WHAT TIME THE SEXTON’S SPADE DOTH RUST
A Flavia de Luce Mystery #11
By: Alan Bradley
Published: September 3, 2024
Publisher: Bantam
Mystery
In full honesty, I spent this summer trying to get caught up on all the Flavia de Luce books. I made it to #4 and a lot clearly happens between #4-#11. So, I was a bit in the dark on some of the things going on that were continuations from earlier parts of the series. I’m sure that affected part of my enjoyment of the book. But, Flavia was still her witty, spunky self. I was glad to see Gladys, her trusty bike, is still in working order.
“I have to admit that I’d been praying for ages to God, the Virgin Mary, and all the saints for a jolly good old-fashioned mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a girl a gift of science—of chemistry, to be precise—such as mine without giving her the opportunity to use it?”
As you can imagine, Flavia is still obsessed with death which of course is quite odd for an 11-12-year-old. When a local villager and former hangman (that was really a position?) is found dead, Mrs. Mullet, Flavia’s beloved housekeeper, is the first one questioned. Mrs. Mullet has been feeding him breakfast every morning and he may have died from poisonous mushrooms. Flavia, of course, has to get to the bottom of this case, even though she has been told numerous times to stay out of it.
“I was beginning to learn that when you’re bereaved, as I have been, you live in a shattered looking-glass world. Nothing is as it seems. I needed to focus: to pull myself back together into that single, intense, burning intelligence I once had been. And I needed to do it quickly.”
Flavia is grieving the death of her beloved father and makes some hasty decisions that put her in a bit of trouble. I had to quickly skim over quite a few pages of this section as it was difficult to read because her particular situation in the story is a major fear of mine. I even had a nightmare related to it. Of course, Flavia finds the murderer and informs the authorities, so all ends well. But, it was a little touch and go for a bit.
“It’s strange, isn’t it, how sadness is first detected by the nose? One would expect the eyes to lead the way, but it’s invariably the nose that triggers the earliest alarm. Sadness is much like smoke, I’ve decided: an odor raised at the very doorstep of the brain.”
I do think those who have loved the series will enjoy this one as well. Compared to the first four, it wasn’t my favorite, but that could be due to my own issues and not related to the story as a whole.
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Posted Under Alan Bradley, Book Review, Flavia de Luce series, mystery