Speaking From Among the Bones
by Alan Bradley
THE FIFTH BOOK IN THE FLAVIA DE LUCE CRIME SERIES, FROM THE WINNER OF THE CRIME WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION DEBUT DAGGER AWARD, BARRY AWARD, AGATHA AWARD, MACAVITY AWARD, DILYS AWARD, AND ARTHUR ELLIS AWARD
OVER FOUR MILLION COPIES OF THE SERIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
Eleven-year-old amateur detective and ardent chemist Flavia de Luce is used to digging up clues, whether they’re found among the potions in her laboratory or between the pages of her insufferable sisters’ diaries. What she is not accustomed to is digging up bodies.
Upon the five hundredth anniversary of his death, the English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey is busily preparing to open the tomb of St. Tancred, its patron saint. Nobody is more excited to peek inside the crypt than Flavia, yet what she finds will halt the proceedings dead in their tracks: the body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, his face grotesquely and inexplicably masked.
Who held a vendetta against Mr. Collicutt, and why would they hide him in such a sacred resting place? The irrepressible Flavia decides to find out. And what she unearths will prove there’s never such thing as an open-and-shut case.
Alan Bradley just discovered this delightful deep dive into his Flavia de Luce mystery series
'Book Talk: Alan Bradley on young sleuths and TV series' - Reuters
'Why Alan Bradley is one of Canada’s most successful cultural exports' - The National Post
'Fame feels 'like a movie' for Flavia author' - The Windsor Star
Bones debuts at #6 in Canada and #8 in US, and listed at #9 in Publishers Weekly
'Your new favourite book series that isn't Game of Thrones - Metro
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86,000 words
RIGHTS SOLD
US: Bantam Dell
US Audio: Random House
US Large Print: Thorndike
Canada: Doubleday
UK: Orion, Mar 2013
UK Audio: W.F. Howes
Brazil: Saraiva
Czech Republic: Euromedia
China: Harbin
Finland: Bazar
Germany: Blanvalet
Hungary: Maxim
Italy: Sellerio
Japan: Tokyo Sogensha
Netherlands: Luitingh-Sijthoff
Poland: Vesper
Russia: AST
TV: Robert Mickelson, Mystic Point Productions
(Photo: Jeff Bassett)
ABOUT ALAN BRADLEY
Alan Bradley is the internationally bestselling author of short stories, children’s stories, newspaper columns, and the memoir The Shoebox Bible. The Flavia de Luce mystery series has been sold in 39 territories and has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. The books have been bestsellers in Canada, the USA, Germany, Russia, Brazil, China, and Holland, appearing on bestseller lists in The New York Times – where the first two books appeared simultaneously – and Der Spiegel – for four months.
PRAISE FOR ALAN BRADLEY'S FLAVIA DE LUCE SERIES
“Delightful…. Historical fiction and mystery readers alike are sure to rejoice at getting to spend another afternoon in Flavia's agreeable world.”
— SHELFAWARENESS
“Take the precociousness of Harriet the Spy, the deductive reasoning skills of Sherlock Holmes and the chemistry prowess of Marie Curie and you’ll have Flavia de Luce, the adorable heroine of Alan Bradley’s mystery series.” — THE WILKES BARRE TIMES LEADER
“A charming jumble of clues, false trails and surprises, all narrated in Flavia’s droll, amusing voice.”— CRITICSATLARGE.CA
“Alan Bradley has created one of the most endearing protagonists the traditional mystery genre, typified by the works of Agatha Christie, has seen in a very long time…. With this…Bradley, a Canadian who now lives in Malta, secures his position as a confident, talented writer and storyteller.”— THE GLOBE AND MAIL
“She now seems certain to become a national treasure…. She is as addictive as dark chocolate and as English as Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending.”— DAILY MAIL
“Flavia, once more, entertains and delights as she exposes the inner workings of her investigative mind to the reader. But the same reader will be heartened by some new developments in her emotional growth, with a surprising but pleasing twist ending that adds a number of new narrative layers for forthcoming volumes.”— NATIONAL POST
“This is a delightful read through and through. We find in Flavia an incorrigible and wholly lovable detective; from her chemical experiments in her sanctum sanctorum to her outrage at the idiocy of the adult world, she is unequaled.”— LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred review
“Let a little boy out of your sight and he’ll get into mischief. Take your eyes off a little girl and she’s liable to turn into a detective—maybe an adorable snoop like Flavia de Luce.”— THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
“Flavia is incisive, cutting and hilarious. She's…one of the most remarkable creations in recent literature.”— USA TODAY
“Delightful…. Only those who dislike precocious young heroines with extraordinary vocabulary and audacious courage can fail to like this amazingly entertaining book. Expect more from the talented Bradley.”— BOOKLIST, starred review
PRAISE FOR SPEAKING FROM AMONG THE BONES
“[An] excellent reminder that crime fiction can sparkle with wit, crackle with spirit and verge on the surreal … the reader will be heartened by some new developments in [Flavia’s] emotional growth, with a surprising but pleasing twist ending that adds a number of new narrative layers for forthcoming volumes.” — THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
“Flavia, once more, entertains and delights as she exposes the inner workings of her investigative mind to the reader. But the same reader will be heartened by some new developments in her emotional growth, with a surprising but pleasing twist ending that adds a number of new narrative layers for forthcoming volumes.” — NATIONAL POST
“Bradley is firing on all burners with this one…. With twists aplenty, right up to the last line, I am champing at the bit for the sixth instalment. Write quickly, Mr. Bradley.” — MONTREAL GAZETTE
“Irrepressible … The Flavia bandwagon rolls on: Not only will she star in five more novels, but she’ll also shine in several made-for-television films.” — KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Bradley’s Flavia cozies, set in the English countryside, have been a hit from the start, and this fifth in the series continues to charm and entertain, as Flavia—so intellectually mature yet socially unschooled—takes advantage of being able to go about unnoticed because of her youth. A final cliffhanger guarantees interest in the next installment.” — BOOKLIST
“Memorable, often funny prose complements the crafty plot of Bradley’s fifth Flavia de Luce novel … The reader never loses sight of Flavia’s youth, but also never wonders at the likelihood that someone with her qualities exists.” — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review
