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This debut mystery featuring Flavia de Luce is an extremely strong 4 all by itself, but I am bumping it up to a five because the reading of this book for the audio was outstanding. Narrator Jayne Entwhistle faced the difficult challenge of reading the book as its 11 year old protagonist, as well as voicing a host of other characters, without sounding ridiculous. Her presentation was fantastic, and she captured Flavia's youth, vulnerabilities, and precociousness perfectly.
The book itself may be the best new "old mystery" I've come across. Written in the classic style which I so adore, it is easy to believe that this is a long-lost treasure...not something published within the last decade. Alan Bradley would make the detective novelists of yore very proud.
Funny thing is, when I was scouring the shelves of a Borders close-out sale, this book sat on the shelf. When I saw the protagonist was a child, I moved on. I would admonish myself for my foolish judgement, but it all worked out in the end...the audio format definitely enhanced my enjoyment of this book!
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