The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (FLAVIA DE LUCE MYSTERY) [Kindle Edition]

Über etwas spritziges neues, leicht verträumtes im abgegrasten Feld der Krimis zu stolpern ist, ebenso wie das auffinden einer Champangerflasche im Reformhaus, ein enormer Glücksfall. Wer nicht unbedingt auf einen psychopathischen Massenmörder in der Geschichte angewiesen sind, sollte hier zugreifen. Im Vergleich zur deutschen Ausgabe ist dieses englische Paperback nicht nur supergünstig, sondern auch von dem deutschen Titel "Mord im Gurkenbeet" verschont geblieben.
Am Rande: Dieser Roman errang den "Dagger Award" für Newcomer, obwohl der Autor (übrigens über 70) der Jury nur die ersten 15 Seiten und eine Storysynopsis eingereicht hatte - was für sich selbst spricht.

When 11 year old Flavia De Luce finds a dead man in the cucumber patch of her home, she is fascinated by the crime and how the man was killed. Flavia is not your normal child, she loves chemistry and experimenting with poison is her passion. When it turns out that her father is the main suspect, Flavia decides to start her own investigation. And so begins an extraordinary search for the real murderer and you can be sure that nothing will be able to stop Flavia from solving the crime.

Wow, wow, wow. "The sweetness of the bottom of the pie" is one of funniest and extraordinary books I've ever read. Flavia is an amazing heroine and you just have to adore her (at least I did). She wrapped me round her finger and I can't wait to read more of her hilarious adventures.

What makes this book so special is the heroine, Alan Bradley's very engaging writing style and the unique humour. Flavia tends to be a bit macabre and has a dry sense of humour, both are things I love. There were so many scenes in this book that made me chuckle or laugh out loud, I enjoyed every sentence of the story immensly. I especially loved the scenes in which Flavia took revenge on her sister (in such a brilliant and mean way, totally loved it), rode on her bicycle Gladys and whenever she thought about her much-loved chemistry and especially poisons. Her excitement for everything that has to do with chemistry was contagious and the little chemic details she thought about never got boring.

Some readers might think that an eleven year old girl is an odd choice for the heroine of a mystery novel, but I can assure you that she is perfect for this role. Flavia is a compelling character and every scene with her was a joy to read.
You just have to love Flavia's analytical mind, her love for details, her smart-aleck comments, her vibrant fantasy and her enthusiam. There's something very special about the way she thinks about life and I'm so happy that there are more books with Flavia to enjoy.
The mystery part of the story is interesting and the setting of the book in 1950 adds something special to the story. The historical facts about the time add to the story without overloading it. Since reading this book a few days ago I already bought copies of it for both my sister and my mother because "The sweetness of the bottom of the pie" is too good to not share it with other readers.

If you are interested in this story I would recommend you to read the free first chapter (on the website of the series) to see if you enjoy the kind of humour and writing style Alan Bradley uses.

cover
I like it because it's different and stands out. Plus it fits to the story.

final appraisal
Wow, what a funny, interesting, hilarious and amazing book. Flavia de Luce is a heroine I adore and I can't wait to read more about her life, her chemical experiments and her adventures.
I would recommend this book to all readers who enjoy mysteries with an unique heroine and special kind of humour.

series
1. The Sweetnes at the Bottom of the Pie (2009)
2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (2010)
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard (2011)
4. I am half sick of shadows (2011)
to be continued

Alan Bradley has a winner in junior detective, eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, a self-taught chemist who is undaunted in getting her way. I predict that this is the beginning of a remarkable mystery series. If she can do all this at 11, imagine what she'll be able do to at 11 3/4!

After a late-night argument with her father, Flavia discovers the blackmailer dying in the yard. To her mind, her absent-minded father is suspect number one. She takes it upon herself to solve the mysteries of what the blackmail was all about, old crimes, and this death. Naturally, everyone wants her out of the way . . . including the murdered. But it takes a lot to slow down Flavia. Merely tying her up won't do it.

Whenever a story has a precocious child hero in it, there has to be lots of humor to season the story and make us interested in what's going on rather than being annoyed by the child's smugness. Mr. Bradley clearly understands that and adds a nice light touch throughout.

The book opens in a very tight, well-organized way . . . and begins to meander near the middle. With a little more editing down of this material, this source of sweetness could have been a much more memorable one.

The plot is delicious in its humorous intricacies that successfully build around postage stamps, chemistry, sleight-of-hand, hiding places, red herrings, and false tales. Clearly, Mr. Bradley has a wonderful imagination.

I can't wait for the next book in the series!