The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches - A Flavia de Luce Novel

Every time Alan Bradley writes I am on pins and needles until I can get my hands on his latest! The newest in the series does not disappoint! I love it....hated it to end! What's next for Flavia? Stay tuned!

I really hate giving any Flavia book such a low rating but this one was a bit of a mess. The plot was choppy and dull. It felt like the author is rebooting the series and taking it in a direction that I am not sure that I am going to like. I am disappointed as this has been one of my favorite series.

Just loved it! Anxious for more! Flavia is charming and wonderful. Alan Bradley really brings Buckshaw to life with his descriptive passages. I just hope Flavia keeps Undine out of her lab while she is in Canada.

I do not fit the age criteria for Bradley's wonderful Flavia De Luce series-I'm an old lady, but I thoroughly enjoyed every one of his books and looked forward to reading each new book that came out. I ADORED everyone of them EXCEPT this one.

What happened Alan? Is this the end for Flavia?

Bradley clearly ran out of steam on this one. Too sad as I was anxiously waiting for my "pre-paid" copy to arrive so that I could immerse myself in the trials and tribulations of one of my favorite characters Flavia De Luce.

I am however, looking forward to the TV series coming out in 2015.

Read it if you are a fan, but be prepared for disappointment.

I loved Flavia. I found this book disappointing. There were leads that lead nowhere. The title had no relevance. Flavia did not get a chance to unfreeze her mother. Damn! The bad aunt really didn't do anything so bad in this book and her daughter had no real role. Come on Alan Bradley, get a good editor, work harder and give us another book like the others.

It's a wonderful series & the last book is well deserving of the praise it has received. Flavia is first seen as a precocious child with a penchant for chemistry and solving murders. The development of her character is quite a treat and this book explains all the family's shadows and de Luce skeletons in the closet. Enjoy!

I read her former de Luce books and they had charm and substance - especially the first few. This plot is unlikely - a 12 year old believing she can resurrect the dead- and the unsatisfactory ending. I think he wrote himself into a corner and could not think of a solution.

This series is one of the few I purchase immediately at full price. This may not have been the very best of the Flavia deLuce series but I laughed and cried as usual. I love Flavia and Harriet the bicycle. Who doesn't love a bike named Harriet??

Of all the books in the series, this one was the best. The entire series was great but Mr. Bradley saved the best for the last book. I highly recommend this series to anyone, young to old.

The overview of these books calls Flavia a precocious 11 year old, I disagree. I would instead call her determined 11 year old with some problems with boundries.

Whatever you do, keep a dictionary handy. This author has a fabulous vocabulary.

As much as I have loved intrepid Flavia, this represented the end of the novel series. Far fetched, more improbable than usual, with a contrived conclusion, after a plethora of introspection not typical of a scientific mind.

what a disappointment nothing made sense -a terrible end to a wonderful series -I guess the friend that died that helped inspire these books was not there to ilnspire a better resolution-- Flavia would not have ended this way

This book was just not up to the quality that I had come to expect in this series. I had the sense that the author was just rushing through to answer the question -- how did Flavia's mother die? Parts of it were actually macabre. For a reader who hasn't read any other books in this series, don't judge them by this one.

Of all the books in the series, this one was the best. The entire series was great but Mr. Bradley saved the best for the last book. I highly recommend this series to anyone, young to old.

The overview of these books calls Flavia a precocious 11 year old, I disagree. I would instead call her determined 11 year old with some problems with boundries.

Whatever you do, keep a dictionary handy. This author has a fabulous vocabulary.

As much as I have loved intrepid Flavia, this represented the end of the novel series. Far fetched, more improbable than usual, with a contrived conclusion, after a plethora of introspection not typical of a scientific mind.

what a disappointment nothing made sense -a terrible end to a wonderful series -I guess the friend that died that helped inspire these books was not there to ilnspire a better resolution-- Flavia would not have ended this way

This book was just not up to the quality that I had come to expect in this series. I had the sense that the author was just rushing through to answer the question -- how did Flavia's mother die? Parts of it were actually macabre. For a reader who hasn't read any other books in this series, don't judge them by this one.

I read the previous ones several times over and was really looking forward to have the cliffhanger of "Harriet has been found" resolved.
Hmmm. Very hmmmm.
The other books were fun, full of lovable excentrics, story driven writing, a seriously weird heroine that could give Pippi Longstocking some advice..... great reads.
This one? Hmmmmm, very hmmmm.
Feels like he lost the plot somehow. This is not a story as such, but some pieces that got squeezed into a frame and then were called book. Nothing really hangs together. Too many new figures show up that are not really connected, they are just supposed to be.

It really feels like he got the big story going and now somehow feels he got to continue writing, even though he has got nothing to write about at the moment. So the book is a filler.

If this had been the first one of the Flavia books, he would not have found a publisher.
I doubt I'll read any more in this series.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. But Bradley's new book contains a disturbing attempt by Flavia to bring her mother back to life--then has Flavia suddenly abandon her attempt, leaving her chemicals behind the casket and blithely going about her other business. This ruined the rest of the book for me.

The most disappointing work of a very talented writer. It might be worthwhile to not force the author to write a book a year...his first book took him over fifty years to write! I have had the pleasure to read all of his books and found them to be most enjoyable. This book lacked the charm of the characters, countryside, and foibles of village life.

At the beginning of "The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches," the new Flavia de Luce novel, a man is pushed under a moving train and killed. This being a mystery, we have every reason to believe that Flavia, amateur detective that she is, will move heaven and Earth to uncover the killer tout suites. But by page 133 she's done nothing of the kind. She writes, in fact, "I hadn't forgotten the man under the train's wheels -- how could I? But I simply hadn't had time to think about him." What's preoccupying Flavia is a family matter that I can't get into without giving away too many of the book's secrets. What I will say is that the deemphasis on solving the murder gives this particular de Luce book a lopsided feel that isn't righted until its last 50 pages or so. And as much as I was satisfied with the ending, it was almost too little too late. Although "too little" doesn't come close to describing the incendiary device author Alan Bradley sets off, ostensibly blowing this charming series to smithereens. Not that I'm not curious to see where the pieces land. Who knows, Bradley's plans may be just the kind of reinvigoration Flavia's tale needs to keep us riveted well into her teens. She continues to be a precocious delight, but one with whom I find myself getting more and more impatient.

Faithful readers of my blog will know that I absolutely adore this series by Canadian Alan Bradley. I have been eagerly awaiting the sixth entry.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches marks the return of Bradley's eleven year old sleuth - the intrepid, indefatigable, indomitable Flavia de Luce!

Flavia, her two older sisters and her father live at Buckshaw, a crumbling old mansion near the village of Bishop's Lacey, England. She's incredibly bright, with a passion for concocting and distilling poisons in a forgotten wing of the estate. She also has a propensity for happening upon dead bodies. Besides her lab, her greatest joy comes from solving 'whodunit'. If she can solve it ahead of the local constabulary, all the better!

Minutes before he finds his maker, courtesy of the train at Buckshaw Halt, a mysterious stranger approaches Flavia and desperately asks her to "Tell your father that the Gamekeeper is in jeopardy. He'll understand. I must speak to him. Tell him that the Nide is under - "

Over the last five books, Bradley has slowly been surely dropping hints about Harriet, Flavia's mother, who disappeared many years ago when Flavia was just a baby. There are few cracks in Flavia's armour, but the loss of her mother is one. Bradley finally reveals the answers to Harriet's whereabouts and in The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, takes the story to places I didn't see coming (But that I am very excited about!)

Why do I love this series so much? The time period, the crumbling mansion, the poky village and all of it's quirky inhabitants. All of the characters are wonderfully drawn, but it is Flavia and her busy little mind who captures me.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...."Flavia is one of the most endearing, captivating, curious, beguiling, precocious characters I've ever discovered in the pages of a book."

I love her view of the world - here are a few 'Flavia-isms'....

"I counted to eleven, partly because it was my age (although not for much longer) and partly because eleven seconds seemed to me a perfect balance between awe and insolence."

"One of the marks of a truly great mind, I had discovered, is the ability to feign stupidity on demand."

"As I have mentioned before, it has been my experience that a prolonged silence has the same effect as a W.C. plunger when it comes to unclogging a stuck conversation."

But, despite her talents, she is still a little girl. Bradley has fleshed out her character beyond her talents with poisons and her brilliant mind. Because, after all that she is still a lonely, little girl whose best friends are Dogger, the family retainer and Gladys - her bicycle. Flavia unconsciously transfers and attributes many of her own feelings to Gladys.

"There was nothing that excited Gladys more than sneaking out the back way. We had performed that maneuver together on many occasions, and I think she took a certain naughty delight in having the opportunity to do it again. She gave a tiny squeak of pleasure and I hadn't the heart to reprimand her."

" I thought of her sitting home alone, wondering why I had forsaken her. Although Gladys loved nothing better than whizzing hell-for-leather down hills, she loathed being shoved up them. It made both of us cranky."

See what I mean? I love her! I wanted to be Nancy Drew and Harriet the Spy when I was younger. I devoured each and every book and carried around my own notebook full of observations and clues. Flavia will appeal to all ages, but I like imagining myself in her eleven year old shoes.

Absolutely, positively recommended! If you haven't read any of this series yet, I encourage you to start at the beginning. For established Flavia fans - you won't be disappointed. And like me, you'll be counting down the days until the seventh book is released!

Flavia has a fan club - and of course I'm a member! (Also, the UK is making this series into a television program in 2015)

I am a huge fan of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series of cozy mysteries.

Set in the 1950s countryside with the aristocratic de Luce family in danger of losing their longtime home and estate of Buckshaw, it is hard not to become fond of the genius and Chemistry whiz that is Flavia de Luce. Flavia's nearly twelve years old in this, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, the 5th book in the series. Flavia's the third and youngest daughter of Harriet and Colonel de Luce and has been raised and educated at home by a series of tutors and governesses, watched over by her war damaged father, two beautiful and preoccupied older sisters, the caring staff, and Dodger - her close friend and her father's man during WWII.

Buckshaw has been owned and held by the de Luce family estate since William the Conqueror, but the unexpected disappearance of Flavia's mother, Harriet de Luce, has brought with it crippling estate taxes. It becomes apparent that Colonel de Luce is not particularly financially savvy and although the earlier novels show his and Dodger's talents, it is likely that Buckshaw will eventually be sold to cover the family's tax bill and expenses.

Buckshaw itself is an amazing place which we learn about through young Flavia's eyes. Flavia'd discovered a state of the art and well stocked chemistry lab that was initially organized by Uncle Tarquin. Through her insatiable curiosity, burgeoning chemistry skills and the invaluable handwritten journals that Tarquin has compiled, Flavia clearly shows hereof to be on par with the best chemists of her day. It's these skills, her powers of deduction and observation that make this young heroine one of the best sleuths of her day and both an invaluable aid and bit of a pest to the inspectors of her area and of Scotland Yard.

Unlike the earlier novels, this particular installment of the de Luce mysteries doesn't focus on a mysterious death of a stranger. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches deals more with the mystery of Harriet de Luce and her disappearance.

For those who haven't read any of the Flavia de Luce novels, you have to read the books in order, but I highly recommend this series!

I had a hate/love relationship with the first book in this series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, I read it I hated it then I waited about a year and then re-read it and needless to say I loved it enough to read the rest in this series.

So as the characters are saying goodbye to Flavia's mother, Harriet, we as readers are slowly saying goodbye to Flavia and it was tough there for a bit for there was quite a few reminiscing moments in the book especially with all the different characters that dropped in that were in this or that book and then of course you have the residents of Bishops Lacey, all of whom are attending Harriet's funeral/wake. Sometimes a particular character can just grow on someone and Flavia grew on me. Tear! Winston Churchill even rode the funeral train down from London. While at the train station a man approaches Flavia with a message to give to her father and then as they all go to leave to head back to the house a tragic accident occurs and the man is run over by the train. Was he pushed? Did he jump? Was it just a tragic accident? Wrapped in grief Flavia fights with her conscience not to care about solving this case while her mother is not even buried yet but she is finding it extremely hard.

Okay so Flavia gets the brilliant idea to break into her mother's coffin in order to reanimate her. What?! Yep, another tear that is just so like Flavia thinking the impossible is possible with a little chemistry. Needless to say the whole break-in is atrocious but Flavia does find the last will and testament of her mother on her persons but is interrupted before she can try out her reanimation experiment on her mother and unfortunately there is not another chance for her to try. Clues however start pouring in to why it was that her mother was away and where she was at in that critical first year of Flavia's life and soon Flavia realizes that there was more there than what met the eye and that her mother didn't die in an accident but instead was murdered and that that very murder was among the guests of the de Luce family for the funeral of Harriet. But don't worry Flavia always gets her man or woman.

It wasn't hard to deduce before Flavia revealed it who the murderer/traitor actually was and I don't like that in a book but I think that is the single fault I could find with it. I thought Alan Bradley wrote a most spectacular ending for Flavia.

I thought Flavia #1 was abolsutely brilliant but I was sorely disappointed in #2 and so have not raced to read #'s 3, 4, or 5 since then...but, I could not pass on an opportunity to read #6 via a NetGalley ARC. I'm so glad I did.

The author redeemed himself in what I liked least about #2: the murder/mystery in #2 didn't occur until quite deep into the book, so our intrepid 12-year old chemist/detective didn;t have much to do...here, in #6, a murder - with tantalizing last words - occurs in just the first few pages. Still, the heart of the book still drifts a bit, so that the inciting incident sometimes becomes an afterthought; but the meat of the book is buoyed by some great characters including a near-match for Flavia in the know-it-all Undine, and the murder(s) is/are wrapped up at the end. I'm a chemist by training and profession, but even I think there was a bit too much exposition/"data dump" in some of the chemical/scientific aspeects that the author wanted to get across. The tight-lips among the erstwhile spies in post-WWII England is intriquing and the theme of loyalty to family and country is inspiring.

The absolute best part of this book, though, is the last 50-75 pages...it is one of the best endings I have read in a long time...the payoff for sticking with the story was wonderful: I was literally in tears from the sadness, sweetness, surprises, and comedy that ensues, and he has set us up brilliantly for new adventures for Flavia away from Buckshaw.

Flavia is in top form in this book with a shar tongue and wit and I am sure I'll be adding some favorite quotes here on GoodReads.

Highly Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley/Delacorte Press/Random House for the advance copy for review.

