Item: Speaking from Among the Bones
Rating: 3.00
Author: whitney

by Alan Bradley

An ancient tomb...a very modern murder

When the tomb of St Tancred is opened, no one expects to find the body of the organist, lying in a pool of blood, his handsome features covered by a gas mask.

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce is intrigued. Why would anyone want to kill the much-admired organist in such a brutal and bizarre fashion?

Why place his body in the tomb? And what happened to the remains of the previous occupant?

The mystery leads Flavia deep into the past, to a strange story of lost manuscripts and ancient relics...

Praise for the historical Flavia de Luce mysteries:
'The Flavia de Luce novels are now a cult favourite' Mail on Sunday

'A cross between Dodie Smith's I Capture The Castle and the Addams family...delightfully entertaining' Guardian

Fans of M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin, Frances Brody and Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy the Flavia de Luce mysteries:
1. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard
4. I Am Half Sick of Shadows
5. Speaking From Among the Bones
6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
7. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust
8. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd
9. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place

If you're looking for a cosy crime series to keep you hooked then look no further than the Flavia de Luce mysteries.

* Each Flavia de Luce mystery can be read as a standalone or in series order *

I have loved the Flavia de Luce novels in the past but found Speaking From Among the Bones to be lackluster. I didn't feel like there was much of a mystery element as there has been previously. Alan Bradley seemed to go off on tangents and thought the death of Mr. Collicutt took a backseat only to be reminded of it at the novel's end.

Even so, the tangents gave more of a backstory and better understanding of the de Luce clan, with a conclusion that had me saying "no, this can't be the end!".

Overall, it was a decent novel but thought Speaking From Among the Bones was more filler than mystery.

Speaking from Among the Bones (Flavia de Luce, #5)

by Alan Bradley

Reviewed by Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews on Jul 7, 2013

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