The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

It is the summer of 1950- and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp is bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. 


The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is Alan Bradley's first of hopefully many Flavia de Luce Mysteries. I loved it! This mystery novel is an absolute must read. This novel takes place in 1950 England on the Buckshaw estate and is about an 11 year old girl, Flavia de Luce. My first instinct was to believe that an 11 year old character was going to be immature; I felt too old to be reading this novel but I quickly found that Alan Bradley's brilliant writing is applicable to all ages. Flavia is a curious and precocious character, who loves chemistry and uses it to torture her two older sisters. Flavia is such an incredible heroine that I can't wait to start reading The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, the sequel to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Through out the novel Flavia proves to be incredibly clever as she works to uncover the mystery on a quest through the quaint town of Bishop's Lacey. Alan Bradley brings this story alive with witty and entertaining writing that kept me engaged until the end. This is a great summer read and a book you'll be sure to share with your friends! 4.5 Cupcakes!