down the stairs, puts her ear to the door, an eye in the keyhole and sees a very tall man, his back to the door, arguing with her father. She can't make out what they're saying but hears her father telling the man to get out. At that point Dogger pulls Flavia away from the door before she gets caught.Next morning, Flavia finds a dying man in the cucumber patch in the garden. She hears him say "VALE" and then dies. She learns that VALE means farewell. Flavia is now even more curious and excited. She decides to call the police and soon Inspector Hewitt along with two Sergeants are questioning the Colonel.Flavia is now on a mission to solve the case. Without Inspector Hewitt knowing,she is going to help him get to the bottom of things.Off she goes on her bicycle named Gladys, her only means of transportation, with her pigtails blowing in the wind. She's going to the village of Bishop's Lacey to question the town folks and get some answers. Believe it or not, she learns a few things and along with some bits and pieces returns home. She notices that a slice of Mrs. Mullet's pie is missing and before long the entire pie is gone.Flavia asks herself: Who is this man? What was he doing in her home? Who killed him? Did Mrs. Mullet's pie do him in?Flavia is smart as a whip and sharp as a tack.Her verbal expressions and quotes will have you laughing throughout.I LOVED this book and am now a huge fan of Flavia, the sleuth.This book is smartly written and very entertaining. It is a Murder/Mystery.Alan Bradley has come up with a WINNER.For those of you who are new to this series like I was, I suggest you start with the first in the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie in order to get to know all the characters. Then move on to #2) The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, #3) A Red Herring Without Mustard and #4) I Am Half-Sick of Shadows.You'll love these books as much as I have. So cuddle up in your favourite chair and ENJOY!

Flavia... oh how you entertain me!How can one best describe the 11 year old heroine of our story? She seems to me to be a cross between a Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstockings. So clever, so brave and full of irony and witt! She think of herself as a chemist, but truth is she's more of a master dectective! I loved her deductions, and her reasoning. The language is colourful and very rich, and you get a "curl up on the sofa with tea" feeling from it all...I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of these wonderful wonderful books. Easily the best read I've had this year! No doubt! The characters are so alive, and so lovable, you will have a hard time putting the book away. I carried it EVERYWHERE, just in case I had a couple of minutes to spare!So let me tell you just briefly how the story goes...you meet Flavia de Luce, 11 year old girl with pigtails and a taste for chemestry and poisionry! She lives to make life crap for her two older sisters, and loves her widowed father very much. You soon get the feeling that this girl has more guts than most grown up men, and the brains to match! She has pretty much free run of the massive english mansion they inhabit. Suddenly her life takes a very unexpected turn, from the highlight of her day being poisioning her sisters with poision ivy mixed in lipstick, to finding a dead man in the cucumber patch! When her father is hastily charged with the crime of murder she decides to find the truth her self, seeing as the police really feels it's practically a closed case.We follow our heroine on one hell of a deducting journey, and you will be massivly entertained, I promise!!!It's buildt up as a classic detective story, a "who dunnit" with just alittle extra that leaves you wanting more, SO much more!ENJOY!!! and oh, buy the rest while you're at it, becuase I am currently cursing myself for not having them all at the ready! Having to wait for them to land in my mailbox... and I am not a happy bunny!