Blood drops and blood ties

Ever have a really good secret you can't tell? And you wish you could talk to someone about it and see what they think? That's the situation I found myself in last month. I had just finished the last page of Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley, which is the 5th in the Flavia de Luce books. It was quiet and everyone else had gone to bed and yet I had uttered a rather loud "wha...?!?" and sat there with my mouth hanging open and my mind spinning. Eventually I heard Jamie asking from the bedroom: "Is everything okay?" But I couldn't talk to her about it; she's only heard the first book, which we listened to on our Thanksgiving trip. And I couldn't talk to anyone else because mine was an advance copy from Amazon Vine and the book won't even be out until January 29, 2013. I couldn't go online because it might spoil it for someone else. I just had to sit there...

... and wait...

... until Braiden came home for Christmas break and read it (he's the only one I know who's read all the other books). Then - finally! - I had someone to share the secret.

In the 5th book it's almost Easter and for the 500th anniversary of Saint Tancred's death the village of Bishop's Lacey is preparing to open his tomb. Of course Flavia manages to insert herself in the right place at exactly the right moment, being the first person to peak inside. But what she sees is the dead body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, already inside and lying atop the stone lid. (No one even realized he was missing!) Of course, Flavia can't help but investigate, but this time she has some competition. And things get tangled and even dangerous and before long the wooden statue of St. Tancred inside the church is dripping blood and her travels with Gladys bring her even more buried knowledge about her mother, Harriet, who died when Flavia was just a baby.

And I'm sorry but I can't tell you any more than that! But hopefully I've piqued your interest in the most wonderfully clever series to come along in... oh, I don't know how long. The writing is just so... (okay, I'm going to gush!)... "delicious" and funny and no matter how hard I try to read it slowly to savor every word, I just can't help myself and I end up staying up late to read just a few more pages. Unfortunately, when the next book comes out Braiden will be on his LDS mission, so I'll have no one to talk with. So for Pete's sake (or mine!), if you haven't already started this series please do so right away. And I'll be there for you when you finish this one.