The sixth book in the Flavia De Luce book, THE DEAD IN THEIR VAULTED ARCHES will be released on Tuesday, January 14. Fans will not be disappointed in this latest book which answers some questions about the De Luce Family history.
No matter what dastardly crime Flavia is currently investigating, the heart of the series is the mystery of her family. From her father's imprisonment in a Japanese prisoner of war camp to her mother's mysterious death to the strange animosity between Flavia and her sisters, there are mysteries aplenty.
This series is set in England in the early 1950's. Flavia is a preteen chemistry prodigy lots of free time and little supervision.
The books have a bittersweet feel, brimming with both humor and poignant revelations. The sixth book continues in this vein when the body of Harriet De Luce is finally discovered and returned to the family estate, Buckshaw.
Friends and family gather to pay their respects. A stranger appears with a cryptic message. Mere moments later he is killed. What is the great De Luce family secret and does it have something to do with both the stranger's and Harriet's death?
Of course you'll have to read the book to find out. Flavia has quickly become a favorite of mystery lovers, myself included. This is a series that should be read in order. If you haven't read a Flavia De Luce book yet, do not start here. Go back to the first book, THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE. Even better listen to the audiobooks. Narrator Jayne Entwistle brings Flavia to life.
If you are already a fan of Flavia get set for a new treat. THE DEAD IN THEIR VAULTED ARCHES will not disappoint!

This was another one of my library guesses that really paid off. In fact, it's really gotten me thinking about what I can do for my next book(s). I'm excited!

Stats: 307 pages, audio (which a did and recommend) 7 discs or 8 hours.

Genre: Flavia de Luce mystery series #6

Blurb: (Goodreads) On a spring morning in 1951, eleven-year-old chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce gathers with her family at the railway station, awaiting the return of her long-lost mother, Harriet. Yet upon the train's arrival in the English village of Bishop's Lacey, Flavia is approached by a tall stranger who whispers a cryptic message into her ear.
Moments later, he is dead, mysteriously pushed under the train by someone in the crowd...
Who was this man, what did his words mean, and why were they intended for Flavia? Back home at Buckshaw, the de Luces' crumbling estate, Flavia puts her sleuthing skills to the test.
Following a trail of clues sparked by the discovery of a reel of film stashed away in the attic, she unravels the deepest secrets of the de Luce clan, involving none other than Winston Churchill himself.
Surrounded by family, friends, and a famous pathologist from the Home Office - and making spectacular use of Harriet's beloved Gypsy Moth plane, Blithe Spirit - Flavia will do anything, even take to the skies, to land a killer.

What I liked: One of the best things of this book (but just one) was the narrator, Jayne Entwistle. The CD back says she is based in LA, but from her wonderful accent, I can't believe she didn't grow up in England. She was a wonderful Flavia. The book itself is worth picking up. The story was good, with a few exceptions, but the writing was wonderful. I'm a new Alan Bradley fan. I was constantly wondering how he knew so much of the lingo of the English, especially since this is set in 1950 or 51 depending on what you read. The bio on goodreads of Bradley says he's from Canada. Again, I can't believe it. He's got the so much English lingo and slang in the book it's hard to believe he's not from across the pond. I really enjoyed the visualization of Flavia going up in the Gipsy Moth - an old English plane. Through the whole book he's got the 11 year old girl character down pat. Anyway, it's a very entertaining read and I'd recommend it.

What I didn't like: I don't want to give too much away but Flavia has a scheme to bring her dead mother back to life. She is thwarted (thankfully) but I think it's unreal that she isn't upset or doesn't try to try it a second time when she has to stop. If she really thought she could do this (and it seemed like she did) she would not stop until she was pulled, fingers digging in the casket's side, away from her mother. But the author just has her give up without a fight. And what's with that title. I imagine there is a reason for it, but I must be too ignorant to get it. Also, she hands her father a will her mother wrote, which she found in the sealed casket. How did you find this? Where did it come from? Her father doesn't run after her after Flavia gives it to him and leave the room. Again - unbelievable for a morning husband not to want answers to these questions.

Rate: 4/5 . I'll be reading book one of the Flavia de Luce series (The Sweetness of the Bottom of the Pie) for sure!

I loved the protagonist, nearly twelve and wise beyond her years-yet not as wise as she believes. This book celebrates girl’s and women’s intellect, courage, and daring. In addition, the author peppers his pages with the choicest of language, so pitch-perfect that the reader rests, rolls, and revels in it. Well, at least this reader did.

Vaulted arches picks up right where the last book in the Flavia series left off, with the body of Flavia’s lost mother Harriet returning home for burial. The mystery kicks off right away, with a strange man getting pushed in front of the funeral train after delivering a cryptic message.

Most of the story, however, focuses on Flavia’s attempts to deal with burying a mother she never knew. Flavia being Flavia, she of course turns to chemistry for comfort, although it’s never made clear whether her far-fetched plan to resurrect her mother was ever serious.

The mystery is unfortunately on the back-burner here, and comes off as a bit rushed at the end. There’s a bit of spy/espionage stuff that comes off a bit too unbelievable. I still enjoyed most of it, and it seems to close a chapter in the series while also setting up Flavia for future adventures. The ending seems to imply more of the espionage aspects popping up again, and it will be interesting to see where Bradley takes his precocious heroine in the future.

Three and half stars

(If you're new to the Flavia DeLuce series, don't start here. Go back to any other book in he series, but don't read this one. If you've read the others and haven't read The Dead in their Vaulted Arches yet, you really don't want to be reading reviews first, ok?)

It's hard to choose a star-rating for the latest Flavia deLuce installment. It's a good read. It's just not part of the world of Flavia that we've become used to.

Until now, the series has followed a pretty steady recipe-- Flavia is involved in the discovery of a body, Flavia skirts the authorities and uses chemistry and imagination to solve the crime, Flavia hands it over to the police and fights with her sisters some more. It's imaginative and ridiculous and keeps you coming back. The previous installment (Speaking from Among the Bones) was definitely one of the better books in the series.

This book most definitely does not follow the recipe of its prequels. While there are some long, drawn-out chemistry scenes (such as the developing of film that seems like it will never end), Flavia does little to investigate the murder(s) at hand. It's much more of a contemplative book, exploring the deLuce family and delving deeply (but not quite deeply-enough to make sense) into an even more far-fetched world than we've grown used to. To be honest, the family background that is set up is a bit too much of a twist. What's more... the author makes it clear with these changes that we won't be seeing any more books from the old recipe. Sure, it couldn't last forever... but the new, improved Flavia deLuce is pretty much going to be part of an entirely different genre. If the author even continues her story, which isn't yet clear, I'm not sure it will draw the same audience.

That being said, the book is not a BAD read, and it's definitely necessary to read this one if you've been following the series thus far... even if only to say goodbye to the world of Buckshaw and the 11-year old chemist-detective that we've grown to love.

Kudos to Mr. Bradley for yet another wonderful Flavia de Luce novel! The brightest chemist/detective of her age, Flavia is yet again investigating a murder perpetrated on the very day her mother's body is finally being returned after being lost in Tibet for 10 years.

Bradley has imagined for us a 12-year old girl who has no peers. Raised in a secluded manor house by a reclusive father, Flavia keeps herself occupied in her great uncle's chemistry lab. With only her two snarky older sisters for company, it's little wonder that she chooses dusty tomes and inventive (if sometimes dangerous) experiments to stimulate her keen mind.

Flavia is a budding Miss Marple, following clues and her own conjectures to beat the local constabulary and, in this case, the British secret service, to solve a decade-old mystery and uncover a spy in their midst. She is truly a force to be reckoned with and a delight to read about.

I highly recommend this book to any mystery lover, or to those who just enjoy a humorous, well-crafted story.

The Dead In Their Vaulted Arches
by
Alan Bradley

My thoughts...my words...my feelings...

I haven't read any of these beloved Flavia books in quite a while. I love reading them in order and I suddenly stopped after the third book. I might have been reading them in succession and then needed a break. Nevertheless...I am reading this one now. I normally love reading series books in order...but...I picked up this one without reading the two before it. I would not recommend doing this if you are new to this series but if you are familiar with it...you will not have a problem...I didn't!

This book begins by bringing...finally...Harriet home. Harriet is the mother whom Flavia has never met. She was an adventurer. Harriet's story was that she died in the Himalayan mountains and her frozen body was just found and brought home. In the ten years that she has been gone...Buckshaw...the family home...is crumbling...literally falling apart. There is no will...no money and dilapidated Buckshaw finally has to be for sale.

The heart of this book is Flavia de Luce. Her quirkiness, her experiments, the chemistry lab that she loves in the far recesses of this stately shabby home...these are things that make Flavia who she is. Her father is aloof, her sisters rather cruel...Flavia is on her own with her own thoughts...most of the time. She has troubled Dogger...her father's servant...to chat with and her hen...but most of the time she is on her own.

Trouble begins the moment Harriet's coffin is unloaded from the train. A tall man gives an odd message to Flavia about pheasants and a Gatekeeper...moments later he is dead.

Flavia is keen to decipher what pheasant sandwiches and the "Gatekeeper"meant to her mother...secrets are revealed and a tumultuous ending takes place in church on the day of Harriet's funeral.

Anything else that I say about the incidents in this book...would truly spoil it for readers.

I genuinely loved this book. It is chock full of delightful dialogue and quirky characters. Flavia's sisters...Daffy and Feely...are irritating and obnoxious. Her father remains aloof but is more emotional in this book than any of the others I have read. Dogger...I love Dogger and the way he is with Flavia. Aunt Felicity...totally marvelous. But the heart of this book is Flavia herself. The baby who never knew her amazing mother but who turns out to be more like Harriet than anyone could ever imagine. Long standing secrets are finally revealed.

This sixth book in the cozy mystery series featuring 11-year-old chemist-and-sleuth Flavia de Luce opens as Flavia and her family are at the train station waiting for the return of the body of her mother Harriet, who had been lost while on a mountaineering trip ten years earlier when Flavia was only a year old. A mysterious stranger approaches her and whispers a cryptic message, but he falls or is pushed under the wheels of the train before he can finish his warning. Despite her natural preoccupation with the enigma of a mother she never knew, Flavia cannot resist trying to solve this mystery as she also explores the mystery of her mother’s life and death.
As the story unfolds, readers are treated to a collection of odd characters, including some new family members, Flavia’s aunt Lena and cousin Undine (a Flavia-in -training), as well as the familiar cast members such as family retainer Dogger, who had been in a prisoner-of-war camp with Flavia’s father, and Mrs. Mullet, the loyal housekeeper. We also learn the usual occasional interesting chemical trivia, such as the history of the discovery of vitamin B1 as an antidote to nerve poisoning caused by a diet too dependent on white rice. In short, all the elements that have made this series very popular are still here.
The setting of the Flavia books signals “whimsy” loud and clear, and there is plenty of that in The Dead in their Vaulted Arches. I especially enjoy the “character” of Gladys, Flavia’s trusty bicycle and, at times, seemingly her only friend. As the series has developed and Flavia’s character has achieved more depth, however, she increasingly evokes feelings of sympathy rather than simply comedy, especially beginning in book three, A Red Herring without Mustard. This more serious tone reaches its height in the current book in poignant passages such as the one where Flavia acknowledges “sudden terrifying glimpses into the world of being an adult” and compares her family to a set of “stone chessmen. Father, the checkmated king…Feely and Daffy, the rooks, the two remote towers at the distant corners of our castle world….And me: Flavia de Luce. Pawn.”
Bradley never lets the reader get too far from a smile, though, as when Flavia is feeling especially downcast by her father’s aloofness and concludes, “I needed to be alone….The only thing for it was to go to my laboratory and do something constructive with strychnine.”
The book and the series do an excellent job of creating the sense of the era in which it is set, not too surprising since the author, like Flavia, was 11 years old in 1950, albeit in Canada rather than in a decaying stately home in merry England, but it is pure fantasy rather than realism, a joyous throwback to the golden age of classic British mystery. It is great fun to enter this fantasy and to explore Flavia’s rambling ancestral mansion and the intricacies of her deceased Uncle Tar’s chemistry set, where she retreats to escape the real world. Be warned, however, that for maximum enjoyment readers should stifle the urge to think too analytically. Not everything is explained fully in the book, such as how Inspector Hewitt discovered the identity of the killer or why he chose a highly inappropriate time to make his arrest.
The Dead in their Vaulted Arches is the final book of the originally planned six-volume series. At the end, Bradley closes some doors and opens some others. Given how the series has evolved so far, I do not know what to expect in what is apparently going to be a four-book follow-on, but I do know I’ll be eagerly looking forward to Flavia’s further forays.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley is a highly recommended transitional novel that marks both an ending and a beginning for Flavia.

At the end of the last novel, Speaking from Among the Bones, it was known that Flavia's mother, Harriet de Luce, was coming home. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches opens in 1951 with Flavia and her family are awaiting the return of her long lost mother at the train station in this 6th Flavia de Luce novel. It is clear at the start that her mother's body is arriving, bringing much needed closure since her mother has been missing for over 10 years. But even during this somber and solemn time, a mystery presents itself when a stranger whispers an odd message, “the Gamekeeper is in jeopardy” to Flavia and is killed shortly afterwards. And what does Winston Churchill's odd comment to Flavia mean?

Flavia is the precocious almost 12 year old sleuth in this series of YA novels set in England. A chemistry prodigy, Flavia continues to share her incredible knowledge while solving the mysteries that are swirling around her. There is a little less interaction with her sisters this time around.

Since this is the sixth book in the series most readers will already be acquainted with Flavia and her proclivities and investigative skills. I will admit that I was less enchanted with Flavia in her first book (I found her annoying). I like her much better now, later in the series. This was a great addition to the franchise of books, but is also a transitional book. By the end of the book it is clear that changes are in store for Flavia, changes which can only enhance future escapades. And make no mistake, clearly there will be future adventures and mysteries for her to solve.

I am not giving The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches my highest rating simply because of the transitional nature of this story.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Random House via Netgalley for review purposes.

This excellent entry in the Flavia de Luce series takes us through the return of Flavia's mother to her home and family. The author, Alan Bradley, does an amazing job of showing us the inner workings in the mind of a young girl, nearly twelve years old, revealing her transition from child into the early stages of being a grown-up. He also alludes to how the family tradition will continue in the budding personality that is emerging. What a unique and amazing family he has created, with Flavia and her mother being truly outstanding characters.

Throughout this book, Bradley is able to capture the myriad of emotions anyone goes through during the days leading up to and during a funeral; how family, friends, and neighbors react to each other in different ways during a time of shared yet diverse levels of grief. He concludes with a surprising reveal of a most unexpected murderer and their demise. The funeral scene alone is a stunning piece of writing, creating a moving scene worthy of Shakespeare himself. "Ta-ra-ra BOOM-de-ay" indeed!

After all the build-up, we finally get the answer to the questions about Harriet - who she was, why she left, and how she died. But, sadly, this book wasn't as satisfying as it could have been. It was more disjointed than his previous Flavia stories. Flavia seemed to lack interested in the murder (although, having her mother's body resting down the hall might have had something to do with this), and even her scheme to raise her mother from the dead was quickly abandoned - very unFlavia like. There also seemed to be some discontinuities, which I won't mention here to prevent Spoilers. But they bothered me.
Despite all this, this book still delivered. We learned, as Flavia did, about who she is - and who she will be. And in the end, Bradley's work isn't a serious of murder mysteries but a study of a precocious 11-year-old genius, who loves chemistry, solving mysteries, and her broken and wounded family.

