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What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust
What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust | Alan Bradley
16 posts | 14 read | 4 to read
In this newest installment of the beloved series, Flavia de Luce, along with her pestilent younger cousin, investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers secrets that bring the greatest shock of her life. Flavia de Luce has taken on the mentorship of her odious, moon-faced cousin Undine, who has come to live at Buckshaw following the death of her mother. Undine's main talent seems to be getting underfoot, although in her best moments she shows potential for trespassing and trickery. When Major Greyleigh, a local recluse and former hangman, is found dead from ingesting poisonous mushrooms, suspicion fall on the de Luce family's longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet. After all, it was she who picked the mushrooms, cooked the omlette, and served it to Greyleigh in the moments before his death. "I have to admit," says Flavia, a budding expert in the chemical nature of poisons, "that I'd been praying to God for a mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a gift such as mine without giving her the opportunitiy to use it?" But Flavia knows the beloved Mrs Mullet is innocent. Together with Dogger, estate gardener and partner-in-crime, and Undine, whose help she does not welcome but begrudgingly accepts, she sets out to find the real killer and clear Mrs. Mullet's good name. Little does she know that following the case's twists and turns will lead her to a most surprising discoveryone with the power to upend her entire life.
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AvidReader25
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Pickpick

I will always read the new Flavia book and love them on audio. Her acerbic wit and calculating mind make each mystery delightful. When a former hangman is murdered, she jumps to find the killer. I loved diving into the bigger intelligence agency mystery in this one. We get a few more answers & watch Flavia mature a bit. She might be cold and calculating, but she‘s loyal to her core and loves deeply despite herself. Dogger is still my favorite.

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Shemac77
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Pickpick

Another great Flavia. I can understand why some would think it wasn‘t as well done as previous but I think we‘re seeing Flavia transitioning from child to woman. Thoroughly satisfied and enjoyed the story.

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Shemac77
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Flavia!!!!!!

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rabbitprincess
Mehso-so

I always enjoy reading Flavia‘s voice, but I found it hard to suspend disbelief for some of the plot elements. For this reason I do not regret keeping the series a borrow rather than buy. A possibly spoilery musing is spoiler tagged in a comment.

rabbitprincess I had about the same feelings about this as I did about Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew‘d…or rather, the same non-feelings. I just felt empty reading the end of both these books, and in a way it makes sense. 2mo
11 likes1 comment
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MaureenMc
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Pickpick

While I enjoyed sleuthing with Flavia and Dogger again, something was missing in this installment. I‘m curious to see how long Bradley continues this series, now that Flavia is growing up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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lauraisntwilder
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Pickpick

Flavia de Luce is growing up. What enjoyed most about this newest installment was the moments when Flavia was dealing with occupying the space between child and adult.

rubyslippersreads I need to catch up on the series before I read the new one. 3mo
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Librarybelle
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Pickpick

Flavia is back! And what she uncovers is pretty sinister. I‘ve listened to this entire series, and this latest addition is as enjoyable as the others. There were parts that seemed a little far fetched or slow, but it was so nice to return to Flavia, Dogger, and Bishop‘s Lacy.

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janeycanuck
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Pickpick

Oh, I wanted to love this. It‘s Flavia, after all! But it was only okay. A lot of filler, a weak story line, and one particular event that has got to be pandering to readers versus what Bradley actually wanted to do with the overarching story.

But I loved seeing Flavia and Dogger and even Mrs Mullet again so it gets a pick!

Ruthiella I do wish that they had opted to end this series on a high note. To me, the continuation feels like a money grab. 3mo
janeycanuck @Ruthiella Yes, exactly! 3mo
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JoyBlue
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Pickpick

Flavia de Luce cozy mystery fans, rejoice—book 11 has arrived! Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#what-time-the-sextons-spade-doth-rus...

Publication day is September 3.

#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup #Ballantine #Bantam #WhatTimetheSextonsSpadeDothRust

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emz711
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag Oooh! I‘m so excited for further Flavia adventures! 3mo
julieclair Perfect timing!!! 3mo
emz711 @julieclair i know right! And I got it first from hold in the library. Was so nice to get back into the world but Flavia's really growing up. Makes me want to read them all again 3mo
julieclair Makes me a bit wistful to think of Flavia growing up. 🧡 3mo
36 likes4 comments
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vlwelser
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Pickpick

This series is very fun but the early books are better. This is the 11th. You basically have to read the entire series to get what's going on here. Low pick for this one but the series is a high pick.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 9/3/24
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 6mo
JoyBlue I'm 40%+ through the ARC. So far, I completely agree with your sentiments about this installment and the series. It's been such a long wait for this installment. 4mo
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suvata
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Pickpick

Expected publication date is September 3, 2024.

4 Stars • I‘ve followed Alan Bradley‘s Flavia de Luce and her antics for fifteen years now and these books never disappoint. In "What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust," amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce, along with her younger cousin Undine, investigates the murder of a former public hangman, Major Greyleigh. ⬇️

suvata Suspicion initially falls on the de Luce family‘s longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet, as she had picked the mushrooms and cooked the omelet that Greyleigh consumed before his death. Flavia, an expert in the chemical nature of poisons, is determined to find the real killer and clear Mrs. Mullet's name. As the investigation progresses, Flavia uncovers secrets that lead to a surprising discovery, one that has the potential to upend her entire life. (edited) 7mo
merelybookish Wow! I assumed that series was done! 7mo
suvata @merelybookish I thought it was too. Happily, I was wrong. 7mo
gossamerchild OMG, there's a new one?!? Thank you for sharing this, this is one of my absolute favorite series! 7mo
suvata @gossamerchild you‘re going to love it. 7mo
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Suzze
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There are two books I can‘t wait for!

TheSpineView Never enough books! 💙📚💙 8mo
25 likes1 comment
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Suzze
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I am so excited to be reading an arc of the new Flavia DeLuce. I thought the series had ended! I screamed when I saw a new one scheduled for September. One of my favorite mystery series. 🚲 🔬

BarkingMadRead Ohhhhhh I‘ve only just started this series, but I love that there are so many! 8mo
Suzze @BarkingMadRead I envy you all the fun you still have left to read! 8mo
mrp27 I thought it ended too! Exciting to have another installment. 8mo
37 likes3 comments
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Lynnsoprano
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Flavia is coming back! I love this series, so glad to see that there‘s going to be a new installment. It‘s been quite a while since the last one. My preorder has already been placed.

Librarybelle Oh! This is exciting news! 8mo
MaureenMc 🙌 8mo
TNbookworm So excited to hear this🙌 8mo
49 likes1 stack add3 comments
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emz711

Ah! He just hinted on Facebook today that there's a new one, I hurry to goodreads and there's 2 new stories coming!
Love Flavia

Shemac77 I love her too! 12mo
20 likes1 comment