The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches

by Alan Bradley

Part of Flavia de Luce, book 6

First published 2014

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce waits at Bishop's Lacey railway station with her family in spring 1951. They expect the return of her mother Harriet after years away. A tall stranger approaches Flavia and whispers mysterious words meant only for her. The man dies moments later, pushed beneath the arriving train by someone in the crowd. Flavia returns to Buckshaw, her family's deteriorating estate, determined to solve the murder. She discovers a hidden film reel in the attic that leads her deeper into de Luce family secrets. The investigation connects to Winston Churchill himself. Flavia uses her chemistry knowledge and detective instincts to follow each clue. She even pilots her mother's Gypsy Moth aircraft, Blithe Spirit, in pursuit of answers. A Home Office pathologist joins the case as Flavia works to identify the killer among family and friends.

Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, detective

Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: amateur-detective, family-drama, investigation

Setting: Bishop's Lacey, Buckshaw

Period: 1951

338 pages · Kindle Edition · Delacorte Press

More by Alan Bradley

• A Study in Sherlock
• Speaking from Among the Bones
• 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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