The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag - Alan Bradley (Oct/Nov 2020)

[Susan]

Welcome to our buddy read of The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley This is the second in the Flavia de Luce series, first published in 2010.

A travelling puppet show arrives in the sleepy village of Bishop's Lacey - and a shocking murder takes place. For eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, the crime will test her precocious powers of deduction to the limit - particularly when she discovers that the murder echoes a tragedy which occurred many years before...

Please do not post spoilers in this thread. Thank you.

[Susan]

I have started this, but haven't finished yet - too many buddy reads this month :) I really enjoyed the first book in the series and this has certainly had a good start, so my hopes are high.

[Judy]

Thanks for opening up the threads, Susan! I like Flavia as a character and enjoyed getting back to her -I also enjoy her eccentric family and the village setting.

I did have a few problems with the plot of this one though, which I will mention later over in the spoiler thread!

[Susan]

Ah, I'm not far in, so will join you later for your thoughts.

[Roman Clodia]

I have to admit that I struggled with the first book and dnf'd but really enjoyed this one. I'd previously dipped into the later books in the series which I adore so maybe it took Bradley a bit of time to warm up?

There are some holey moments in the plot but I had so much fun reading this that I let them go :)

[Sandy]

This was a reread for me and a fun one.

[Abigail]

Me too with the too many group/buddy reads this month! I just started my third, and Flavia will be my fourth. So I’ll check in later.

[Susan in NC]

This was a fun reread for me, I also have too many buddy reads this month but Knew this would be mostly an audiobook read, I made it one of my first as I’ve got Christmas knitting projects on the go as well, and can enjoy both at once! Plus, I’m such a Flavia fan, but read all the books in a rush, so wanted to take my time this time through.

[Susan]

I am about halfway through now and am really enjoying this too. I like Flavia's voice and I really like the characters that Flavia encounters.

[Victoria]

I found this one at a local secondhand bookstore at the weekend, so I’m ready to start when I finish my current book

[Sandy]

Victoria wrote: "I found this one at a local secondhand bookstore at the weekend, so I’m ready to start when I finish my current book"

Happy accident.

[Susan]

So much fun when a title appears that you want to read immediately :)

[Judy]

Roman Clodia wrote: "I have to admit that I struggled with the first book and dnf'd but really enjoyed this one. ..."

That's interesting, RC - I preferred the first book in general as I thought it felt quirkier and more fun, but I enjoyed Flavia's personality more in this one, and was glad there was less about her fights with her sisters, which quickly get boring to me!