(Caution: Minor spoilers).There was a shift in Flavia in this book. The Dead in their Vaulted Arches is much less a who done it this time around. Flavia and her inner dialogue as well as family relationships are front and center this time around. I felt like a ton of loose threads from previous books were finally brought into the picture and made sense of the weird de Luce family psychology. Revelations about Harriet, Dogger, Haviland and Aunt Felicity drop major bombs onto Flavias head. The de Luce family has members who have gone to the Dark Side?

Major Spoiler: There is a huge shift in Flavia's understanding of her family and her duty to them. And omg... her mothers will!!

Totally different from all of Alan Bradley's other Flavia de Luce novels. The dead bodies don't really factor much into this one.

Here's what my wife has to say:
"There are not enough stars to rate this book accurately!
If this book were a dessert, it would be my dream multi-layer strawberry shortcake/tiramisu hybrid, with all the freshest and most flavorful ingredients. It is delicious reading.
I've enjoyed other book series but never one such as this, in which the thrill of the story intensifies with each volume. Flavia, our tenacious eleven-year-old chemistry prodigy is back to her observant ways that characterized the first four books. However, in the last book "Speaking From Among The Bones," her family story line moves into the front seat and unfolds in ways I certainly never foresaw. It continues in this volume. Bradley is remarkably consistent in his representation of Flavia's marvelous dichotomy: her childish reasoning and sensitivities, and her precocious insight and skills in the lab.
This book delves further into the losses in Flavia's family. However, it's not overall a sad book. In fact, I found it very hopeful overall. I found it gripping both because of the suspense involved, but also because of how deeply invested I am with these characters.
My biggest difficulty in this book is the departure Bradley takes in allowing Flavia's desperate hopefulness to override her normally scientific mindset in a scheme to undo what cannot be undone. I'm being too conservative here, but I refuse to dance among spoilers. Anyway, this flaw in Flavia's scientific logic only underscores the neediness of her eleven-year-old heart, and makes us love her all the more.
Toward the beginning of the book, we have a glancing introduction to mysterious stranger on a train platform, as Flavia's family and village await her mother's return. As the story progresses, this guy begins to seem inconsequential, but when Flavia learns de Luce family secrets they shed light on much more this one man's role. Flavia's world suddenly becomes enormous. I'll leave it at that. Read the book. You won't be disappointed."

If you haven't read the previous Flavia de Luce novels, I don't recommend reading this one yet. The series, beginning with THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE is best read in chronological order.
If you have been following Flavia's adventures, THE DEAD AND THEIR VAULTED ARCHES does a fine job tying up all the loose ends and answering the many unanswered questions.
The story opens with the arrival of Flavia's mother, Harriet, arrived home after disappearing in Tibet ten years previously. We read about the effect of her return on many people in addition to her immediate family The story behind her disappearance is told as is the reason that Daffy and Finny are so mean to Flavia.
At the train station for her mother's arrival, a man comes up to Flavia, tells her to tell her father "the Gamekeeper is in jeopardy...and the Nide is under..." as her sister pulls her away. The man then falls or is pushed on the track and is killed by the train. He and his death provide clues about Harriet's disappearance.
Flavia continues with her chemical experiments with mixed results.
And two new characters, de Luca relatives, appear. One of them, Undine, a precocious and undisciplined child, gets on Flavia's nerves (in many ways she seems like a younger version of Flavia) and, if there is to be more to this series or another series, may play a prominent role in it.
THE DEAD AND THEIR VAULTED ARCHES was a well-written, satisfying book. It was based at home more than the previous ones but that was necessitated by the plot. The ending was quite unexpected.

This is the sixth in the FLAVIA DE LUCE series of novels. The series focuses on Flavia, a precocious preteen growing up in an English village in the early 1950's. Flavia's family had been touched by tragedy, nearly ten years earlier Harriet, Flavia's mother had gone missing, a presumed victim of a mountaineering accident. As a result Flavia's father had been left in serious financial difficulties which made him unable to maintain the family home, a formerly grand country house. The children, Ophelia, Daphne and Flavia had grown up with minimal supervision, which in Flavia's case had allowed her plenty of time to pursue her interest in chemistry, using her late uncle's fully equipped lab to conduct her experiments. Flavia also used her free time to investigate some local mysteries, which in the year or so the series has covered to date has lead to an astonishing number of dead bodies.

This novel is somewhat different from the earlier stories in that the on going backstory of Harriet's disappearance and the family's financial difficulties has been brought to the fore. Harriet has been located and is returning home but instead of answering all the questions about Harriet and her disappearance it only raises more. Why would Winston Churchill be on hand for Harriet's return? It also seems that Harriet's return might be too late to save the family estate from the auction block, or Flavia from being shipped off to boarding school.

There is an ongoing story arc to this series so it would be best to read the books in order. This book in particular would probably make very little sense to anyone not familiar with the rest of the series.

The idea of the decaying de Luce fortune and the death of Flavia's mother Harriet have always been in the background of Alan Bradley's series. This volume brings those topics to the forefront, as Harriet's body has been found and at last is returned. The story of this volume is a departure from the countryside mystery Flavia becomes entangled in. Instead, the novel is more emotional in tone, signaling a shift in the series. It is difficult to talk about what that shift is without spoiling anything, so instead I'll simply say that I love Flavia de Luce, and this book is another great volume in the series. By the end of the book, we are dealing with a different Flavia with new adventures ahead. This could very easily have been the last volume in the series, but instead we are prepared for a new chapter for Flavia.

This 6th book in the Flavia de Luce series completes one story arc about Flavia's adventures in her 11th year. It ties up loose ends that have been hinted at since the beginning, and I hate to reveal much about the story. Many readers have started at different entry points in this series, but I would say this is not the place to start. It ties in too much to what happened in the fifth book.

I am very fond of Flavia and her adventures. The author develops her character over the six books, and we see her growth in that year that it covers. It is appropriate that she changes a good bit over this time as she is moving toward adolescence and the huge changes this brings. Even though most readers don't mind whether Flavia is a realistic 11-year-old or not, I think she is realistic. She just happens to be on the very intelligent and adventurous end of the continuum. But two other very important factors are the setting (post-War England) and the author's ability to keep it entertaining and fun.

The only thing I would say specifically about this book is that it does have a different, more serious tone than the other books. It deals with a serious subject and Flavia is forced to grow up a bit in this book. I do recommend this book and the series very highly. This series is definitely best read from the beginning, to see the progression, but it is not necessary.

Trains, planes and automobiles, along with Winston Churchill and a military escort greeted Hillary de Luce upon her return to her husband, her daughters and her ancestral estate: Buckshaw. Thus began episode 006 of the Flavia de Luce Mystery Series. Alan Bradley had left Flavia, his protagonist, the youngest of those de Luce daughters, dangling at the conclusion of volume 005, only to have her land in volume 006 with one foot in Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games and the other in Kim's Game as described by Rudyard Kipling.
The Dead in their Vaulted Arches introduced major plot shifts, revelations, reconciliations and retributions. Relics of the past flickered and flew into view, unveiling secrets that stretched back through three hundred years of de Luce history and service to king and country. Flavia's new and more durable personal nemesis emerged, Undine: younger, equal and opposite, perhaps brighter and potentially more dangerous than Flavia. Was she a usurper, a snoop or just a lonely child looking for a friend?
Flavia passed through a substantial stage of metamorphosis to an elevated sense of power and confidence and yet at times she was more flustered than she had ever been. Most importantly, she did emerge as a far more formidable Flavia as she began her trek toward volume 007.
Reviews of mysteries, especially a series in which the initiated would have shunned spoilers other than those offered by the publisher, must focus on style rather than substance. Alan Bradley often invited the reader to tea, a break in the action, an apparent distraction, where the author installed words in place as would a jeweler carefully set a variety of brilliant stones within the gold of a magnificent brooch. There was no better way to review Bradley's skill than to quote the author on various aspects of volume 006, or as he would have had Flavia say, "Let's take another squint..."

At their current situation:
We were told the when, the where, and the how of everything, but never the why.
Churchill...still had certain secrets which he kept even from God.
Logical beyond question but at the same time mad as a March hare

At her father:
Windows were as essential to my father's talking as his tongue.
He stood frozen in his own private glacier.
Father, the checkmated king, gracious, but fatally wounded in defeat
(With Churchill) These two seemingly defeated men, brothers in something I could not even begin to imagine.

At her sister Ophelia:
The image of bereaved beauty, she simply glowed with grief.
Feely had the knack of being able to screw one side of her face into a witchlike horror while keeping the other as sweet and demure as a maiden from Tennyson.
She knew me as well as the magic mirror knew the wicked queen.
Her complexion--at least since its volcanic activity settled down
Her voice suddenly as cold and stiff as whipped egg whites

At Flavia on Flavia:
I wanted to curl up like a salted slug and die.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand in case of overlooked jam or drool.
One of the marks of a truly great mind...is to be able to feign stupidity on demand.
The comforting reek of nitrocellulose lacquer
It smelled as if a coffee house in the slums of Hell had been hit by lightning.
That bump in her bloomers was me! (A comment on a photo of her pregnant mother)
My emotions were writhing inside me like snakes in a pit.
There is a strange strength in secrets which can never be achieved by spilling one's guts.
I slept the sleep of the damned, tossing and turning as if I were lying in a bed of smoldering coals.
My mouth tasted as if a farmer had stored turnips in it while I slept.
My brain came instantly up to full throttle.
There are few instances in life where, in spite of everything, one had to swallow one's heart and go it alone, and this was one of them.
Giving praise at every silent step for the invention of carpets
My knees gave off an alarming crack.

At flying:
And with a roar the propeller disappeared in a blur.
The roar became a tornado and we began to move.
And then a sudden smoothness...we were flying!
Beneath our wings the marvelous toy world slid slowly by...miniature sheep grazed in handkerchief pastures.

At trains:
The gleaming engine panted into the station and squealed to a stop at the edge of the platform.
(The train) sat resting for a few moments in the importance of its own swirling steam.

At music:
Each note hung for an instant like a cold, crystalline drop of water melting from the end of an icicle.
Humming mindlessly to herself like a hive of distant bees
The music faded and died among the beams and king posts of the ancient roof.
The organ fell silent as if suddenly embarrassed at what it had done.

At children:
They had lost more than one baby in the making and I could only pray that the next one would be a howling success.
"You're a child." "Of course I am, but that's hardly a reason to treat me like one."

As we await volume 007, we might expect a twelve-year-old Flavia who would have behaved not so much as her teen-aged sisters but as her mother Harriet.
Bradley, Alan. The Dead in their Vaulted Arches. New York: Delacorte Press, 2014.

(© 2014 Donald J. Mulcare)

I have read every book in this series and have loved each of them. So it is with a heavy heart I must say, this was not up to par with the others at all. Reasons I like these novels: the quaint British village murder mysteries, Flavia's obsession with chemistry and her sensibilities, her ability to go places as a child member of the community where the police could never do so that she ends up giving the Inspector insightful details to solving the mystery.

This book changes form, and while still well-written, having the same characters I've grown to love, the story here goes back to the events surrounding Harriet's disappearance and turns into something more along the lines of an espionage/spy story. The book fully concentrates on the family background. However with the book's conclusion, the entire situation changes and we can see that Flavia is about to embark on the next step of her life's journey. I do sincerely hope the mysteries turn back around somehow to those previous quaint mysteries, but I'm not quite sure how the author would manage to proceed with that from this point. We will have to see, as he has signed on to continue the series for another four more books.

First Sentence: To begin with, it was a perfect English morning: one of those dazzling days in early April when a new sun makes it seem suddenly like full-blown summer.

Flavia de Luce’s mother disappeared when Flavia was so young, she doesn’t even remember her, yet she has always naturally longed for her. Now her mother has been found and is coming home by train. At the station, a stranger whispers a message in Flavia’s ear. Shortly after, he ends up dead under the train. Suicide? Murder? A roll of film found in the attic lead Flavia on an investigation involving Winston Churchill and a Gipsy Moth airplane.

Bradley has such a remarkable voice. You are completely absorbed in the story from the very first page, begins with a twist, and then we are met with one surprise after another.

Flavia is such a wonderful character, and so alive we can sense her emotions. She has the brilliance of a prodigy, the naiveté of a teen, and an insecurity which gives her the overwhelming need to know she’s as loved as anyone else in her family. Some readers find her rather terrifying. However, one could interrupt Flavia as a character who has always felt outside her family. Rather than letting this overwhelm her, she uses her strength and her brilliance to prove her worthiness to herself and to others. In this, she becomes a particularly good role model to young readers.

In Undine, her cousin, Flavia has an intellectual challenger. Dogger, a shell-shocked war veteran seems to be the one person who understands Flavia. In this book, more of his background, as well as his relationship to Flavia’s father, is revealed.

All the scientific and technical information is fascinating. It doesn’t slow the story at all. Instead, it provides the reader with fascinating bits of information.

“The Dead In Their Vaulted Arches” is a wonderful book in an absolutely delightful series. Hopefully, Flavia will take a long time growing up so that we have her adventures for many more years to come.

THE DEAD IN THEIR VAULTED ARCHES (Ama. Sleuth-Flavia de Luce-England-Cont) – VG+
Bradley, Alan – 6th in series
Delacorte Press, 2013

Precocious and cheeky Flavia de Luce, the 11-year-old sleuth of Buckshaw Manor, has had quite a year. She has solved a half-dozen murders and associated crimes much to the agitation of the local police department and the befuddlement of her family. In her spare time she mixes potions and frightening formulas in her late uncle’s laboratory, which serves as her dilapidated bedroom far from the rest of the family in the decaying Manor. She shares the ancient mansion with Daphne and Ophelia, her two elder sisters, and her widower father, Lord of the Manor.

Long-time housekeeper Mrs. Mullet and the lifelong family retainer, Dogger, tend the sprawling house and grounds while Father wanders about the place in a fog, mourning his long-departed wife, Harriet. His state of widowerhood is in question because Harriet, who holds the royal title as well as title to the estate, vanished during World War II on a mysterious trip to Tibet. She left no will, which leaves Father haplessly in charge of the affairs of the estate with only the right to sell off the silver, portraits and rare books from the vast library to shore up the climbing debt. His three brilliant but challenging daughters have more or less raised themselves.

THE DEAD IN THEIR VAULTED ARCHES is the sixth installment of this generously awarded series that has drawn raves from critics and readers since THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE introduced us to this dauntless young girl, a combination Nancy Drew (only smarter and funnier) and Einstein (only younger).

