The Grave's a Fine and Private Place (Flavia de Luce, #9)

by Alan Bradley

It is a remarkable fact that orders given in a firm voice at the scene of a tragedy are invariably obeyed.

It’s always a good idea to demand some quirky service, to let them know that you’re not just anybody.

A little untruth never hurt a casual acquaintance.

WHEN YOU’RE PLANNING MISCHIEF, it’s always a good idea to throw up a smokescreen in advance. Excuses made after the fact are seldom successful.

Love can forgive only so many murders.”

There’s nothing so deadly as an acid tongue driven by a pious mind.

A handful of flattery, spread like seed, costs nothing.

There are times when eyes and ears are not enough, times when you need to go inside yourself, to listen to the Whisperers in the Pit who, although they may sometimes shock you, are very seldom wrong.

Such happy thoughts are proof that I have become an adult. I am now ruled by not only what I see, what I hear, what I taste, and what I smell, but also, and perhaps most important, by what I think.

Feminine intuition is no more than an acceptable excuse for female brains.