Cover Image: The Golden Tresses of the Dead

The Golden Tresses of the Dead

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

In this 10th installment life for Flavia is full of changes. The most noticeable is her sister Feely's marriage. The more subtle is changes in Flavia herself as she is on the verge of becoming a teenager. Never fear though, Flavia is still a girl that loves chemistry and solving crimes. Imagine her excitement when a human finger is found in her sister's wedding cake! She views it as the perfect first case for her and Dogger to investigate, which unsurprisingly leads to the inevitable tangled and sinister mystery.

As for a rating... I have mixed feelings. As usual I enjoyed the writing style and characters. It's always fun to spend more time in Flavia's head. In this case, her confusion over her pendulum of emotions (such as confidence to uncertainty, or joy to deep sadness) felt realistic and relatable. It's also great that Flavia now has Dogger as a full-time partner in crime (solving) that she can confide in. However, I felt rather indifferent about the actual mystery. While the science was fascinating, I never was overly concerned with figuring out what was going on. Even when the mystery was explained, the motives and chain of events weren't very clear to me.

Overall, it was a good continuation of the series, but I doubt it would be a compelling read to someone who hadn't read the first 9 books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for providing me with a digital review copy!

Was this review helpful?

I truly enjoyed this latest addition to the Flavia de Luce series, though I don't think the mystery was quite a tight as some of the previous novels. However! It was still a completely charming read, and Flavia is still as Flavia as ever. In this book, we get to learn a little more about Dogger, and see a little bit more of who he is as a person, instead of a fixture of the household. I think as Flavia grows and matures (slightly), we'll continue to see Dogger in a new light, just as she does. All in all, highly recommended for fans of the series.

Was this review helpful?

Thank You Net Galley for the free ARC.

Yes, Flavia is back and Feely and Dogger and a mysterious case to solve. I love anything Bishop's Lacey and fervently wish BBC would make a TV series out of this wonderful family of novels. Here Flavi and Dogger are running their own detective company and are after some stolen letters and of course, accompanying murders. No worries, chemistry to the rescue!

Was this review helpful?

3 stars.

Sigh. I wanted to love The Golden Tresses of the Dead. It’s not the first Flavia de Luce book that I’ve read, and I always have such high expectations going in. I love the Flavia character. I love the wit and the sly humor in the writing. I love cozy mysteries.

And yet, these never seem to move beyond three stars for me. Perhaps it is because the plot is so ridiculously hard to follow. I reached the end of the book and am still not sure I understand who committed the crime or why. That’s not due to a lack of focus - in fact, I reread a couple chapters several times, even backtracking to different parts of the book to remind myself of characters and plot points. I think it’s ultimately Bradley’s writing that does it in - while it’s often clever, it is unnecessarily dense, and I often have to read the same paragraph 3 or 4 times to catch his meaning.

I’m sure I’ll keep trying with more of Flavia’s tales, but this isn’t going to be the story that converts me.

Was this review helpful?

This is a really interesting series, not in that it is a mystery set in 20th century England, but more in the sense of the main sleuth being 10 years old and dealing with such morbid material.

Was this review helpful?

As good as all of Mr. Bradley's others. The deepening relationship between Flavia and Dogger is a joy to read, and the typical flavor of the surrounding characters was as fun as always. Highly recommend both this book and the whole series.

Was this review helpful?

I had a rough time with the last few books in this series, but they have been inching closer to the origins and this one is pretty close to the Flavia I know and love! In this book, Dogger and Flavia open a detective agency. Sadly, their services are required sooner rather than later when a severed finger is found in Feely’s (Flavia’s sister, Ophelia’s) wedding cake. Flavia has a lot to deal with, what with the new agency, a finger without a body, her sister’s wedding and absence from the house, visiting missionaries, and residual effects of the events from the last book. All in all, Flavia is back in top form. I was just a bit confused (as I always am) at the science-y stuff in the middle, as well as the hows and whys of the whodunnit. Thank goodness there is a recap at the end to catch me up to speed. I look forward to the next book. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. (oh, and I love the cover!)

Was this review helpful?

Its so nice to catch up with Flavia:) After the death of her father and her oldest sister getting married, she and Dogger set up their own investigative agency. Something is up in Bishop's Lacey and Flavia sets out to find out what. Two missionaries from Africa are staying at Buckshaw but Flavia thinks there's something not right about the two ladies. Leave it to Flavia to be curious and want to "snoop". Her and Dogger are quite the team! It's no secret that I love Flavia and I'm always ready for a new adventure with her. I did miss the interactions with her sisters. Feely is on her honeymoon and Daphne stays in the library writing/reading--and we never get a chance of Flavia being with Daphne. We do get to see everyone else though--Mrs. Mullet, Undine, the vicar's wife, and so one. Another cute installment in the series.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

There isn’t another series of which I am aware that does such a masterful job of growing a protagonist from child to teen to (eventually) adult. Flavia de Luce has engaged readers since her first appearance in Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and continues to do so throughout the series. Initially a precocious, brilliant but still vulnerable child, we have traveled with Flavia as she has become a (still) brilliant and cheeky teen tempered by tragedy and change. Her insatiable desire to know the world, coupled with her tender regard for Dogger and need for acceptance by the Hewitts has made Flavia into a classic.

