I am Half-Sick of Shadows (2011) - Alan Bradley - June/July 2021

[Susan]

Welcome to our June/July 2021 buddy read of I Am Half-Sick of Shadows the fourth book in the Flavia de Luce Mystery series, published in 2011.

Ignore the sunshine outside. It is Christmastime and the precocious Flavia de Luce - an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving - is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces' decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern. Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop's Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern perform, yet nobody is prepared for the evening's shocking conclusion: a body found, past midnight, strangled to death with a length of film. But who among the assembled guests would stage such a chilling scene? As the storm worsens and the list of suspects grows, Flavia must use every ounce of sly wit at her disposal to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight.

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

[Susan]

Should really have opened the thread at the weekend and got totally distracted by the Euros! Many apologies.

So, turning away from football... Forget the fact the sun is shining and imagine it's Christmas. We have snow, a group of actors and - of course - murder.

[Susan in NC]

I enjoyed rereading this one, as I raced through the books first time around and missed some of Flavia’s developing relationships with friends, family and household staff. I still love this series for sheer entertainment value, and the audiobook narrator adds so much to my rereading pleasure! Her sheer youthful exuberance really brings Flavia to life for me. She does a great job with other characters, as well.

[Icewineanne]

Love this series but I’m only up to book #3 so won’t join you for this one but really looking forward to reading it this fall.
Happy Reading!

[Susan]

This one was slightly different I felt, as Flavia couldn't go haring off, every five minutes, on her rickety bicycle, but had to stay put because of the snow. I felt quite relieved she stayed put for a while. I will add the next in the series to the list, if enough of us are going to read on?

[Sandy]

This was a re-read for me but I remembered absolutely nothing. Very sad but at least I got to experience the book like new.