The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse by Alan Bradley

The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse

by Alan Bradley

A special eBook original short story, in which the eleven-year-old connoisseur of chemistry is immersed in her element: solving a mystery!

Murder! the letter says, Come at once. Anson House, Greyminster, Staircase No. 3. How can Flavia de Luce resist such an urgent plea? After all, examining a dead body sounds like a perfectly splendid way to spend a Sunday. So Flavia hops upon her trusted bicycle, Gladys, whose rubber tires hiss happily along the rainy road, and arrives at her father's mist-shrouded old school. There, a terrified boy leads her to the loo where, sitting in a bathtub, is what appears to be a statue. But, no: To Flavia's surprise, the thing is in fact a naked dead man. Save his face, he seems to have been carved out of copper. Never one to shy away from the macabre, Flavia gets to work-only to find that when an investigation begins with a metallic cadaver, ever more curious twists are to be expected.

Reviewed by Beth C. on

4 of 5 stars

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I miss my little friend when she's not available...so this short story was fun to read. I'm actually not much of a short story fan, but I find that when they related to characters I've already developed a fondness for, then it's sort of like having a small dessert every now and again.

This time, Flavia has been summoned from a student at the boy's school. Murder has already been done, but who is it? Can Flavia figure out the case and avoid getting caught? Since trouble tends to follow her like a shadow on a particularly sunny day, it's hard to imagine a successful end to the venture - but you'll just have to read on!

I'm hoping that this is not the last little interlude we get with the best chemist in England!

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  • Started reading
  • 30 December, 2014: Finished reading
  • 30 December, 2014: Reviewed