Mystery Annotation

Mystery Annotation

  

Author: Alan Bradley

Title: The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches: A Flavia de Luce Novel

Series: Flavia de Luce Mysteries, #6

ISBN: 978-0-385-34405-0

Genre: Mystery, Adult Books for Young Adults, Canadian Fiction

Publication Date: January 2014

Number of Pages: 336 p.

Other Formats: eBook, Audiobook

Geographical Setting: England; Europe

Time Period: 1951

Subject Headings:

De Luce, Flavia

Eleven-year-old girls

Fathers and daughters

Girl detectives

Girl scientists

Intelligence

Murder

Sisters

England

Plot Summary: The sixth installment in the Flavia de Luce mystery series picks up shortly where the last book, Speaking Among the Bones, left off: eleven-year-old amateur detective/chemist Flavia de Luce is awaiting the return of her long lost mother, Harriet, in early 1951 England. On this eagerly anticipated day, it seems that mystery and death cannot escape the precocious Ms. De Luce, as an unfortunate fatality occurs at a train station while waiting for her mother in her hometown of Bishop’s Lacey. Flavia sets forth to unravel this mystery, along with deeply buried secrets held within her own family, in this quickly-moving, climatic conclusion to the mystery of her mother, Harriet, and perhaps a new venture for the series itself.

Appeal

Pacing: Narrative momentum

Story: Plot-driven

Characters: Quirky, Colorful, Introspective

Setting: Detailed, Evocative, Sense of Place

Language: Narrative

Tone: Upbeat

Graphic Meter: Clean

Writing Style: Engaging; Witty

Read-Alikes

Fiction

Love and Murder by Gail Bowen

Both of these cozy mysteries have darker aspects, with family secrets affecting young girls. Preteen Flavia de Luce, the intrepid sleuth in Dead in Their Vaulted Arches and adult Joanne Kilbourn investigating Love and Murder make and resolve astonishing discoveries. – (Katherine Johnson)

Murder Among Us by Jonnie Jacobs

Though Vaulted Arches with its pre-teen sleuth occurs in postwar England, and Murder Among Us relates the investigations of a suburban mother in the 1990s Bay Area, both feature amateurs who must solve complex mysteries when the professionals fail. – (Katherine Johnson)

Eleven Pipers Piping by C. C. Benison

These English cozy mysteries revolve around secrets from the past that amateurs must solve in order to bring their worlds back into correct alignment. Both engaging narratives also feature charming village characters and include girls who have lost their mothers. – (Katherine Johnson)

Nonfiction

Dads and Daughters: How to Inspire, Understand, and Support Your Daughter When She’s Growing Up by Joe Kelly

This title will help readers who are interested in the father-daughter dynamic of Flavia and her father, Colonel de Luce.

Outrageous Fortune: Growing up at Leeds Castle by Anthony Russell

Russell, a descendent of British aristocrats describes his 1950s childhood at Leeds Castle and life in Britain during the 1950’s.

Try to Tell the Story by David Thomson

Film critic and historian Thomson describes his formative years growing up in South London during the 1940s and 1950s. He also explores the nature of family relationships, which will interest readers who were curious as to the relationships Flavia had with her sisters, aunt, and father.

Read a Preview Here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dead-Their-Vaulted-Arches/dp/0385344058

Reader User Reviews from GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17834904-the-dead-in-their-vaulted-arches