The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce, #1)

by Alan Bradley

I brought to mind the image of the stranger lying there in the first light of dawn: the slight growth of whiskers on his chin, strands of his red hair shifting gently on the faint stirrings of the morning breeze, the pallor, the extended leg, the quivering fingers, that last, sucking breath. And that word, blown into my face … “Vale.” The thrill of it all!

... Is she meant to be a tiny psychopath? Because that's what I'm getting.