Flavia de Luce is in her favorite spot, her chemistry lab, when a note arrives at the hands of Dogger, proclaiming Murder! and asking that she come immediately to Anson House, the boy’s school which her father attended in his younger days.
Never one to resist a mystery, or a dead body, Flavia summons Gladys and sets off immediately.
Upon her arrival she discovers a corpse in a bathtub and a very upset young boy.
Will she solve the mystery before the body is discovered by the authorities?
This is Flavia de Luce we are talking about.
Alan Bradley’s short story, featuring the beloved young sleuth, was released today and it is a nice little appetizer to consume while waiting for the newest novel, As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, due for release on January 6th.
The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse is a short story, emphasis on short. I suspect Amazon’s website will soon be flooded with low-star reviews complaining about paying 99 cents for a story that can be read in 15-20 minutes. These complaints always annoy me, simply because they often come off as if the person didn’t bother to read the description of the product, which clearly states it is a short story. I can accept that it is valid to discuss value for output when it comes to purchase prices for short fiction, we all have our own opinions about the value of short fiction, but it is not okay, in my book, to be an irresponsible consumer, purchase something without carefully reading the description, and then complain as if you were ripped off.
(Steps down from soap box)
I will eschew any further detailed discussion of the story itself as it truly is a short work and it would be heartless of me to ruin it for Flavia fans. Suffice it to say that it is a Flavia story. All the hallmarks of what make Flavia de Luce’s adventures so engaging are here. Do they work as effectively in a short story? Yes and no. Of necessity the mystery wraps up quickly, but then again Bradley gives us a mystery which fits well with a quick solution. But it is so fitting with who Flavia is that she would be present if a dead body in odd circumstances turned up in her village.
I was thrilled to see Gladys have a small part in the story. She is certainly one of my favorite non-human characters in fiction, and by far my favorite bicycle.
I had pre-ordered the short a few weeks back and was excited when it showed up on my Kindle. A brief interlude with Flavia and her remarkable brain was a fun addition to my day.
My rating: 7.5/10 stars. Fans of the series will enjoy this one.
I’m a huge fan of Bradley’s series, and I didn’t realize he had a short story out. Gotta love Flavia! And I totally agree with you. If you love an author’s work, paying 99 cents for a short story shouldn’t be a big deal, if you want to support him:-)
I only knew because I subscribed to Alan Bradley’s email list several years ago. It was the easiest way to get release dates for his new books.
And I don’t think there is anything wrong with someone feeling, and sharing, that even this story wasn’t worth what they paid for it to them. What I despise is reading comments/reviews where the person complains that they feel ripped off because it is obvious, from their comments, that they didn’t bother to read the description and just assumed they were getting a novel.
I’ve read the earlier books in this series and enjoyed them. Mixing science and mystery is always a treat when done well. And Alan Bradley does it well!
He does indeed. I love reading about the experiments she does and the ways in which various plants, chemicals, etc. interact when treated a specific way.
I didn’t know the next Flavia book would be out so quickly! How exciting that we have so little time to wait for her adventures on the other side of the pond 🙂
And this short story sounds like a fun way to relax after a tough winter workday.
I wish it was coming out before Christmas, as it would be a fun one to read/listen to over Christmas break. I’m assuming the publishing company wants to keep popular books like this for the first quarter to give them good first quarter sales numbers.
Sadly doesn’t appear to be available from Amazon in the UK yet…..
I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully that will be rectified soon.
Me too, or I may have to start a petition!!
Rock on!
I finally got around to requesting SWEETNESS AT BOTTOM OF PIE and the copy that came was so torn and dirty I took it back unread, and as untouched as possible. The librarian agreed the book should not be in circulation, but meanwhile I’m reading so many there things… so this series will have to – once again – wait.
I’ve seen some books like that at our library too. Makes me feel sad that they were treated so poorly, and sad that, probably because of funds, books in that shape remain in circulation.
How old is Flavia now? Have they aged her at all? I havent had the last book or this one…none of her books show up at the thrift shops 🙁
She will be twelve in the book that comes out in January.
I saw this mentioned on Twitter the other day and promptly forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder! I can’t wait for the new book.
I’m looking forward to it coming out, too. Won’t be long now. I’m excited to see where Bradley takes the series.
I have had the book for a few weeks and no it wasn’t a preview from the publisher.
Cool!