In this new entry in the series, we find Flavia and Dogger tackling a new case, precipitated by a gruesome discovery in sister Daphne’s wedding cake. The relationship between Dogger and Flavia continues to develop as they grow their detecting business, and provides a vehicle for the author to demonstrate Flavia’s maturity. Absent both her parents, Flavia looks to Dogger to guide her through difficult situations.

As we have come to expect, Bradley delivers a clever and funny story that keeps the reader guessing. Fans of the series will eat this up. Recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Another great installment in this series. I love Flavia. Such a unique Nd fun character. This story had really only Flavia and Dogger much of the time. I missed some of the usual interactions, but still enjoyed the story overall

Was this review helpful?

Another highly enjoyable Flavia de Luce mystery.
Flavia is such an engaging character and her interactions with others are highly amusing.
This mystery was a little strained, but still kept me involved.
I can't wait for the next Flavia adventure.

Was this review helpful?

A satisfying end to the Flavia de Luce series. I have really enjoyed these books, especially the characters. I really liked the developing professional relationship between Flavia and Dogger as they begin their new business solving crimes together. I hope we hear more about Flavia and company in the future.

Was this review helpful?

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 3.5/5 Characters: 3.5/5

New word (to me): deliquescence — the process by which a substance absorbs moisture from the atmosphere until it dissolves in the absorbed water and forms a solution.

Shakespeare’s sonnet on grave robbers starts “Before the golden tresses of the dead…” which gives a hint as to the subject matter of this delightful installment of the Flavia De Luce series. For those of you who haven’t met Flavia before, she is the precocious pre-teen with a penchant for poisons and passion for chemistry and now the owner of Buckshaw — the somewhat decaying family estate in Bishop’s Lacy. This episode was internally referred to as the “Curious Case of the Clue in the Cake” (said clue was the finger bone of a recently deceased Spanish guitarist found in Flavia’s sister’s wedding cake!) — but the digit-based investigation uncovers a more deliciously evil plot swirling around homeopathic distillations and murder.

Bradley’s writing is fun — every volume is full of arcane references in the fields of literature, history, anthropology, architecture, and of course Flavia’s favorite: chemistry. My favorite line:

“Like a sponge the human brain can only absorb so much before it begins to leak.”

This one is pretty good too:

“Great music has much the same effect upon humans as cyanide, I managed to think: It paralyzes the respiratory system.”

You can certainly read this one without the others — or really start anywhere you like in the series, though there is a nice progression to going in order.

Was this review helpful?

Feely's wedding is wonderful but the reception has a bit of excitement which throws everyone for a loop. It does however allow Dogger and Flavia to get on the trail of the miscreant. Dogger and Flavia make a great team - the best detective duo . Dogger really comes into his own in this installment. There is absolutely nothing to disappoint the reader - the humor, the plot, everything. The series keeps getting better and better.

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Arthur W. Dogger and Associates get their first case, Feely gets married, and Flavia finds a body; all in a day's work for the intrepid Flavia De Luce. The book opens with Feely's wedding where all is going smoothly (barring Undine's ventriloquism at the church) when a finger is found when in the wedding cake. Quick thinking leads Flavia to wrap the finger in a napkin and whisk it away to her laboratory for testing before it is turned over to the police. The next day finds the very first client of Arthur Dogger and Associates, Mrs. Prill requesting help locating some missing letters. Agreeing to take the case, Flavia and Dogger quickly learn that their client may not have been completely honest with them and the case quickly becomes much bigger than some missing letters. During all this, Flavia is growing up and struggling with all the changes in her life recently including the death of her father and her sister's marriage and the fact Feely and Dieter are soon to be setting up their own household. Undine continues to be a thorn in Flavia's side, but will Flavia begin to see some of herself in the little girl and develop some sympathy for her? This is an entertaining entry in a great series - I hope Flavia continues to solve many more mysteries.

Was this review helpful?

I received this galley via NetGalley. To be clear about my excitement about this 10th book in the Flavia series, let it be known that I stalked NetGalley for the past several weeks, checking every few days to see if this book had shown up yet. When it did appear, I immediately put in my request. When it was approved a few hours later, I squealed with glee.

So yeah, you might say my expectations were high.

<i>The Golden Tresses of the Dead</i> revives all of the best elements of the Flavia books. I say that, as some of the past books have been somewhat off for me (and my mom, who is also hooked on these books). This series is at its best when Flavia is at home at her family estate of Buckshaw, rolling about the nearby village of Bishop's Lacey on her beloved bicycle/steed, Gladys. This book uses that setting to the fullest, bicycle and all.

I should add that even an "off" Flavia book is a fantastic read and still better than the average book. As I said a few paragraphs up, my expectations run high for this series.

This book doesn't begin with a murder, but with a surprise in the wedding cake of Flavia's sister. The action picks up from there as Flavia and her loyal family batman, Dogger, acquire a client for their new 'discreet' investigations business. There are dark plots, dead bodies, and of course, chemistry work in Flavia's lab. I'm charmed at how Flavia is maturing in such a realistic way. It's especially funny to see her interactions with her cousin Undine, who is essentially Flavia's Mini Me. Flavia gets a taste of her own medicine, there.

If you've been disillusioned by some of the recent Flavia books, pick up with this one. It will restore your faith. If you're like me, and loyal to Flavia through all, rejoice! This book will deliver fresh-baked delight (courtesy of the Buckshaw Aga) with a dash of murder and justice.

Was this review helpful?