Flavia returns!! The unusual 11 year old sleuth makes her third appearance in Alan Bradley’s latest mystery A Red Herring without Mustard.

After an encounter with a fortune-telling Gypsy at the village fair, Flavia escorts her to a spot on the Buckshaw estate where the Gypsy can spend the night in her wagon. Going back to check on her, Flavia discovers that the Gypsy has been beaten and thus the mystery begins. Flavia becomes embroiled in a puzzle involving stolen antiques, a missing infant, a body hanging from a statue and a pervasive “fishy” smell. Flavia uses her logic, intelligence, amazing chemistry skills and disarming manner to question villagers and irritate the local police–all while riding her bicycle around the 1950′s English countryside as she gathers clues. Her rivalries with her sisters continues and her reclusive father regards her with both amazement and bewilderment. A more vulnerable Flavia is also revealed as she wonders about the death of her mother and worries about the financial circumstances of her family. The story is filled with quirky characters, wit, humor and charm–a wonderful addition to this delightful series about a brave and spunky heroine, Flavia DeLuce.

The first book in this series is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, followed by The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag.