The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley – That’s What I’m Talking About…
Audiobook review: The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley
Another whimsical and captivating entry in the Flavia de Luce series pits eleven-year-old amateur detective Flavia against a new puzzling murder and a long-ago death of a young boy that may have a bearing on the famous puppeteer’s demise.
Flavia is not just precocious, but rather a child protege when it comes to chemistry, particularly poisons, and puzzling out a mystery. The De Luce household is somewhat ramshackle and eccentric- both the estate and the family. They may be an old, gentry family living on the family estate, Buckshaw, but taxes and no influx of capital have the current family living in reduced circumstances and on the verge of losing the family home, though the odd De Luces don’t seem to realize this. It is a pleasure to slip into Flavia’s English countryside and village 1950-era world. She is both a terror and an engaging girl with a mind that observes and analyzes beyond the average adult.
The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag is book two in the series. The mysteries are standalone, but there is a clear connection of ongoing personal story and reference back to previous events that make the series best to be read/listened to in order.
I enjoyed this gently paced historical mystery. Alan Bradley’s carefully painted historical setting, dialogues, and characters make the book just sparkle. It may have a child detective, but this is very much an adult level series with themes and elements aimed at an adult audience. That said, Flavia is written so that the reader/listener is convinced of her age while also finding her abilities and deductions equally believable. It is fun how one moment she is clever and cunning when on the hunt to solving the mystery and the other she is cat-fighting and pulling pranks on her older obnoxious sisters while avoiding the stern censure of her father. She understands so much about facts, but finds adults act in unfathomable ways at times. I about died laughing when she went to her father’s manservant to have Dogger explain what was involved in ‘having an affair’ because she deduced he was likely to be her best bet for an answer. Poor old Dogger!
Jayne Entwistle continues to deliver a brilliant performance as the narrator. She voices all the characters so well even the added voice of a male German accented voice along with Flavia’s girl exuberance. There is something that she does to make it feel like the right era, too.
All in all, I had a great time and even burst into laughter several times over Flavia’s antics. Dogger the family handyman continues to be a favorite character as he fights his post-war stress demons and takes care of the family and particularly Flavia. I can’t wait for more from this unique historical mystery series that makes me think of Sherlock Holmes mashed with Addams’ Family.
My Ratings
Story: B+
Narration: A
Sophia Rose
About the Book:
Author: Alan Bradley
Narrator: Jayne Entwistle
Series: Flavia de Luce Mysteries #2
Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery
Audiobook Release Date: March 9, 2010
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
Length: 9 hours and 50 minutes
Source: Book Source
Audio Speed: 1.2x
