“Speaking From Among the Bones”, by Alan Bradley

 

416 pages, Bantam Books, ISBN-13: 978-0385344043

In Speaking From Among the Bones, the 5^th installment of the Flavia de Luce mysteries, we find that Easter is approaching in Bishop’s Lacey, and St Tancred’s church is commemorating its 500^th anniversary by opening the tomb of the namesake patron saint. Flavia is eager to witness the exhumation for herself; however, on opening the tomb, the onlookers find not the moldering remains of St Tancred, but the recently dead church organist, Mr. Collicutt. Who wanted Mr. Collicutt dead? And why are some church officials so reluctant to proceed with the excavation? Once again, since Flavia is the one who found his body inside the tomb of St Tancred, she feels obliged to get to the bottom of the matter.

As usual, Speaking From Among the Bones begins and ends with Flavia de Luce. I mean, seriously, what a card; Bradley could write a dissertation on the dictionary and make it vivid, engaging and full of life – but only if he did so in Flavia’s voice. I’m sure I’m not the only one to wonder why she never goes to school; I can see why she has no friends her age, seeing as how, intellectually she would be head-and-shoulders above them all. But emotionally, she remains an 11-year-old girl; partially orphaned in a very dysfunctional and unloving family, her only confidante, Dogger, a shell-shocked, former prisoner of war who is, still, more than he seems. And yet, she lives, thrives and survives; perhaps these murders – and chemistry – are all that keeps her going?

I liked how this fifth book got the ball rolling rather quickly with the main murder plot, but there are a lot of other subplots from previous novels that are starting to come together here, as well: the de Luce family’s financial problems have finally come to a head, and Buckshaw is up for sale; there is a proper cliffhanger at the end, and the next book seems to be headed for a resolution of sorts. While, I suppose, it is not strictly necessary to read each and every one of the Flavia books in order, it certainly does help; seeing the changing family dynamic and the other issues involving the de Luce’s at last coming to some sort of resolution – for good or for ill – makes one realize just how emotionally invested one has become in their plight.

I have to say, however, that I miss Inspector Hewitt; oh, he makes oh-so-brief appearances towards the beginning and end of the book, but the banter between he and Flavia and his barely concealed respect/fatigue with our precocious protagonist are some of the things that I like about these books. And I really hope that Flavia can patch things up with both he and his wife, Antigone; this affection-starved young creature needs a surrogate father/mother in her life to guide her through life, seeing as her real mother is dead (I think) and her real father continues to isolate himself in his study with his stamps. And don’t get me started on Ophelia and Daphne; Flavia is not blameless in her relationship with her sisters, but she is more sinned-against than sinned.

Bradley has written into life a strange young girl who loves chemistry and poisons, who solves the most perplexing mysteries, who asks the most farfetched questions and who befuddles everyone in the world around her. And God love her for it. Sadly, just five more books to go…