We learned at the end of book five that the pall of Flavia’s absent mother’s mysterious disappearance was soon to be lifted as news arrives at Buckshaw Manor that Harriet has been found. She has indeed, frozen for 10 years in a deep Tibetan crevasse into which she either fell or was pushed. Her body has been preserved on dry ice, sealed in a coffin to be returned to Mother England. And arrive Harriet does, complete with a retinue of the Royal Guard and none other than Winston Churchill, the recently retired Prime Minister. Flavia, thoroughly confused and saddened by this sudden turn of events, is distracted at the train station by a strange man who approaches her, whispers “The Gamekeeper is in danger,” and is promptly pushed by a person or persons unknown to be crushed beneath the wheels of the train.

And so opens book six. Another murder to solve that leads to… To say more would spoil the most page-turning edition of this delightful series, so hereby ends the discussion of the plot.

You don’t have to have read the entire series, as the stories are not serial in nature, but it helps to have read at least one or two to become acquainted with the richly drawn characters and atmosphere of post-World War II England. Flavia is no ordinary 11-year-old girl. She is surrounded not by dolls or tea services, but by test tubes and vials of chemicals, and makes frequent use of her Bunsen burner. Frilly dresses would interfere with peddling her faithful bicycle, Gladys, with whom she converses as she bounces over the hills and dales on bumpy country lanes in pursuit of villains of many stripes.

As the fog of her mother’s mysterious disappearance and the reason she is held in such esteem lifts, a whole new future awaits our Flavia. Will it be shared with her fans, or will puberty and the mundane affairs of a changing world enfold her as she turns 12?

Reviewed by Roz Shea

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (2014) is the sixth mystery novel in the Flavia de Luce series, following Speaking from Among the Bones. The initial volume in this sequence is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

In the previous volume, Feely was practicing late for the Easter service. The vicar had asked her to fill in for the vanished organist. At their father's insistence, Flave was waiting with Feely to accompany her home . Flave wondered what she could do if some mishap took Feely.

Feely was working through Mendelssohn when something blocked a pipe. Feely opened the doorway to the pipe closet. Naturally Flave asked what each item was called. Then she saw a bat stuck in a pipe and Feely evacuated the closet.

Ophelia was dreadfully afraid of bats. She was not going to stay in the church with the it. They chose to report it to the sexton the following day and left the church.

The next morning, Flave got up early to visit the church. She intended to collect the bat for her researches. Yet the number of cars in the parking lot caught her interest.

In this novel, Flavia Sabrina de Luce is the eleven -- almost twelve -- years old daughter of Haviland de Luce. Her mother Harriet was lost in the Himalayas when she was a baby. Her older sisters -- Daphne and Ophelia -- recall something of their mother, but Flave was too young to remember anything.

Arthur Wellesley Dogger is the gardener on the estate. Dogger has had various jobs -- including valet and chauffeur -- but has requested the change because of his spells. He is very loyal to Colonel de Luce.

Dieter is a former German POW who know works for a local farmer. He is engaged to marry Ophelia.

Hewitt is the local police inspector. He views Flavia as both a blessing and a curse. He is married to Antigone, but they have no children.

Denwyn Richardson is the vicar of Bishop's Lacey. He is married to Cynthia.

Haskins is the sexton at St. Tancred's Church. He does most of the maintenance about the church, except for the furnace. The village plumber takes care of that monster.

In this story, Flavia is waiting for her mother to come home on a special train. When the train arrives, several military men -- and one military woman -- leave the cars. Then a number of government men get off the train.

The military men offload a coffin and cover it with a Union Jack. Harriet has finally come home to Buckshaw. Her body is treated at that of a hero. Even Winston Churchill has come for her arrival.

Churchill speaks to every member of the family, but he has a few special words for Flavia. The words are "pheasant sandwiches", which Flavia doesn't understand, but remembers. Then the former prime minister drives off in a Rolls.

A stranger seeks out Flavia to say something about the Gameskeeper being in jeopardy and tne Nide under something. Felly interrupts the conversation to drag Flave to the family car. Then the man is pushed under the train.

Flavia finds an almost full reel of exposed film in the attic. She develops it and shows it on the projector, which was also in the attic. It shows her mother is several scenes as well as her father and sisters in a prior time. Flave is also in the film as a bump in Harriet's tummy.

This tale gives Flavia a strange feeling about herself. She no longer has a disappeared mother. Instead, her mother is buried in the crypt at St. Tancred's church. She feels so normal.

Flavia keeps this information secret and searches for more. This is the last installment in this sequence. Yet other novels may be written about an older Flavia.

Highly recommended for Bradley fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of curious females with chemical expertise and prior experience with the dead. Read and enjoy!

-Bill Jordin

When Alan Bradley published his first Flavia de Luce novel, Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie in 2009, he had planned six novels in the series. Number six just came out in January 2014, and fortunately for those of us who love Flavia and her adventures, Bradley has rethought his plan; he now plans at least 10 books, according to his website. Dead in Their Vaulted Arches can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I’d highly recommend that you read the others in the series first in order to fully appreciate the depth and complexity of the characters.

At the end of book number five, Speaking from Among the Bones, the bombshell announcement was made that Harriet, Flavia’s long dead mother, had been found. Vaulted Arches begins with a scene on the railroad platform as Harriet’s body is returned to the de Luces. As usual with the books in this series, there are multiple mysteries to be unraveled. Flavia is her usual precocious self, endearing and frustrating as only a brilliant 12-year old girl can be. She spends time in her beloved chemistry lab in Buckshaw, the family “pile,” working on a variety of unusual, shall we say, projects. In the midst of the profound and many-faceted grief, there is humor, especially in the odd collection of family and friends who come for Harriet’s funeral.

I won’t spoil a moment of the plot for you, but suffice it to say that the funeral scene ranks right up there with some of the best I’ve ever read (on par with Mr. Wilkes’ funeral in Huck Finn and Owen’s funeral in A Prayer for Owen Meany). Woven together are the plot lines involving Flavia’s sisters Ophelia and Daphne, and we meet a delightful new character, Una, a girl who will figure largely in future books I’d guess.

If you are looking for a great series, start this one with Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. If you’ve read the other books, don’t wait to pick up Vaulted Arches. You won’t be disappointed.

This is probably the hardest review I've ever had to write because the whole book is a spoiler. So the first thing I'm going to say is -- this series is amazing, about a young girl growing up in post-WW II England with her father and two sisters in an aging mansion. The family has no money to fix up the property, indeed, they can't prove that they own the property, because Flavia's mother was lost in a mountaineering accident when Flavia was only a year old. She owned the property and left no will.

Flavia is very smart, and very innocent. She has found her great-uncle's laboratory in one unused wing of the house and uses the materials there to solve crimes as well as to come up with innovative ways to torment her two older sisters. Throughout the books, Flavia gradually learns about the mother she never knew.

The writing in these books is marvelous, an expert blend of the very concrete and the ethereal. Flavia is both scheming and heartbreakingly vulnerable. I recommend the series, including this book, highly.

However, in this book, everything changes. I have only said I like the book, not that I love it, because I'm not sure I like the change. However, I'm definitely going to hang in there to see what happens next!

Why can't the store post a simple list of an author's titles in order of publication? If you discover an author, you might like to read them in the order they were written, to appreciate the characters' (and the author's) development. Here's the list of Alan Bradley's charming, scary, funny Flavia de Luce Novels, as of December 2014.

Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce novels in order:
1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, 1/2010
2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, 2/2011
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard, 10/2011
4. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, 10/2012
5. Speaking from Among the Bones, 12/2013
6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, 1/2014
7. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, 1/2015
Enjoy!

ARC provided by NetGalley

Flavia returns! And she's out to solve her greatest mystery yet...what happened to her mother all those years ago?

Its a spring morning in 1951 and chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce and her family are waiting at the train station for the return of her long-lost mother, Harriet, who vanished so many years ago. But a mysterious stranger approaches Flavia and gives her a clue to unraveling many mysteries, including that of her own family. But his sudden death at the station makes this a dangerous game, and Flavia will need all of her wits about her and every ally she can find to solve this mystery...perhaps even the great Sir Winston Churchill will help along the way to find the killer.

I have to admit this is my first foray into the Flavia universe, but it definitely will not be my last. Alan Bradley has created a compelling character in Flavia, one who is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, mixed with Hermione Granger. You can't but help to follow along as she tries to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and trying to find out what her mother was like, since she was so young when she vanished. But Bradley does leave of us on a bit of cliff hanger in this book. The revelations of what her mother's mission was and what the enemy was up to, are left unclear and are only barely laid out. But I'm imagining (or at least hoping) that future books will give us more answers.

All in all that is an excellent book and I can't wait to find out what happens next to Flavia and her family. Even if you haven't read the other books in the series yet you can jump in relatively easily with this one without being too lost. I highly recommend this series to fans of Hermione Granger and Sherlock Holmes and anyone who is just interested in finding a good read. I give the book 5 out of 5 stars and eagerly await the next volume.

Harriet de Luce, Flavia de Luce's mother, is coming home. The family, along with friends including no less a personage than Winston Churchill himself, are at the train station to witness her arrival. A stranger accosts Flavia with a strange message for her father, `the Gamekeeper is in jeopardy'. When the mysterious stranger falls, or perhaps he is pushed, onto the track under the wheels of the train, Flavia is determined to solve the mystery of the message and the man's fall. However, she also has other problems to solve: the secrets of her mother's disappearance and return, the identity of the gamekeeper, and even an attempt to play Dr Frankenstein all while avoiding the attentions and intentions of some rather eccentric (and in some cases, downright, barmy) relatives.

This is the sixth book in the Flavia de Luce Mysteries series and it retains all the pluses and minuses of the previous books. At times, the writing and dialogue seems stilted, and the story disjointed. And yet, it is almost humanly impossible not to like them despite their flaws and a lot of that is down to the characters who are always wonderfully eccentric and just a whole lot of fun.

Eleven-year-old chemistry wizard and brilliant sleuth, Flavia is at her busiest (and most witty) in this book. Not so her father who, it seems for the first time, lets slip his stereotypical British stiff upper lip persona. And then there's Dogger, once bagman and now valet and family protector always there to make sure everything works out as it should.

In the end, everything is tied up neatly and the story is set up for future episodes in the continuing saga of Flavia de Luce and shows once again why Flavia and her family of misfits have so grabbed the hearts of readers both young and old.

Twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce and her family are at the train station awaiting the return of her long missing mother when a mysterious man gives Flavia a cryptic message for her father. Before long the man is dead, his mutilated body lying under the train. Thus begins a Flavia de Luce novel that is more of an espionage story than a murder mystery. Nevertheless, Flavia is up to her usual tricks in this book, cooking up exotic chemical experiments to reanimate the dead and to decipher hidden messages. As usual, Flavia is also plotting to best the local police with her superior detective skills. The book is filled with interesting characters, including Mr. de Luce's faithful manservant (and jack of all trades) Dogger, eccentric relatives, quirky acquaintances, and Flavia's sisters. I was a little annoyed by Flavia's continuing arrogance and (often-expressed) high opinion of herself and I found the convoluted espionage tale slightly confusing. Nevertheless it was an okay light read.

"The Dead in Their vaulted Arches" by Alan Bradley.

This is perhaps the most outstanding book in the Flavia de Luce series. Five stars hardly begins to rate its value.

The de Luce family with friends and relatives is proceeding to the train station to await the arrival of the de Luce matriarch...Harriet de Luce. It is at this vantage point we find her arrival to be in a coffin. Flavia is presented with the awful truth that her mother is dead. At that same moment a man passes a brief message on to Flavia just before he is pushed to his death beneath the wheels of the train.

And so begins a most mysterious and adventuress story. This is so much more than a mystery or an adventure or just another book in a series. To put it in a nutshell: Adventure + Imagination + Mystery = FLAVIA.

The truth regarding Harriet de Luce is finally revealed towards the finale of the story. The adventure in getting towards that end leads Flavia on an excursion into the depths of her families' past. A past that entwines both her parents, Harriet & Haviland de Luce, Dogger as well as the survival of England itself.

Each page is written with intrigue and verbally illustrated to make each of Flavia's steps crystal clear. Flavia went far beyond my own imagination and kept me on pins and needles as I read on.

Read on and let Flavia's imagination take you on an adventure of a life time.

An outstanding ending...but just another entry way to a new beginning for Flavia.

The latest novel by Bradley in his Flavia de Luce series is a departure from the previous book. The tone is very different--appropriately so--because Harriet has returned in a coffin. The timeline of the book takes place from the day when the body is delivered by train until she is placed into the earth. Although most of the action centers around the return of Harriet de Luce (the cliffhanger at the end of the last novel), many aspects of the de Luce family legacy become much clearer in this book. There are the requisite chemistry lessons and the murder mystery that is solved by Flavia, but they play second fiddle to the great changes and secrets revealed to Flavia throughout the pages.

There is only one real Flavia adventure of the type we're used to in Bradley's books, but the decision seems purposeful because she is required to grow up very quickly by the end of the book. She has always been a very precocious child, but a bit of suspended belief is needed here as far as how much the adults share with her and what they expect of her.

As has been the case whenever I read Bradley's books, the way this novel closed made me look forward to reading the next. His choice of removing Flavia from Buckshaw and allowing her to grow in a completely new dimension is greatly appealing. So many characters of this type don't end up making the transition well, but I fully expect that Bradley will take Flavia to new heights. However, I will miss my favorite Buckshaw characters.

I have enjoyed all the books in this series, Flavia de Luce is a smart and interesting young girl and makes for a great character for a series to center around. But part of me was getting a little frustrated that things were stagnating. The end of the last book woke me up though. Harriet has been found, her mother who was lost in the Himalayas when Flavia was just a baby and her body has been brought to rest at Bishop's Lacey. We have heard a lot about Harriet through the previous five novels. Her father has been grieving her loss to the point of neglecting his children, especially Flavia Her older sisters have memories of their mother but insist on torturing Flavia, telling her how Harriet never wanted her or loved her. That got a bit tiresome. But now we have a whole new mystery that has to do with the de Luce family and who Harriet really was and how she died. This was a different book. You shouldn't read it without reading some of the others. Otherwise, you won't get the full effect. It reads like the end of the series but I heard that there will be more. It's really a good way for Flavia to continue and the stories to have some freshness. It was nice to finally get to things that have been hinted at during the other novels. Flavia is a joy and she deserved to get some answers and we can get some new stories.

Alan Bradley chronicles another fast-paced adventure of everyone's favorite twelve-year-old chemist and detective, Flavia de Luce. Although fascinated by poisons and quite talented at distilling them, Flavia doesn't kill people although she often contemplates ways of irritating her older sisters who have made a career of persecuting her. But blood is thicker than water, a fact Flavia is certain of because she has studied a lot of blood while helping the local police inspector with murder investigations, so her sisters are safe.from arsenic in their tea.

Flavia's interest in chemistry and her approaching birthday coincide with the return of her mother, killed in Tibet When Flavia was a baby, and set off a chain of events that begins with our girl chemist's plans for her mother's resurrection, and ends in revelations by a most surprising former secret agent. Another wonderful tale of Flavia, this one answering questions which both our girl detective and the reader have puzzled over in the preceding books. Highly Recommended for its humor, tight plotting, and zany characterization.

