The Grave's a Fine and Private Place

by Alan Bradley

Part of Flavia de Luce, book 9

First published 2018

Flavia de Luce trails her hand in the river water during a tedious family punting expedition. Her fingers catch on something unexpected: the open mouth of a drowned man. The corpse wears blue silk clothing with knee ribbons and a single red ballet slipper. What begins as summer boredom transforms into Flavia's most puzzling case yet. Three local gossips turn up murdered in the village church. A web of suspects emerges, including the son of an executed murderer, a shrewd police constable, circus performers, and the pub owner's wife with her mysterious talents. Flavia must decode the connections between these unlikely figures while protecting her sisters from mounting danger. The young detective faces a mystery that challenges even her formidable deductive abilities.

Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, detective

Vibes: cozy, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: amateur-detective, found-family

Setting: England

Period: 20th-century

363 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 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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