On a spring morning in 1951, eleven-year-old chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce gathers with her family at the railway station, awaiting the return of her long-lost mother. Flavia is approached by a tall stranger who whispers a cryptic message into her ear. Moments later he is pushed under the train by someone in the crowd. Following a trail of clues, she unravels the deepest secrets of the de Luce clan, involving none other than Winston Churchill himself.
Finally, we find out what happened to Harriet, Flavia's long-lost but not forgotten mother Harriet. Harriet, although absent, has been a central character in all the Flavia de Luce novels to date. This book resolves one mystery in Flavia's life and sets her life on a new course.
In the last book and this one we see that Flavia is growing up, experiencing feelings that she does know how to handle. We will have to see if this new Flavia will be able to capture our attention as she has in the past.This review was originally posted on THE PFAEFFLE JOURNAL