Flavia De Luce is waiting at the train station waiting for her mother to return home. While waiting, a man is killed at the train station. Flavia hears somebody say "he was pushed". Does Flavia begin an investigation of the man's death? No she does not since she has something else on her mind. I won't give away what that something is so that other readers can read and find out what is keeping Flavia occupied.

I enjoyed this book but I found it to be a bit macabre. The ending appears to be setting up the precocious twelve year old for a new environment for her sleuthing skills and I hope that is true; however, if she leaves her family behind as the conclusion somewhat suggests, I will miss the other characters in the Flavia De Luce stories. However, we will have to wait and see. There is always a twist in Bradley's novels things can always change.

This was not my favorite of the Flavia De Luce series but it was still a good read. I recommend it to those readers who have been following her trials and tribulations but it is not as satisfying to me as others in the story have been.

Flavia is in a mystery regarding her mothers death. It is linked to the death of a man pushed on the train tracks almost in front of Flavia.
Finding a traitor spy from years ago while surviving her mother funeral proves a bit complicated for Flavia.
Interesting change on the Flavia murder style, this one is linked to politics and spying, and is more about keeping things secret that to detect clues. Looks from the events that this time while Flavia was investigating her family past, the Inspector was looking into the present murder and found the culprit before Flavia.

At the end Flavia goes away from Buckshaw to a girls Academy in Canada, Here is hoping the series stays fun after such a change in settings

Not quite the typical Flavia story, but wonderful nonetheless. In this book, the 6th in the series, we learn the story of Flavia's mother, who went missing 10+ years ago. Although there are murders in this book, they don't play the central role in the plot as we have come to expect from Bradley. It's hard to describe this book without giving away too much. One thing for sure: you have to read the five earlier books before reading this one. It appears at the end that Flavia will be heading off to new adventures, but hopefully we'll still keep in touch with the rest of the characters back at Buckshaw, their family home.

This is probably the hardest review I've ever had to write because the whole book is a spoiler. So the first thing I'm going to say is -- this series is amazing, about a young girl growing up in post-WW II England with her father and two sisters in an aging mansion. The family has no money to fix up the property, indeed, they can't prove that they own the property, because Flavia's mother was lost in a mountaineering accident when Flavia was only a year old. She owned the property and left no will.

Flavia is very smart, and very innocent. She has found her great-uncle's laboratory in one unused wing of the house and uses the materials there to solve crimes as well as to come up with innovative ways to torment her two older sisters. Throughout the books, Flavia gradually learns about the mother she never knew.

The writing in these books is marvelous, an expert blend of the very concrete and the ethereal. Flavia is both scheming and heartbreakingly vulnerable. I recommend the series, including this book, highly.

However, in this book, everything changes. I have only said I like the book, not that I love it, because I'm not sure I like the change. However, I'm definitely going to hang in there to see what happens next!

Why can't the store post a simple list of an author's titles in order of publication? If you discover an author, you might like to read them in the order they were written, to appreciate the characters' (and the author's) development. Here's the list of Alan Bradley's charming, scary, funny Flavia de Luce Novels, as of December 2014.

Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce novels in order:
1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, 1/2010
2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, 2/2011
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard, 10/2011
4. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, 10/2012
5. Speaking from Among the Bones, 12/2013
6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, 1/2014
7. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, 1/2015
Enjoy!

ARC provided by NetGalley

Flavia returns! And she's out to solve her greatest mystery yet...what happened to her mother all those years ago?

Its a spring morning in 1951 and chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce and her family are waiting at the train station for the return of her long-lost mother, Harriet, who vanished so many years ago. But a mysterious stranger approaches Flavia and gives her a clue to unraveling many mysteries, including that of her own family. But his sudden death at the station makes this a dangerous game, and Flavia will need all of her wits about her and every ally she can find to solve this mystery...perhaps even the great Sir Winston Churchill will help along the way to find the killer.

I have to admit this is my first foray into the Flavia universe, but it definitely will not be my last. Alan Bradley has created a compelling character in Flavia, one who is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, mixed with Hermione Granger. You can't but help to follow along as she tries to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and trying to find out what her mother was like, since she was so young when she vanished. But Bradley does leave of us on a bit of cliff hanger in this book. The revelations of what her mother's mission was and what the enemy was up to, are left unclear and are only barely laid out. But I'm imagining (or at least hoping) that future books will give us more answers.

All in all that is an excellent book and I can't wait to find out what happens next to Flavia and her family. Even if you haven't read the other books in the series yet you can jump in relatively easily with this one without being too lost. I highly recommend this series to fans of Hermione Granger and Sherlock Holmes and anyone who is just interested in finding a good read. I give the book 5 out of 5 stars and eagerly await the next volume.

Harriet de Luce, Flavia de Luce's mother, is coming home. The family, along with friends including no less a personage than Winston Churchill himself, are at the train station to witness her arrival. A stranger accosts Flavia with a strange message for her father, `the Gamekeeper is in jeopardy'. When the mysterious stranger falls, or perhaps he is pushed, onto the track under the wheels of the train, Flavia is determined to solve the mystery of the message and the man's fall. However, she also has other problems to solve: the secrets of her mother's disappearance and return, the identity of the gamekeeper, and even an attempt to play Dr Frankenstein all while avoiding the attentions and intentions of some rather eccentric (and in some cases, downright, barmy) relatives.

This is the sixth book in the Flavia de Luce Mysteries series and it retains all the pluses and minuses of the previous books. At times, the writing and dialogue seems stilted, and the story disjointed. And yet, it is almost humanly impossible not to like them despite their flaws and a lot of that is down to the characters who are always wonderfully eccentric and just a whole lot of fun.

Eleven-year-old chemistry wizard and brilliant sleuth, Flavia is at her busiest (and most witty) in this book. Not so her father who, it seems for the first time, lets slip his stereotypical British stiff upper lip persona. And then there's Dogger, once bagman and now valet and family protector always there to make sure everything works out as it should.

In the end, everything is tied up neatly and the story is set up for future episodes in the continuing saga of Flavia de Luce and shows once again why Flavia and her family of misfits have so grabbed the hearts of readers both young and old.

Twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce and her family are at the train station awaiting the return of her long missing mother when a mysterious man gives Flavia a cryptic message for her father. Before long the man is dead, his mutilated body lying under the train. Thus begins a Flavia de Luce novel that is more of an espionage story than a murder mystery. Nevertheless, Flavia is up to her usual tricks in this book, cooking up exotic chemical experiments to reanimate the dead and to decipher hidden messages. As usual, Flavia is also plotting to best the local police with her superior detective skills. The book is filled with interesting characters, including Mr. de Luce's faithful manservant (and jack of all trades) Dogger, eccentric relatives, quirky acquaintances, and Flavia's sisters. I was a little annoyed by Flavia's continuing arrogance and (often-expressed) high opinion of herself and I found the convoluted espionage tale slightly confusing. Nevertheless it was an okay light read.

"The Dead in Their vaulted Arches" by Alan Bradley.

This is perhaps the most outstanding book in the Flavia de Luce series. Five stars hardly begins to rate its value.

The de Luce family with friends and relatives is proceeding to the train station to await the arrival of the de Luce matriarch...Harriet de Luce. It is at this vantage point we find her arrival to be in a coffin. Flavia is presented with the awful truth that her mother is dead. At that same moment a man passes a brief message on to Flavia just before he is pushed to his death beneath the wheels of the train.

And so begins a most mysterious and adventuress story. This is so much more than a mystery or an adventure or just another book in a series. To put it in a nutshell: Adventure + Imagination + Mystery = FLAVIA.

The truth regarding Harriet de Luce is finally revealed towards the finale of the story. The adventure in getting towards that end leads Flavia on an excursion into the depths of her families' past. A past that entwines both her parents, Harriet & Haviland de Luce, Dogger as well as the survival of England itself.

Each page is written with intrigue and verbally illustrated to make each of Flavia's steps crystal clear. Flavia went far beyond my own imagination and kept me on pins and needles as I read on.

Read on and let Flavia's imagination take you on an adventure of a life time.

An outstanding ending...but just another entry way to a new beginning for Flavia.

The latest novel by Bradley in his Flavia de Luce series is a departure from the previous book. The tone is very different--appropriately so--because Harriet has returned in a coffin. The timeline of the book takes place from the day when the body is delivered by train until she is placed into the earth. Although most of the action centers around the return of Harriet de Luce (the cliffhanger at the end of the last novel), many aspects of the de Luce family legacy become much clearer in this book. There are the requisite chemistry lessons and the murder mystery that is solved by Flavia, but they play second fiddle to the great changes and secrets revealed to Flavia throughout the pages.

There is only one real Flavia adventure of the type we're used to in Bradley's books, but the decision seems purposeful because she is required to grow up very quickly by the end of the book. She has always been a very precocious child, but a bit of suspended belief is needed here as far as how much the adults share with her and what they expect of her.

As has been the case whenever I read Bradley's books, the way this novel closed made me look forward to reading the next. His choice of removing Flavia from Buckshaw and allowing her to grow in a completely new dimension is greatly appealing. So many characters of this type don't end up making the transition well, but I fully expect that Bradley will take Flavia to new heights. However, I will miss my favorite Buckshaw characters.

I have enjoyed all the books in this series, Flavia de Luce is a smart and interesting young girl and makes for a great character for a series to center around. But part of me was getting a little frustrated that things were stagnating. The end of the last book woke me up though. Harriet has been found, her mother who was lost in the Himalayas when Flavia was just a baby and her body has been brought to rest at Bishop's Lacey. We have heard a lot about Harriet through the previous five novels. Her father has been grieving her loss to the point of neglecting his children, especially Flavia Her older sisters have memories of their mother but insist on torturing Flavia, telling her how Harriet never wanted her or loved her. That got a bit tiresome. But now we have a whole new mystery that has to do with the de Luce family and who Harriet really was and how she died. This was a different book. You shouldn't read it without reading some of the others. Otherwise, you won't get the full effect. It reads like the end of the series but I heard that there will be more. It's really a good way for Flavia to continue and the stories to have some freshness. It was nice to finally get to things that have been hinted at during the other novels. Flavia is a joy and she deserved to get some answers and we can get some new stories.

Alan Bradley chronicles another fast-paced adventure of everyone's favorite twelve-year-old chemist and detective, Flavia de Luce. Although fascinated by poisons and quite talented at distilling them, Flavia doesn't kill people although she often contemplates ways of irritating her older sisters who have made a career of persecuting her. But blood is thicker than water, a fact Flavia is certain of because she has studied a lot of blood while helping the local police inspector with murder investigations, so her sisters are safe.from arsenic in their tea.

Flavia's interest in chemistry and her approaching birthday coincide with the return of her mother, killed in Tibet When Flavia was a baby, and set off a chain of events that begins with our girl chemist's plans for her mother's resurrection, and ends in revelations by a most surprising former secret agent. Another wonderful tale of Flavia, this one answering questions which both our girl detective and the reader have puzzled over in the preceding books. Highly Recommended for its humor, tight plotting, and zany characterization.

Flavia De Luce is waiting at the train station waiting for her mother to return home. While waiting, a man is killed at the train station. Flavia hears somebody say "he was pushed". Does Flavia begin an investigation of the man's death? No she does not since she has something else on her mind. I won't give away what that something is so that other readers can read and find out what is keeping Flavia occupied.

I enjoyed this book but I found it to be a bit macabre. The ending appears to be setting up the precocious twelve year old for a new environment for her sleuthing skills and I hope that is true; however, if she leaves her family behind as the conclusion somewhat suggests, I will miss the other characters in the Flavia De Luce stories. However, we will have to wait and see. There is always a twist in Bradley's novels things can always change.

This was not my favorite of the Flavia De Luce series but it was still a good read. I recommend it to those readers who have been following her trials and tribulations but it is not as satisfying to me as others in the story have been.

Flavia is in a mystery regarding her mothers death. It is linked to the death of a man pushed on the train tracks almost in front of Flavia.
Finding a traitor spy from years ago while surviving her mother funeral proves a bit complicated for Flavia.
Interesting change on the Flavia murder style, this one is linked to politics and spying, and is more about keeping things secret that to detect clues. Looks from the events that this time while Flavia was investigating her family past, the Inspector was looking into the present murder and found the culprit before Flavia.

At the end Flavia goes away from Buckshaw to a girls Academy in Canada, Here is hoping the series stays fun after such a change in settings

Not quite the typical Flavia story, but wonderful nonetheless. In this book, the 6th in the series, we learn the story of Flavia's mother, who went missing 10+ years ago. Although there are murders in this book, they don't play the central role in the plot as we have come to expect from Bradley. It's hard to describe this book without giving away too much. One thing for sure: you have to read the five earlier books before reading this one. It appears at the end that Flavia will be heading off to new adventures, but hopefully we'll still keep in touch with the rest of the characters back at Buckshaw, their family home.

"The Dead . . . " is one of the most enjoyable and captivating books I've read in a long while. What's not to love--mystery, a wonderfully wise lead character, Flavia--and a cast of characters that are interesting, often mysterious. Flavia is young, but intelligent and intense (a quality of the truly intelligent). Her take on her experiences range from extremely wise to delightful childlike. One is never sure who is friend or foe and that is part of why the book stuck to my hands. I couldn't put it down. The writing is wonderful: concise, picturesque, on point--no rambling.

I've never read Alan Bradley until now, but you can betcha I'll be grabbing up his other books. The ending sets us up nicely for more stories to follow. Oh Goody! Thank you Alan; you are another joy added to my life! (Ariel I.)

Flavia De Luce is a spunky young girl who has a nose for mystery and shenanigans. She has starred in several previous novels by Alan Bradley, and I would highly recommend reading those if you haven't yet. In this newest book, Flavia is discovering her family life may be in more turmoil than she thought. Not only do her sisters seem to despise her, but her beloved father might be keeping some deep, dark secrets. Her deceased mother's body has been recovered from her "accident" in the mountains, and so Flavia and her family must begin grieving again for their loss.

If you are in the mood for a light mystery that is fun and fast paced, this book is perfect for a cozy read. Though you may want to start this series from the beginning with the book The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, it's not necessary to understand the storyline. This delectable story will leave you wanting more adventures with its young protagonist, so be sure to read all of the books Flavia De Luce solves mysteries in!

[...]

I have been a huge Flavia fan from the very first book, and was looking forward to this one as I had been so titilated by the prospect of Harriet coming home. Well, Harriet came home and it wasn't what I expected. I kept waiting for something to happen, and it didn't. There wasn't even snappy dialogue or sibling torture between Flavia and her sisters. The fun of Flavia was just not there. A young cousin named Undine is introduce, who is as clever as Flavia in her own way, but even their relationship is kind of stale.

