Speaking from Among the Bones

by Alan Bradley

Part of Flavia de Luce, book 5

First published 2013

Flavia de Luce loves chemistry experiments and solving mysteries, but she has never stumbled across a corpse before. The eleven-year-old sleuth gets more than she bargained for when Bishop's Lacey prepares to open St. Tancred's five-hundred-year-old tomb. Inside the sacred crypt, Flavia discovers Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, his face covered by a strange mask. The discovery stops the anniversary celebration cold. Someone murdered Collicutt and chose this holy resting place to hide the body. Flavia cannot resist investigating who wanted the organist dead and why they selected such an unusual hiding spot. Her amateur detective work will reveal that solving this case requires digging deeper than anyone expected. The young chemist must navigate village secrets and sacred ground to uncover the truth behind Collicutt's bizarre death.

Genres: historical-fiction, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth

Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: amateur-detective, found-family

Setting: Bishop's Lacey, St. Tancred

Period: 500 years ago

400 pages · Kindle Edition · Delacorte Press

More by Alan Bradley

• A Study in Sherlock
• 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
• The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

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