Cover Image: Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I am so sorry for this late review (Years) When requesting book from the site I went crazy this was the 8th in series I did not know it. As for the book I love a good mystery with upmost clever cast

I'll be looking to finish reading all of them in the series

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trying hard to catch up on reviews

Was this review helpful?

Oh Flavia! You never know what she'll get up to next except that it will be entertaining. This is fine as a standalone and a treat for all.

Was this review helpful?

Flavia has returned from Canada, and of course finds herself immersed in another mystery….or rather, she continues the practice of sticking her nose in places it doesn’t belong. Personal loss make this a heartbreaking story, but even with the loss Flavia experiences you know she’s going to weather her trials and rise to the occasion. This book may be written for adults, but younger mystery readers will appreciate spunky, snoopy Flavia.

Was this review helpful?

This was an incredibly inconsistent book compared to the rest of the series, with an ending that felt contrived.

Was this review helpful?

Love this character, love this writing style. Everything appeals, it's a great read and I recommend it to anyone

Was this review helpful?

Flavia, Flavia, Flavia—I love you. I love your intelligence and intransigence. I love the situations you get yourself into. I love watching you solve problems and come into your own. Hooray for another Flavia novel!

Was this review helpful?

Flavia returns home from boarding school expecting a big welcome home from her family. Dogger is the only one there to meet her and she finds out that her father is sick in the hospital. On top of all of that she is of course entangled in a murder. I love these books and can't wait for the next one! I think they would make an amazing Masterpiece Mystery series. PBS/BBC get it done!!!

Was this review helpful?

"In spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. But instead of a joyous homecoming, she is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news: Her father has fallen ill, and a hospital visit will have to wait while he rests. But with Flavia’s blasted sisters and insufferable cousin underfoot, Buckshaw now seems both too empty—and not empty enough. Only too eager to run an errand for the vicar’s wife, Flavia hops on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to deliver a message to a reclusive wood-carver. Finding the front door ajar, Flavia enters and stumbles upon the poor man’s body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene. Curiosity may not kill this cat, but Flavia is energized at the prospect of a new investigation. It’s amazing what the discovery of a corpse can do for one’s spirits. But what awaits Flavia will shake her to the very core."

A new Flavia De Luce book makes EVERYTHING right with the world.

Was this review helpful?

Flavia returns with her wonderful wit and delves deep into another mystery. Although this is book 8 in the series, Alan Bradley still keeps us turning pages as we follow along while Flavia works through the puzzles of the current crime. A well written, fun read that would appeal both to Flavia fans and those new to the series. Of course, the ending enticingly leaves us awaiting the next Flavia de Luce mystery! Well done!

Thank you to Net Galley, Delacote Press, and Alan Bradley for the opportunity to read and leave feedback on this Advance Reader's Copy.

Was this review helpful?

I love Alan Bradley's mysteries! They remind me of Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew. Flavia is such a delightful character. Set in the 1950's, Flavia is a precocious young lady, who is interested in chemistry and somehow always seems to get herself tangled up in a murder that she has to solve.

I love her ability to improvise using her chemistry lab. In this book, one of my favorite scenes is when she steals eggs, bacon and toast from the kitchen and then cooks them in her lab.

I would LOVE to see this character brought to screen by BBC.

Was this review helpful?

RATING: 4 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.)
(Review Not on Blog)

I love Flavia de Luce mysteries. The wit and characterizations in this series makes it one of my favourite historical mysteries. Flavia has returned from a boarding school in Canada but comes home to her father being ill. Being alone with her sisters and cousin, Flavia looks to keep herself busy. On an errand she comes across a body...and finally, something exciting. A lot of people compare Flavia to Nancy Drew, but I find her more like Nero Wolf or Sherlock Holmes with biting sarcasm. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a great mystery.

Was this review helpful?

Flavia de Luce is one of my all time favorite literary-mystery-sleuths. She and her trusty "steed," bicycle Gladys, always manage to get into the thick of gruesome deaths in her little town where everyone knows everyone. This time, things are a bit grim, with her father ill and requiring undisturbed bed rest. I love that one of the stars of this tale is a quiet and very cat-like cat, seemingly the only witness to a recent death of its owner. These books are getting darker, as history marches onward, and is often inevitable in serial mysteries, but I still enjoy the young Miss Flavia and her determined preciousness.