*Spoiler Alert* The end of the books reveals that the de Luces (and perhaps other characters) are high level spies for the government, and Flavia is destined to carry on that tradition. She will be shipped off to Canada to continue her education. Undine moves into Buckshaw. With this ending, I felt like this book was setting us up for the next book, which would incorporate these changes. Had Mr. Bradley grown tired of writing about 11-year old Flavia at Buckshaw and was looking for a new way to explore the character? He had Flavia declare toward the end of the book that she had changed. That she was no longer the same Flavia. I thought of the options of the next book. Flavia no longer at Buckshaw, but learning to be a master spy in Canada. Undine taking on the responsibility of solving the next murder in Bishop's Lacey. An older Flavia returning from Canada to take up the family spy business. Unfortunately, I don't want to read any of those books. I will not be looking forward to the next book and will hesitantly open it only in the hopes that my Flavia is the cleverest 12-year old solving a mystery in Bishop's Lacey.

This is one of those book series that you really must read in order. If you have not read a previous Flavia de Luce book, stop now - do not read this book! Over the last 5 entries, Alan Bradley, has been building the mystery of what happened to Harriet, the deceased de Luce family matriarch, and what will become of the family estate. In this sixth entry, these issues get addressed front and center. In addition to learning about Harriet's past and her financial wishes, we also get insight into the relationship Flavia has with her father, her sisters, and even Aunt Felicity and Dogger.

This entry feels very much like a pivot point in the series. All previous entries have been building up to this book. And at the same time, Flavia is set to launch into a whole new chapter in her life in book 7. I am excited to see what comes next!

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series, which I suggest reading in order. I was intrigued by the last installment's cliff hanger, "They have found your mother." I imagined the story line this excellent author might devise. When I read how Harriet was brought home, I cried, right there in Panera Bread Café ! The musings of the 12 year old girl were so rich and insightful without losing the character of her youth.
There were a few loose strings left untied, (why did the police chase Lena in the church, what did father mean by the comments in front of his wife's coffin) and I found that disturbing.
Overall, this was an excellent read. I expected this to be the last in the series, and may be, but I think there is an opening for a sequel with a new environment and new characters.

Twelve year old Flavia wants to bring her deceased mother back to life. The mother was frozen in an ice crevasse and was flown home by the British government for a proper burial. A man was pushed in front of the train that brought the casket to Flavia's village. Lots of people descend upon their home, mostly to express sorrow. But not everyone.

Flavia de Luce has never known her mother, the woman to whom everyone repeatedly compares her. Shortly after Flavia's birth, Harriet de Luce was called away from Buckshaw, the family estate, and hasn't returned. Until now.

This book is about growing up for Flavia, beginning to see how she fits into something much bigger than herself, her family and Buckshaw and slowly learning why she is so frequently compared to Harriet and why that is such high praise.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches sees as many doors finally close as new ones open. And I already cannot wait to read the next book in the series, though I know Bradley will only give me enough of a dose of the plot to keep me begging for more. Has closure ever felt so unsatisfying? Does Alan Bradley play with our emotions for sport?

I felt that the previous book, Speaking from Among the Bones, fell short for its lack of mystery. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, seemingly conversely, excelled for being less mystery for Flavia to solve and more de Luce family history, complete with its own mysteries.

This book is a game changer for our young, sleuth-y heroine. I would love to tell you why, but more strongly I would love to exchange thoughts and theories with you after you've read it. My wife reads these books. My parents listen to them all in audio format. I cannot wait to hear what everyone has to say after they finish The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches.

I think Alan Bradley has shown us with this book and with I am Half-Sick of Shadows, that he is only at his best when he is taking his time. His last book was big and wonderful and subtle and intriguing. This one just hit us in the face all at once, and not within very many pages. There were a lot of good things. We had some emotional reminders that Flavia is only 11, and meaningful interactions between her and her family members. Family secrets were exposed, quickly and without much warning, revealing unexpected and not necessarily wanted revelations. The climax happened before I even realized what was happening at first, and it happened quickly, and was unnecessarily gruesome. Then the ENDING. I won't give any spoilers, but it certainly made me wonder about where this series is going

Written from the POV of Flavia, the 11-yr old amateur detective with a chemistry habit. Her big sisters are the polished, finishing school types, and Flavia is the anarchist.

This is my favorite Flavia de Luca mystery yet because she is so funny! Wry remarks on every page.

Highly recommended for smart age eleven and ups; somewhat challenging vocabulary, science, and dry British humor.

I had quite nearly given up on the once-enchanting Flavia de Luce series. There is, after all, only so many murders and mysteries one can fit into an eleven year old girl's life, especially one living in a small, post WWII English village. But when author Alan Bradley dropped a literary bombshell into my lap on the very last page of the fifth Flavia novel, Speaking From Among the Bones, I knew that this new book, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, would be one of my most anticipated reads of 2014.

My anticipation was not amiss. Mr. Bradley managed to drop another literary bombshell right on me within the first two pages of this new book. I found myself gobsmacked, not an everyday occurrence for this veteran bibliophile. So while you won't get me to give away not one tiny hint of what lies between the covers of this gem, I will say that Mr. Bradley has revived the Flavia de Luce series with grace and style - bravo! And not just for this novel alone, but for future books in the series as well. With the developments he presents to us, I heartily look forward to future installments and once again consider this series one of my absolute favorites.

If you haven't yet read these enchanting novels that feature a very witty, sharp, too-smart-for-her-own-good eleven year old chemist and her eccentric British family, do not make the mistake of assuming they are children's books - they are not. They are very much written for adults and enjoyable on a multitude of levels. Murder, mystery, character insight, period pieces. At times they are light and witty and other times profoundly insightful. Please do begin with the first book as they are not good for jumping in the middle of the series. Books three and four do make you wonder if the author may have written himself into a corner and left little room for future originality, but as I explain above he has solved that problem and it is well worth the effort.

Brilliant!

I loved this latest installment of the Flavia series. I have enjoyed the whole series, with some of the books being a little stronger than others, but this one was just beautifully done.

Without giving spoilers, I can't get too specific, but the cliffhanger from the previous book is picked up seamlessly. Flavia remains true to herself while also beginning to realize the difference that "becoming an adult" can make to a person. She both craves and deplores the responsibilities that come with becoming a young lady.

I enjoyed the mystery and was pleased with the resolution, but as always for this series, the play of the family relationships takes center stage, and I was very satisfied with the progress that was made there. I can't wait to see what's next for our young friend.

Flavia Flavia Flavia! How precocious thou art!
This is Bradley's latest offering of the series, and perhaps the one that, though tries to wrap things in a comfy box, actually ended up going astray for me.
Nevertheless, nothing could have kept me away from this after having read all the previous installations. It never fails to amaze me how much leg work and "stealthery" could be saved merely by ASKING family members questions. Guess it's the way things were done back then...stiff upper lip et al.
This one goes into the realm of spies and secret missions, different from our usual country mysteries but still with the delicate flavor of Flavia. Wonder if the next one will have an older Flavia.

I love the Flavia DeLuce series. Flavia is one of my favorite literary heroines. (I am fond of main female characters who are brilliant and irrepressible.) The author does a remarkable job of getting inside her head as well as creating a family, community, secondary characters, and above all - a mystery which takes the whole book to resolve. Not only that, but I love his frequent use of alliteration ("...her silly simpering sisters") and his overall excellent writing style. This book moves the story of the DeLuce family a step further on their journey, and adds complexity to the death of Flavia's mother when she was just a baby. If you like this series, then this is a must-read.

This is the sixth in the Flavia de Luce series — but the first one I have read. No doubt there are aspects of the novel that I didn’t appreciate since I was familiar with the stock characters.

In this episode, Flavia’s mother Harriet (who has been missing since she was a baby) is coming home. Winston Churchill himself is riding the funeral train that is bringing Harriet’s body back to the family home. Caught up in her confused emotions, and dealing with her family’s own mourning, Flavia (as always) forges her own path. Digging in the attic, she finds an undeveloped reel of film. Her refreshing way of seeing the world is the most engaging aspect of the book. Her voice is clear and spunky.

Please read my full review here: [...]

Flavian de Luce is not loveable and the character, who occupies the center of this series is interesting because she is clever. I enjoy clever girls, and there you have it. I have started all of the books in this series and I have finished some, but not all. I have to be in the mood for cheeky goings on. The writing in this book seemed more polished and sure footed than previous Flavian books. Oh yes, you need to deal with a lot of English manor house mentality, merchant -Ivory like, but this seems to be popular now. In the next book Flavian is going to school in Canada. I'm looking forward to her getting out from under the heavy hand of her family's history and the creaky old stuff that drags through these books.

Bradley takes his young protagonist Flavia to a new level, when the family gets word that the body of her mother Harriett has been found on a Tibetan mountain and is being sent back to England. When Flavia discovers that her chemist-uncle left a formula for bringing the dead back to life, she rounds up all the necessary chemicals and plans her strategy. The emotional content of this charming, quirky mystery is much deeper than usual, exploring the emotions of children who lost their parent so early in their lives. But Flavia, like all fine heroines, is still confronted by murder. Could it be that Harriett was pushed off the glacier? Could it be that the murderer was someone in her own family? [Sixth in the series.]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Any book that has Winston Churchill on a train station platform in its first few pages as he pays respects to the heroine's dead mother shows great promise.
It was not a lack of imagination. It was not badly written. It was, in fact, very well written. I just had some difficulty in believing the characters, especially the 11 year old chemist prodigy heroine. Granted, it is fiction and it does require a suspension of belief. It was just a bridge too far for me.
For that reason, it was a ponderous read. It was not a book where it could not be put down. However, if you like your mysteries fantastical, give it a try.

The Flavia de Luce series continues to get better and better! I always get the audio books, narrator Jayne Entwistle makes these books come alive and irresistible. Secondary characters, Flavia's various relatives and friends--especially her sisters, an aunt, and the household help--are delved into even further this time around...wonderfully so. Winston Churchill is even brought into the story!

If you are new to the series, you don't want to start with this book; however, I highly recommend the entire series...so start at the beginning!

I've read concerns by some reviewers this might be the end of the Flavia de Luce series. I continue to do searches on the internet to see if this proves to be true. I certainly hope not as I believe it wrapped on nicely by giving us a view of Flavia's new journey in life.

This is number 6 in the series and it picks up right where #5 left off. Flavia and her family and in fact, the entire town, are awaiting the return of her mother's body to Buckshaw. While at the railway station waiting on the train a stranger approaches Flavia and whispers a cryptic message to her right before he is shoved under the train. Then to top it all off some strange cousins Flavia doesn't even know come to stay with them at Buckshaw for the memorial and the funeral. With all this happening Flavia sets out to truly uncover her mother's cause of death.

I have to agree with a previous reviewer that this novel completely neglects the English Countryside Mystery angle altogether and I really missed that in this book, therefore; the reason for the 4 instead of 5 stars. Also this book is terribly sad which is unlike the previous 5 books in the series. Of course I can't state why it is sad without giving away too many details and spoiling the book for you. But what you will enjoy in this book is that some truths come to the surface which had been buried in the previous books; Flavia gets a ride in an airplane; Flavia sets out to make poison; and of course, we get to learn more about Dogger.

It is a book well worth reading but just don't expect it to be too much like the previous ones. I personally miss the old Flavia and her ways but well must grow up sometime. Plus Bradley puts an unexpected twist at the end of this book that you won't want to miss.

I am so sad this is the last book in the series. I wish they would have made it bigger or divided it into two parts. I would have LOVED to see what happened to flavia when she got older.. This book wasn't my fav. Not enough snarky comments about bad english cooking and weird village people.It was just too all over the place and the new characters weren't enough apart of the book to make you care. Too much over the top stuff happening Even for flavia. Still thought it was sweet what she tried to do for her dad and that Flavia's home situation was dealt with. It was nice to know more about harriet who meant so much to so many people.

Yay! The adorable Flavia deLuce returns as my favorite tweenie mid-century modern chemist/sleuth. Preteen Flavia debuted in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, another highly improbable but charming read. Love, love, love the family--the stiff upper lips, the Brit reserve, the skewering wit, the biting intelligence. Flavia finds a will, sees her dead mother, roams the fam's Downton Abbey type digs, and joins a Bletchly Circle secrets crew. A minor quibble--dry ice, a.k.a. card ice, doesn't drip as it melts. Next stop, I hope--Flavia in Canada!

Alan Bradley's Flavia De Luce novels are always a delight. In this latest book Flavia's mother Harriet's body it returned after having been frozen in ice for ten years in the Himalayan mountains. The family meet the train at an unused train station with no less a personage than Winston Churchill there to greet the train.The sorrowing De Luce family kept the body in Harriet's old room until the Secret Service comes to take the body for an autopsy. How Harriet died and who was responsible comes as a great shock for all.I hope this will not be the last Flavia book but I suspect it might be.

I am very fond of Flavia de Luce and look forward to each new adventure with her. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches was refreshing because it did not deal with Flavia finding a dead body – which, let’s face it, I’d be pretty suspicious if an 11-year-old kept ending up involved in solving a murder. Instead it deals with her mother’s return to Bishop’s Lacey. I enjoyed learning more about Flavia’s father and Dogger and seeing some growth in Flavia’s relationship with her sisters.

Bradley’s prose is a delight to read, even if some of the plot developments were a bit hard to swallow. There is a storyline involving Flavia’s intentions to raise the dead which is completely unbelievable. She is much too smart to believe that can be done, and if it’s her way of coping with loss, that’s not made apparent. There are some developments regarding Flavia’s role and importance in the world which are also pretty outlandish.

Still, it’s a fun read and my interest didn’t lag. The book ends with a development that will certainly bring a fresh spin to the next book in the series. Although I've enjoyed all the books, on the whole I think this one was more original than the last two.

I read an electronic galley of The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches from Netgalley.

This latest entry in the Flavia De Luce mystery series brings the same flavor (pardon the pun) of the previous books. Bradley brings a certain voice in his lead character along with a nostalgic whimsical atmosphere which is rather unique. And one I've found quite charming.

This latest entry picks up right where the previous book left off and quickly settles a big part of the cliffhanger about Harriet (no spoilers though). Sadly though this new book in what is a light, but entertainingly so, series, is a bit too light. As always Bradley delves into the scientific that is Flavia's obsession. And like all the other books he gets a little too involved in showing the readers what he knows in this area. While the adage "write what you know" is apt. There should be a coda to it and remind authors not to be a showoff. Or even worse, dull.

Bradley's problem here is that unlike the past volumes, this one has Flavia, for the most part, simply having things happen to her. Yes she wonders about things, but nothing that really propels the plot in a way that is compelling. There is a lot of filler and little meat in this already slight novel.

And, again without spoilers, Bradley takes the book into a direction that I not found a bit too incredulous but also a bit odd. Veering off in a major way in my opinion from an ongoing mystery series to a bizarre conspiracy type thriller sage. Something which is at odds with the tone and characterizations of the series to date. Not to mention it stretches my suspension of disbelief well past the breaking point as the lead character who finds herself enmeshed but also ensnared in the doings by the adults involved. Adults by the way that some presumably love and want to care and protect the brilliant Flavia. Who in the end is still a child no matter how precocious.

