A Red Herring Without Mustard

by Alan Bradley

Part of Flavia de Luce, book 3

First published 2011

Flavia de Luce stares into the Gypsy's crystal ball as shadows swirl within its depths. The fortune teller's voice trembles with fear as she delivers her warning about the darkness she sees ahead. The eleven-year-old sleuth finds herself drawn into another mystery that will test her scientific mind and her courage. In the seemingly peaceful village of Bishop's Lacey, danger lurks beneath the surface of everyday life. Flavia must navigate the treacherous currents of adult secrets and village politics while pursuing the truth with her characteristic blend of chemistry knowledge and youthful determination. The Gypsy's ominous prediction sets events in motion that will challenge everything Flavia thinks she knows about her world. As the third case in her amateur detective career unfolds, Flavia discovers that some mysteries cut closer to home than she ever imagined.

Genres: mystery, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth

Vibes: atmospheric, cozy, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, youthful-determination

Setting: Bishop's Lacey

Period: 20th-century

416 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press

More by Alan Bradley

• A Study in Sherlock
• Speaking from Among the Bones
• The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
• As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
• Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd
• The Grave's a Fine and Private Place
• The Golden Tresses of the Dead
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

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