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293 pages / Finished books now available
RIGHTS SOLDUS: Delacorte Press, Nov 2011
US Audio: Random House
UK: Orion, Nov 2011
Canada: Doubleday, Nov 2011
N. American English Audio: Random House (US)
Japan: Tokyo Sogensha
Poland: Vesper
Netherlands: Sijthoff
Germany: Blanvalet
Romania: Editura Trei
Russia: AST Publishers
Bulgaria: AMG

(Photo: Jeff Bassett)
Alan Bradley is the internationally bestselling author of short stories, children’s stories, newspaper columns, and the memoir The Shoebox Bible. The Flavia de Luce mystery series has been sold in 35 territories and has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. The books have been bestsellers in Canada, the USA, Germany, Spain, Mainland China, Taiwan, Israel, and Holland, appearing on bestseller lists in The New York Times – where the first two books appeared simultaneously – and Der Spiegel – for four months. Alan Bradley lives in Malta with his wife and two calculating cats.
by Alan Bradley
THE CHRISTMAS GIFT BOOK OF 2011!
The fourth instalment of the Flavia de Luce mystery series
IT’S CHRISTMASTIME, AND THE PRECOCIOUS FLAVIA DE LUCE—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving—is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to trap Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luce’s decaying English estate, to begin shooting a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern. Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop’s Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern
perform, yet nobody is prepared for the evening’s shocking conclusion: the actress’s body found, past midnight, strangled to death by a length of film from one of her own movies. But who among the assembled guests would stage such a chilling scene? As the storm worsens and the list of suspects grows, Flavia must use every ounce of sly wit at her disposal to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight.
PRAISE FOR I AM HALF-SICK OF SHADOWS
“As in the past three works, Bradley gives a thrilling ride. … His writing is clear and memorably playful.” — THE GLOBE AND MAIL
“Flavia is an original.” — AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, CANBERRA
“The mystery is fascinating, the tiny bits of background on the de Luce’s compelling and Flavia, as always, the sort of heroine that makes a reader hope for an endless series of volumes, neatly lined up, always ready to read again.” — BOOKGEEKS UK
“Flavia de Luce is a mystery lover’s dream.” — DAILY HERALD, Chicago
“Flavia continues to delight.” — THE MONTREAL GAZETTE
“Flavia must use every ounce of her chemical cleverness and crime-solving prowess to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight.” — MCNALLY ROBINSON
“It’s a classic closed circle mystery, and Bradley executes it perfectly — Agatha Christie would be proud.” — ASSOCIATED PRESS
“This is a delightful read through and through. We find in Flavia an incorrigible and wholly lovable detective; from her chemical experiments in her sanctum sanctorum to her outrage at the idiocy of the adult world, she is unequaled.” — LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred review
“Another charming novel from Bradley … a perfect holiday gift.” — ShelfAwareness.com
“With its sharply drawn characters, including the hiss-worthy older de Luce sisters, and an agreeable puzzle playing out against the cozy backdrop of a British village at Christmas, this is a most welcome holiday gift for Flavia fans.” — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“That serial charmer Flavia, wreathed in Tennyson and Shakespeare.” — KIRKUS REVIEWS
THE MOST AWARD-WINNING BOOK OF ANY YEAR!
WINNER OF:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
The first novel in the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley
- Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel
- Barry Award for Best First Novel
- Agatha Award for Best First Novel
- Dilys Winn Award
- Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel
- Spotted Owl Award for Best Novel
- CWA Debut Dagger Award