There had been a sense to me that Bradley was lathering scrubbing rinsing and then repeating certain themes to the point of breaking. The missing Harriet and the mess it caused in the family. The lack of monies, the pending loss of the ancestral seat. Flavia's penchant to continue to go after killers in ways that boggle the mind simply because someone so smart should have learned a touch of caution by now. Or simply following the adage of history repeating itself. Going beyond a lack of common sense even a twelve year old should possess and falling into the fatal literary crime of a character engaging in stupid behavior simply for plot.

But the new direction or shift that seems to be in the works for Flavia and her family is one that I fear will be worse than simple repetition. It risks taking whimsy and making it a farce.

I thoroughly enjoyed sharing this segment of life at Buckshaw. Approaching her twelfth birthday, Flavia and her family come full circle in the mysteries surrounding their lives. A page tuner that leaves the reader anxious for the next book and more adventures with the precocious chemist.

I love all of Alan Bradley's books about Flavia and her rascally behavior but this book was a little bit different from the previous books about the de Luce family. Flavia gets up to far fewer high jinks in this installment, which I found disappointing. I love this little girl who stumbles across dead bodies and solves the mysteries of their murders. In the Dead in their Vaulted Arches, Flavia's mother Harriet, who has been missing and presumed dead since Flavia was a baby, is finally returned to the village of Bishop's Lacey. As her mother's coffin is brought off the train, a stranger approaches Flavia with a cryptic message and seconds later is pushed in front of a train. Flavia has to decode the message, figure out why the man was killed, and try her best to bring her dead mother back to life.
There is far less bickering, name-calling, and catty behavior between Flavia and her sisters in this novel and I found that I missed it, though I can see how the discovery of their dead mother could put a damper on them and leave them too sad to bother. This novel also brought about changes for Flavia that will make all future books about her quite different. I'm both excited to see what Bradley comes up with and a little sad to see her current situation come to an end. I'm not ready for Flavia to leave Buckshaw.

I will admit I am an Alan Bradley fan and have read the entire series. The Flavia de Luce novels really do need to be read in sequence, so if you are considering picking this one up, please make sure you have read the previous five. This book requires you to already have a working knowledge of not just Flavia, but her entire family in order for it to make sense and flow.

The premises of the novel is startling to Flavia fans, her mother is returning home, but I won't go into details as that would completely spoil it. Needless to say, there is a mystery, chemistry, sleuthing, and a very interesting resolution, as is to be expected in a Flavia de Luce novel. I don't believe that fans will be disappointed, and, if fact, some of the oddities in early books are finally explained and that gives some satisfaction.

If you are already a fan, I believe you will not be disappointed. If you are not yet a fan, get the other five books and read them ASAP so you can catch up with the rest of us!

Jayne Entwistle won the 2014 Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Audio Book Narration: Mystery for "The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches." Once again, she brings Flavia de Luce and the inhabitants of Bishop's Lacey to life with absolute perfection. Naturally there are unexpected visitors: sultry Lena, bratty Undine and even Winston Churchill. Listening to Entwistle, the book unfolds as if you were walking the halls of Buckshaw. Completely engaging!

This book moves us in a different direction from the others, as the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Flavia's mother starts to unravel. Flavia is still our delightful heroine, but the tone of the book is much more somber as we prepare for a difficult funeral. Some parts were very difficult and emotional to read, as I've come to love these characters, but the mystery was very exciting. I'm looking forward to more answers in subsequent novels. The series will now move in a different direction, and I'm excited to see where the author takes our girl.

Read from April 05 to 07, 2014

Limited review to avoid spoilers: After being somewhat disappointed in books 3 and 4, I was well-pleased with book 5 and am glad to say Alan Bradley has returned in fine full form in this, the sixth installment of the Flavia de Luce series. It is every bit as delightful as the first. Keep them coming, Mr. Bradley. And thank you very much.

I kept putting this book down, then picking it up again. The entanglements kept pulling me back. I am not sure I enjoyed it, but am glad I finished It. I recommend the book and encourage the reader to not give up.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches is Alan Bradley's sixth book in the Flavia de Luce series. Miss de Luce is an eleven-year-old aspiring chemist and detective who lives in a crumbling family estate outside the English village of Bishop's Lacey. As happened in the previous books, she once again finds herself involved in a mystery. A man approaches Flavia at the train station, whispers a cryptic message in her ear, and is them pushed to his death under the train by someone in the crowd. Flavia goes to work from there.

The young Miss de Luce is a wonderful character. She is bright, inquisitive, and has a strong tendency to get involved in situations where she really doesn't belong. Mr. Bradley includes some humor in his books, and the settings in the English countryside are wonderful as are his descriptions of the people living in Bishop's Lacey. The books are set in the early 1950's.

The entire Flavia de Luce series is well worth reading.

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I have enjoyed all of the Flavia books over the last several years and would give all of them 4 if not 5 stars. This one seemed to flow particularly well and I think I enjoyed it more than the others. It was good having a lot of questions finally answered, but this also produced some anxiety. All of the loose ends seemed to be neatly tied up at the end of the book and it left me wondering if this is the last in the series. I see no hints of another book on Alan Bradley's website but I don't think that is much of a clue. Certainly the possibilities for additional books exist so I hope there are many more volumes to follow.

This series has been a delight to read. I didn't think at first that as an adult, an 11-12 year old female protagonist would hold my interest in a mystery, especially written by a grown man, but it has; through the entire series. Due to the slight late Downton Abbey-ish rural setting, and shades of Miss Marple, it has been thoroughly enjoyable. I hope Bradbury continues Flavia de Luce's adventures into the future.

Flavia's life take a completely new turn in this latest addition to the series. In no way is this book a disappointment or any less enjoyable than the previous entries about our young detective, but it's a bit scary to contemplate what may happen as the Flavia continues to grow and evolve into a more mature detective.

A great read for a wintry day, suitable for both YA and adults.

Wow, just read this one - Flavia finds out about her family and her mother and their history! Very exciting, and I for one wasn't expecting where the story went. Takes the series down a new fork in the road, that's for sure. Still has the 'Scout' feel to me (To Kill a Mockingbird) with Flavia's young take on what's happening around her. I love this series.

This book is quite different from the others in the series, as it deals more with the past. I initially found it to be a bit slow, as their wasn't much detecting for Flavia to do, but I ended it enjoying it overall. I have found that Flavia has matured over the series, which makes her a more relatable heroine and gives the books less of a gimmicky feeling.
*received from goodreads giveaway*

...better than the last. Bradley is skilled at crafting a story that keeps you guessing until the end. The books are peopled by believable, flawed characters that have real, messy, complicated relationships that the reader is privileged to watch evolve throughout the series.

This is the second in the series I've read and I'm still a bit put off by such a mature and intelligent 12-year old. However, I felt more connected to Flavia this time and I was actually excited to see what she was going to do to coax out information from the adults around her.

This is book #6 in the Flavia de Luce series. If you've not read them, start with the first book: "The sweetness at the bottom of the pie" where we meet 11 year old amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce. While each book contains an excellent stand-alone mystery I would recommend reading the series in order as the back story develops. In this book, Flavia's mother returns home and we begin to see bigger connections in the lives of the people who surround Flavia.

I love a good mystery, and the British are masters of the craft. An 11 year old sleuth? Hey, it works, she is endearing. I've found a new author whose works I can delve into. Most, intentionally, of the characters are likeable, all are interesting. I would recommend this to everyone.

Flavia comes of age in this story. Her mother makes a sad return and Flavia comes to grips with the woman she never had a chance to know. She is always supported by Dogger who is one of my favorite characters and she learns his history which is quite touching. In this book, Flavia learns her place in the family and learns to trust her instincts. I am ready for the next phase of her life to unfold.

Flavia DeLuce is still a fantastic character. I don't know if this book is intended to be the end of the series, I sincerely hope not, but if so it does a credible job of tying up loose ends. It was a wonderful summer read. Quick, funny at times, and a tear or two shed for the more heartwarming moments. Bradley has one of the most interesting casts of characters I've come across in a while. Good for teens and adults.

I only made it halfway through this book, with every intention of finishing it. Unfortunately I couldn't get over the tone. I know a lot of reviewers love the age of the main character but I just couldn't get past the fact that a twelve year old doesn't talk like that.

Flavia de Luce is (in this book) a precocious 11 year old from an eccentric family in mid 20th century Britain. Her mother, who disappeared when she was an infant, returns to the family estates in a coffin at the beginning of this book. Between that arrival and the day of the funeral, when the story ends, Flavia finds herself entangled in a variety of complex circumstances, from extremely DIY film development to a possible murder (Did he fall or was he pushed?), not to mention mysterious family secrets stretching back generations.

The story is beautifully written, with plenty of action and lots of erudite detail.

There is certainly a good deal of tidying up of loose strings from the series in this book, and it might have been better for the series if there hadn't been a need for such a lot of explaining in this final installment. However, this book also takes Flavia from amateur sleuth to a much more dramatic sort of adventurer, and I hope to see her in more books -- and perhaps in movies as well.

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches will not disappoint fans of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce. The plot is intelligently developed and includes lots of the backstory that adds drama to the challenges facing the occupants of Buckthorn, the ancient family estate. Flavia's interest in chemistry, her fearless pursuit of truth and longing to discover the mysteries that haunt her family drive the story but she's working in circumstances controlled by the adults so is more a child than in previous novels. All our favorite characters are illuminated in new ways and we're introduced to a few more who'll surely occupy Buckthorn in novels to come. I'm always happy to see Alan Bradley in the Just Released features and recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a carefully crafted light read.

Oh wow this was fabulous! Twists and turns, ups and downs! You have no idea what's coming next! What an amazing trick, Mr. Bradley! Oh poor Mr. de Luce. He's a rock. And I love Dogger even more. I really have no clue as to what Flavia will be up to next!

Didn't give this 5 stars because of one far fetched plot point that was set in motion and then abandoned (rightfully so) with little further reference. Flavia, while still a child, is far too smart to have ever thought that was a good idea and it didn't do her justice. I understand how that plot point was used to further the action but think it could have been managed differently. Otherwise a fun read, villain was easy to spot but that wasn't a major issue. I hope to read many more Flavia novels to see where life takes her.

Each book is better than the last and this one is by far the best. I'm torn, though. I don't want Flavia to leave and am leery of this turn of events. On one hand, it opens up new and exciting possibilities. On the other hand, will it change the whole tone of the book and characters? I can hardly wait for the next book. Thank you, Alan Bradley, for having such a clever and interesting imagination!

I have enjoyed the Flavia de Luce series in the past, but the chemistry overwhelms the novel. In the last novel, word had arrived that Harriet de Luce, Flavia's mother, had been found. Harriet embellishes the hard driven woman of the WWII era; she flies a plane and mountain climbs, as well as other daring feats. Since I do not wish to spoil the story, I will curtail my analysis of Harriet. This story doe not hold the charm of past Flavia stories. The novel concerns espionage and the life after the war. I do not feel the characters are well developed in this novel, and the setting limps around.

This was not a book series that I would normally gravitate to, although I love a good mystery. The titles are enough to turn me off as they are a bit dark, but I simply adore this series and this book is no exception. What other young girl loves poisons and has such insights to those around her and to her family. She is a child, yet she has such grown-up thoughts and actions. This book is a real grabber from the beginning when you find out that Harriet (her mother is coming home). Well, you just know there is going to be a twist and indeed there is! The whole book is a great mystery, well told, keeps up on edge until you finish it. I can't say enough about how enjoyable this series is and this book (as I said before) is no exception. I cannot wait for the next installment!

Eleven-year-old precocious chemist/detective Flavia de Luce is at it again in the fifth book in this series set in 1950s Britain. This time she is trying to solve the mystery of her mother's death in a hiking accident ten years earlier. Flavia's quest is by turns humorous and poignant as she does everything she can to catch a killer. —Beth Nolan Conners, Bloggers Recommend

I have read the other books in this series and have enjoyed each of them. I love Flavia and her family, and more impressively, my 15-yr old son also enjoys this series. High praise indeed considering these novels are about a 12-yr old girl. This novel does read a little as though it may be the last in the series, so I'm hoping Bradley is taking the soon to be teenage Flavia off on new adventures without losing the tone of the novels. Her relationship with her father, aunt and inspector Hewitt and his wife Antigone are just too delicious to abandon.

It is absolutely necessary to read the other books in the series, preferably in order, to understand and appreciate the events of this novel. We found these books in the regular (not Children's) library, but I think they are wholly appropriate for middle school aged kids as well.

Flavia de Luce is one of my all time favourite characters. I found this instalment of the series not up to snuff with the others. Not that I disliked it, far from it. But I found little in the way of the inventiveness and originality of the preceding books. Perhaps this is because Mr. Bradley resolves many old and familiar issues in this book. Or, perhaps it is time for Flavia to move on ( without giving anything away, there are hints of this at the end of the book). Whatever the case, I do hope he continues to write about her adventures...both my wife and I would greatly miss Flavia if she disappeared from the literary landscape. Readers of all ages could do worse than read this series! Enjoy!

Little miss Flavia, a thoroughly charming, unbelievably precocious little girl, is a most unconventional sleuth. This was a clever, refreshing little mystery ... good twists ... wonderful repartee ... interesting character development. All in all, a good who-done-it read.

...and I do, this book is for you.
Circumstances may account for why I rate this so highly, but it is a page turner. Thoughtful. Dry. Detective fiction can be too gritty for me and this book is a little dark but not gritty. Children are the focus but that doesn't limit the writing to an age group. It does limit the depressing baggage that can accompany adult literature.

I felt as if I were reading a Lemony Snicket book and couldn't remember feeling the same way about the previous books. It seemed very juvenile to me. That being said, I can see the series continue with Flavia in a new place and new adventures. There is the potential there. Hopefully she will be a few years older and the narrative will be more mature.

A tightly written mystery every bit as good as the rest of the series. Complex and quirky characters that come to life and sweep you along with them. This ended as if it could be the series finale but I would love for it to continue with an adult Flavia.

I have loved this series, but... this book is not worthy of its predecessors. It's actually tedious, with endless amounts of filler, meaningless diversions, and repetitious observations. Worse, our brilliant, observant Flavia de Luce is turned into a dunderhead. A little authorial cheating is not uncommon, whereby our hero overlooks the obvious, but the best authors don't go there & I never noticed Bradley doing it before.

Saddest of all, this marks the end of Flavia as we have known and loved her. Will Bradley try to drag us along as she enters her new life? If this is an example (just taking the plot and forgetting the writing) I don't want to follow. But I thank Alan Bradley for the first books in this series, which were true gems.

Flavia De Luce is the youngest detective and perhaps the most original. Each book has been wonderful to read, the location in an English village is charming and the other characters are well drawn, especially her family and the house they inhabit. Can't wait for the next one.