Was this review helpful?

Love this series! I frequently recommend it to both teens and adults. Anxiously awaiting the next installment!

Was this review helpful?

From the very first time I met the precocious Ms. Flavia de Luce between the pages of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, I knew I had hit reader’s gold. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d is the latest in this series by Alan Bradley that keeps on giving.
In the previous book As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, I thoroughly enjoyed Flavia’s adventures at Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Toronto, but I kept wishing for her to be back at Bishop’s Lacey and Buckshaw Manor. In this book, my wish was granted.

Her return to England is marked by dark tidings–her father is unwell. Things are much changed at home, with her sisters largely ignoring her and with the general gloominess that hangs in the air. Flavia is only too glad then to go off on an errand for the vicar’s wife, and in true Flavia fashion, she promptly stumbles upon a dead body. And thereby hangs the tale!

One can really see Flavia growing up and gaining independence in this book as she ventures out to London on her own to investigate. And yet, there are moments of vulnerability that remind the reader that she is still a child. Her wit and humour are sharp and entertaining as ever. However, this book in my opinion, is a bit more dark and serious than the other books.

The series has been getting gradually darker in tone and feel, and this latest is the gloomiest of the lot. It is not easy to read it without being affected by the mood, and this, in spite of the mystery, makes it impossible to read in one sitting.

The curve ball cliffhanger ending certainly doesn’t offer the reader any reprieve. One can only wait for the next book in the series to know what Flavia and her near and dear ones will do. If the trajectory of the series, and Flavia’s character development through the series are any indication, The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place, promises to be a darker read, with Flavia truly coming into her own.

FTC disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for this honest review.

Was this review helpful?

First let me say that i love the Flavia books, but for some reason this one did not seem up to the usual standard. It felt like a lot more effort to read this one compared to the rest. I'm not sure if this is because it all felt a lot darker than previous books, or whether it didn't seem as if the characters were behaving in their usual way. I found myself getting a little confused in parts, and the eventual revealing of the murdered was a little flat. Flavia didn't seem to be using as much chemistry and science in this story, just one real reference to it, she seemed to be turning into some kind of middle aged busy body rather than an eccentric science geek kid.
Overall i felt that something was just not quite right about this book, it felt as if i was looking at Flavia's world through a slightly wonky mirror making everything not quite right. I will read the next one in the series just to see if it gets any better but this series is now slipping from my must read list.

I received an e-arc of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Without going into great detail, I'll simply say that Bradley has simply ridden the Flavia de Luce horse too far. The first couple of books in the series are amusing -- but they're enough. Flavia was just tiresome long before _Brinded Cat_.

Was this review helpful?

I've read all the Flavia de Luce books. I enjoyed this one, but as much as some of the others in the series. This book focused a lot on what Flavia was thinking and feeling and her angst over changes in her family and circumstances, and didn't have as much of a mystery as the past books. I love Flavia and her wit, but I would have liked a bigger mystery component to the book.

Was this review helpful?

I've loved the Flavia deLuce novels for many years now and was excited to see this next installment appear on NetGalley! I'm wavering between 3 and 4 stars for this one. I truly enjoyed the murder plot in this one, with its usual array of twists and turns. Perhaps it is because I am a new mother and so this did not have my full attention, but never did I suspect the culprit this time! However, the hallmarks that I loved so much from the past novels - Flavia's constant interplay with her sisters and especially her time spent in her chemical laboratory - were severely lacking in this installment. I do hope the next one - as that ending clearly set us up for another! - beings back those elements.

Was this review helpful?

Wow where was this book when I was a young devote reader? Not published yet I guess, that being said wonderful book. This is part of a series featuring Flavia de Luce a young British snoop of an Agatha Christie/Sherlock Holmes blend. Her favorite thing to do is make chemistry concoctions and investigate things best left to adults. I will have to go back and read the rest of the series now. I was provided a preview copy of this book in e-format from Net-galley for an honest opinion in return. I will soon have my own blog up and going at Carolynreads.com

Was this review helpful?