Flavia is searching for clues to solve the murder of Rupert Porson who met his untimely end thanks to a current of electricity during a puppet show. Surprisingly that wasn't the only shocking thing to happen at the show. The puppet for Jack and the Beanstalk had an uncanny resemblance to Robin, a young boy who died tragically in their small town a few years ago. Puppet and puppeteer both leave the people of Bishop's Lacey shaken.Is there a connection between the puppeteer and the death of Robin?Leave it to Flavia, history's greatest fictitious 11 year old detective, to solve the case!

I don't read many mystery books, but I am hooked on this series--and have gotten my mom hooked as well. In this second book, 11-year-old Flavia continues her adventures in the British countryside where she roams wild with her unhealthy interest in murder and poison. In this book, a visiting puppeteer is murdered, and the cast of suspects is wide. Bradley, a Canadian, has a magnificent knack for creating characters who are brilliant and quirky in that perfectly British mold. Really, it would be a joy to read about these people interact, even without the suspense of a murderer afoot.[return][return]But this is a murder mystery, and a pretty solid one. The ending of this didn't have the same punch as that of the first book, but it's still strong and the puzzle pieces fit together nicely. Not only does Flavia set out to solve the puppeteer's murder, but that of a local young boy who was found hanged several years before. The two deaths are closely linked. [return][return]I will continue to seek out books in this series. I was very glad to read in Publisher's Weekly recently that the author will be coming out with some ten books, and I couldn't contain my whoop of glee.

I think I enjoyed this second of Flavia de Luces adventures even more than the first. This time around, a travelling puppet show comes to Bishops Lacey. Their van having broken down there, puppeteer Rupert Porson decides to put on two shows at the Vicarage Hall, a matinee for the children and another in the evening for everyone else. Flavia who happens to be in the graveyard when Porsons van has broken down is roped in to help. All is not right between Porson and his assistant (also girlfriend) Nialla, and Flavia soon finds that while the van breaking down may have been accidental, Porson is not a stranger to Bishops Lacey. The matinee show is a great hit, but when Flavia and her family return for the evening show, Rupert is killed just as he is ending the show. Rupert may have been a genius with his work but with people he was not, and soon enough Flavia finds, there are more than one who could have done the act. Alongside, Flavias aunt Felicity is visiting at Buckshaw, something the family is not very thrilled about, Flavias father is grappling with money issues, and Feely and Daffy continue to torture poor Flavia from time to time.This was as I said a very entertaining instalment in the Flavia de Luce series. Like book 1, I enjoyed the chemistry and Flavias attempts at getting back at her sisters as well as all the literary references/allusions besides also the popular references. I also love the timeline at the back which gives one a good insight into what things were like in the 50snot only politics and major developments but also prices and things. From the point of view of the mystery too I thought this pretty goodI did guess what the murder related to but not the who or the howlots of complex relationships, secrets, and mysterious goings on, quite a bit of it hidden even from the village gossips. Flavias voice and her spunk are what make me really like her, though even in this one she doesnt quite sound entirely like an eleven-year-old. Great fun!