All encompassing, ever faithful. This book was like meeting an old friend for a drink and realising that you really can't understand why you didn't take them seriously before.

Highly recommended

a little book about a little girl with a "passion for poisons" that simply transports the reader to her world at Buckshaw. The author brings forth Flavia as a unique,whole creation that,though a precocious little smartly pants, the reader quickly loves. Flavia always enthralls with an adventure you would hate to miss! Added to the story is always a treasure trove of words either seldom heard or out of fashion today that the reader can smack their lips around- delicious!

I've read most of the other books in this excellent series and am glad to see a lot of the hanging bits of plot tied up and put to rest in this entry, but have to warn new readers that this is not a stand alone adventure: go back to the first novel, at least (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the PIe) and get familiar with pre-teen detective Flavia de Luce and her repressed, eccentric family. The books are well written, go quickly and are a delight to read.

Here's a quote from Publisher's Weekly that sums up the plot of "The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches: A Flavia de Luce Novel"

The mystery is personal for Flavia de Luce in Bradley’s excellent sixth novel featuring the precocious 11-year-old sleuth in post-WWII England (after 2013’s Speaking from Among the Bones). The body of Harriet de Luce, her mother who disappeared in a mountaineering accident when Flavia was about a year old, has finally been recovered, and has been transported to the family home in Bishop’s Lacey for burial. As if that news wasn’t dramatic enough, Flavia is dumbfounded when she finds that former Prime Minister Winston Churchill is on hand for the coffin’s arrival at the railway station, and baffled when a stranger accosts her with a message for her father that “the Gamekeeper is in jeopardy.” Confusion turns to horror when the messenger falls, or is pushed, beneath the wheels of the funeral train. Despite the turmoil of these developments, Flavia retains her droll wit (showing off her encyclopedic knowledge of chemistry, she notes, “Metol, of course, was nothing more than a fancy name for plain old Monomethylparaminophenol Sulfate”). The solution to a murder is typically neat, and the conclusion sets up future books nicely.

I am looking forward to more adventures with Flavia and recommend this book.

I keep trying to slow down the reading of each delicious volume but lost the battle on this one. Just had to gallop through it and mourn when it ended. My fervent prayer is that Alan Bradley is setting up a whole new series of Flavia novels as she leaves the wonderful year of being 11 and heads into other adventures. Don't leave us stranded!

Mr. Bradley provides a very satisfactory conclusion to the tale of Harriet and the fate of Buckshaw. Possibly not as intense a mystery as earlier installments, but necessary closure is achieved and you put the book down feeling good about Flavia going forward.

The Flavia books are the best books ever, and the stories flow so well. She is a young mad scientist with a good heart. You become immersed in the stories and you are sad when the end comes. Another book in this series can not be written fast enough for me!

I was resistant to the direction of the newest storyline at first, but was soon won over. By the end, I couldn't wait for the next entry. Beautifully done! It was so good that I immediately reread, with great pleasure.

Flavia de Luce is a brilliant, engaging & quirky heroine. She's unexpectedly charming. Alan Bradley continues his series with another engaging, well-written mystery swirling around our leading girl. I heartily recommend this series! I'm just upset that I have to wait until the next is written and published!

Another fascinating mystery in this series. Flavia's youthful perspective keeps the subject of murder and the backdrop of a crumbling mansion from bogging down the story. Instead it's upbeat and entertaining.

This series just keeps getting better and better. Flavia is growing up and so are her adventures. If you're new to this family, start at the beginning if the series. You won't want to miss a second of being with this family.

A 6 star minimum for the 6th in the Flavia de Luce series. Exquisitely written, tightly woven to previous mysteries yet independently readable with an intriguing plotline, a unique perspective, and well-developed characters (both old and new). Once started---read straight through to the final words in the same day---a treasured delight.

I have enjoyed the Flavia de Luce series, but this is where it kicked in to another level. Some people may have seen some of the twists coming, but I certainly did not. I LOVE this kid and I love where this book takes the reader. I feel like it has taken Flavia in a new direction, and one that I'm excited to explore with her!

Book was OK because writer writes well, but not best in series. Mystery was light. Main part of book was Flavia missing her mother and what she does about it. Flavia is wonderful character and this is what makes book work.

I was so very moved by this book.
I love this whole series.
I felt like a part of the charming Bishops Lacey.
As an earlier commenter said, it is all about Harriet......as it should have been.

This is more about Flavia than about a murder, but the opening chapter is a gem. As always with Bradley, the reader has to suspend a great deal of disbelief -- but such is the charm of Flavia and the portrait of decaying Buckshaw, not to mention the cast of characters that appears in book after book, that it's easy to hang disbelief on a peg and just read on. This one is a bit slow in the middle, as Bradley gets involved in Harriet, but it picks up wonderfully at the end and brings the whole series to a happy and blessedly unsentimental conclusion.

Readers new to the series are advised NOT to read this one first. Or even second or third. Part of the fun of reading this one is that Bradley gradually reveals the card that has been up his sleeve for quiet a while (maybe not from Volume !, but certainly since Aunt Felicity turned up in the series), and a great deal of the fun is the discovery of what has remained hidden for so long.

I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Flavia is such a vivid character and a great reminder of how grown up I felt as an eleven year old girl. This is by far the best yet, very moving and still a great mystery.
I'm looking forward to the next adventure.

Each tale of the de Luce family is more enchanting than the last. Bradley's vivid characters are a delight. I generally prefer the old standards such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Ngaio Marsh, but I am now a confirmed Alan Bradley fan.

I have read and re-read Flavia's novels with great enjoyment. They are unique, interesting, and unlike any other mysteries I've read. I am 59 years old but don't agree they are just for younger readers. Mr. Bradley, I hope more stories will be forthcoming. They have brought me much pleasure.

This book is a definite change in direction from the previous Flavia books. The writing, the character, and the tone is the same, but her world is suddenly larger, perhaps in keeping with a heroine who is growing up. I eagerly await the next in the series to know if the larger world and role Flavia plays can maintain the charm of past books.

Flavia is a child and although I at first thought the book would have been written for children, such was not the case. It was a pleasant change from the cozy mysteries I usually read. It seems to me that Flavia and Miss Marple would have gotten along very well, indeed.

I've enjoyed following Flavia's adventures and chemistry lessons. Recently went back and reread the series in order, with this one taking an interesting turn at the end. Looking forward to more, Mr. Bradley!

The larger context of world war enters. An important global figure appears. Flaviachanges at a key incident. The trajectory of the series rises and the father becomes more understandable and Flavia less a caricature.

Re-read last three chapters several times. I hated to have it end. I sure hope to read more as Flavia de Luce grows into womanhood and reaches her full potential. Hoping the BBC does the series justice.

This series is just simply the best! Alan Bradley just outdoes himself with each new novel. It's really hard to accept that Flavia is fictional, I love her so much and just can't wait for the next installment.

I love Flavia! Lately, I haven't read a book I couldn't put down, but The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches changed that! The stories are entertaining and enchanting, because the characters are. Alan Bradley can certainly create a story!

'The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches' by Alan Bradley finds young Flavia de Luce sleuthing her heart out. To call her precocious is perhaps a bit too precious, but she is certainly a unique enough character.

In this book, we discover what happened to Flavia's mother Harriet. Upon Harriet's arrival by train, a stranger mouths the phrase "pheasant sandwiches" into Flavia's ear and then is found dead under the train a few minutes later. There is a reel of film that must be developed using Flavia's chemistry knowledge. There is some interesting backstory about Dogger. Flavia meets a younger cousin that may be brighter than even she is. She also finds an interesting connection to Winston Churchill himself. There are also bike rides and airplane rides. Ultimately, Flavia's life is changed in good and bad ways, and it will be interesting to see what comes next for her.

There is not so much a mystery here as general skulking about with some interesting characters. Not that the mystery is all that crucial. Threads of the story are tied up a bit, and the series is sent off into a new direction, which is probably a good thing. The writing is what hangs it all together so nicely, and the ever so bold Flavia. Willing to act like a grown up, even though she is lacking the life experience and some of the street smarts. The supporting characters are also interesting for the most part. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more in the series.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Kindle editions of Alan Bradley's books are horribly overpriced! $11.99 for an ebook? When Kindle was introduced, it was touted as making books affordable, as no printing costs would be involved. Some of Bradley's books are more expensive as e-books than paperbacks! This negative review, unfortunately, says nothing of Bradley's writing, and will be removed when the prices of this and other books in this series come down.

I love these novels, and I especially love the audio editions. This one was less about the mystery of murder, and more about the mystery of the de Luce family. It was sad, and left behind a sad and sentimental feeling. But it was also sweet, funny, serious and fast-paced. I look forward to the next phase. Please don't make us wait too long, Mr. Bradley!

Once again Alan Bradley keeps it moving and keeps us absorbed. The English have such a turn of phrase it is just plain fun to read. It almost sounds as though Bradley is finished with the de Luce family. Too bad if true. They were all such fun, easy, reads.

For those who have not read the series, Flavia is a youthful eccentric genius and budding chemist, growing up at the family estate, raised by her father, two sisters, housekeeper Mrs. Mullet, and all-around-everything Dogger. And for those who have not read the series, go back and start at the beginning, because in "The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches," Alan Bradley takes the story to new depths and heights and revelations.

Ten years ago, when Flavia was a young child, while her father was in a Japanese prison camp, her mother Harriet disappeared in Tibet. Now, in 1951, the estate, which was Harriet's, is crumbling and up for sale. The future looks bleak. At the end of "Speaking from Among the Bones", the family receives the news that Harriet has been found.

The book opens at the train station, where the family awaits her arrival. The train pulls into the station. British dignitaries, including Churchill himself, step off, forming a line. And finally Harriet arrives.

Before any of this can even be processed, Flavia is approached by a stranger who claims to be a friend of the family. He gives her a message: "Tell your father that the Gamekeeper is in jeopardy... Tell him that is Nide is under--." Flavia is yanked away by her sister. Seconds later the bearer of the message is pushed beneath the wheel of the train, silenced forever.

As the family takes the steps to come to terms with their new situation, the story unfolds, answering scores of questions from the earlier books.

Why did Harriet leave her young daughters all those years ago?

Is Aunt Felicity more than a crabby old relative?

What happened to Father during the war?

What is the bond between Father and Dogger?

What was Father's strategy in the raising of Flavia?

What are her sisters' real feelings about Flavia, and why do they feel this way?

What happened to Harriet 10 years ago in Tibet?

What is the bond that Dogger and Father share?

Who was Dogger before the war?

What were different villagers' relationships with Harriet?

Can the dead be brought back to life?

Can old mysteries be solved by a 12 year old girl?

If, like me, you are a huge Flavia fan, you will not be able to put this book down. If you haven't read the previous books, stop, go back, and start at the beginning.

You'll not only fall under Bradley's spell. You'll learn a whole of chemistry.

Enjoy!

This unique series is one of my favorites. The author deftly walks the line of a brainy mystery with the voice of a tween girl. Flavia understands all kinds of complicated chemical reactions, but finds everyday interactions perplexing. Utterly entertaining and charming.

I have to give this entry five stars! It had so much emotion, intrigue, family ties, chemistry, and most of all, unexpected twists, that to give it less than five stars would not be right.

If I say much about the plot, it will spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that Flavia, her sisters Ophelia and Daphne, her father, Haviland, Dogger, and the entire population of Bishop's Lacey are involved in this entry in the series.

One reads for the plot, but also for the delicious way Alan Bradley ties words together. Alan Bradley will deliver the Eighteenth Annual Baker Street Irregulars Distinguished Speaker Lecture on Thursday, January 8, 2015, at the Midtown Executive Club in New York City. Although membership in the New York-based BSI is by invitation only and is made up primarily of well-known mystery authors, this lecture is open to the public. If I could attend, I would!

However, back to the book. At the end of Speaking from Among the Bones, readers are left reeling. This book picks up where that book ended, and gallops at full pace the entire way.

I know you can find out plot details quite easily, but I don't plan to give any of them away. I have to say that this is my favorite Flavia book...so far. I hope Alan Bradley continues to write of Flavia's adventures; she's not quite 12 years old, so her teen years are wide open!

I have read and loved all the Flavia books and bought this the day it came out.
It was easy to read and Bradleys style of writing has always appealed to me.
However I have to say that I was bored almost from page one.
Nothing much happened and the direction the story went in left me totally disinterested.
The first book and the one before this were the strongest and would recommend them and in fact all the other books but this one was dreadful.
If you love Flavia avoid this as it will end the series on a bad note

I really enjoyed this book and how Bradley dealt with the return of Harriet, but I didn't like the conclusion. It appears Flavia is going to have to grow and changes are occurring. I will give the next book a chance, but I am not hopeful.

Loved this book as it cleared up many of the questions evolving from the previous Flavia de Luce novels. This was a great read; I highly recommend it for anyone, but it is more applicable to those who have read Bradley's previous books.

This series of books is truly a joy. The writing is wonderful. These are books to keep and reread for the "turn of the phrase".
The main character is delightful. The stories are great. I absolutely adored every one.

I recently received the new Alan Bradley novel about precocious girl detective/chemist Flavia de Luce, "The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches".

I managed to make my way through the first book in the series, "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie". I do like quirky, spunky girl detectives but I didn't like it enough to read any further books in the series until I was given "The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches" to review. I had even less success with this book.

As the book opens, Flavia's mother Harriet de Luce, aviatrix and heiress to the family estate Buckshaw had been found after 10 years and was coming home at last. This was both exciting and upsetting to 12 year old Harriet, who had been just a baby when Harriet disappeared. At the train station, we are introduced to a mysterious stranger who is pushed to his death under the train after delivering a cryptic message for Flavia to give to her father. There is also a cameo by no less a personage than Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The further adventures of Flavia include graphic descriptions of chemistry experiements (never my favorite subject) and her dogged detective work, which I will not discuss further as I do not want to add any spoilers to my review.

I wanted to like this but truly could not become engaged. I had no problem putting it down, and a lot picking it up again.

I absolutely loved this book. After waiting for so long to finally read it, I was impressed by how Bradley wrapped up the mystery of Harriet`s death. All the ends were tried up and a new chapter is about to begin for Flavia (I hope!).
I loved each of the previous books as well, but this one was presented differently, as there was a somewhat gloomy feeling throughout. The ultimate mystery of what happened to Harriet that runs throughout the entire series is concluded nicely and many questions about the entire de Luce family are answered.
I read the entire thing in two days, even though I had wanted to savor it. Now I can't wait to read it again!

Best of the series..... Flavia gets a new opportunity to celebrate her 12th birthday. And also the gift of knowing she has always been loved as someone very special. No one disappoints in this tale and her Mom's story is one I always suspected.

Kudos to Flavia's sisters for showing such courage and bravado at the funeral service.......who'da thunk it? I can only imagine the joy of sending off the deceased with such a resounding farewell.