The marble tombs that rise on high,
Whose dead in vaulted arches lie,
Whose pillars swell with sculptured stones,
Arms, angels, epitaphs and bones,
These (all the poor remains of state)
Adorn the rich, or praise the great;
Who, while on earth in fame they live,
Are senseless of the fame they give.A Night-Piece on Death
~Thomas Parnell
It has been nearly five years since I fell in love with an apple-green book cover, and upon bringing it home, fell under the spell of a precocious eleven-year-old girl by the name of Flavia de Luce.
This solitary young girl, with a head for chemistry and a nose for mystery, discovered that she also had the uncanny ability to solve crimes, a discovery made when a dead body turned up outside the broken-down de Luce estate, Buckshaw.
Those familiar with Alan Bradley’s exceptional heroine will know that the further the series progressed, the less focused each novel became on the latest murder in the post-WWII village of Bishop’s Lacey. Instead the focus shifted to the greater overall mystery of the disappearance of Flavia’s mother, Harriet, in a climbing accident overseas, and the subsequent devastation that disappearance had wrought on the financial state and familial relationships of the de Luce family.
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, the sixth novel in the series, brings to a close a number of the ongoing story lines in the de Luce family history, and does so in the inimitable, satisfying fashion one would expect from an Alan Bradley novel.
It is nigh-impossible to discuss the latest Flavia de Luce novel without spoilers, both major and minor. I would suggest those unfamiliar with the series forgo reading any synopses of the works and instead allow themselves the pleasure of meeting young Flavia de Luce, her father, sisters, family cook and retainer and the other interesting characters of Bishop’s Lacey as their adventures unfold. I have awaited each of the subsequent novels released after The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie with great anticipation and have yet to experience anything but pure bliss. Beginning with the fourth novel in the series, I began checking out the audio versions of the books from my local library (while still purchasing each of the lovely hard covers for my own personal library). Jayne Entwistle is a superb narrator and I could not imagine experiencing the life of Flavia de Luce in any way other than through her interpretation.
After the jump my review will commence with potentially spoiler-laden material. If you have not finished The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, please resist the urge to click “more”. I will leave you by adjuring you to spend some time getting to know Flavia de Luce and her family. Alan Bradley has created a very special cozy mystery series, filled with memorable characters, plenty of surprises, and the kind of warm-glow satisfaction that you want to feel every time you turn the final page of a novel.
Continue reading The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches ~Alan Bradley
