Inguling

“Sanctified cyanide
Super-quick arsenic
Higgledy-piggledy
Into the Soup.
Put out the mourning lamps
Call for coffin clamps
Teach them to trifle with
Flavia de Luce!” 

- The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag.

In this second book of the Flavia de Luce series Flavia must solve two murders, one that happens before her, and the rest of Bishop’s Lacey population eyes, and one that happened years ago.

“I drew in a deep breath, sucking the sour tange into my lungs and savoring the chemical smell of decay. But this was no time for pleasant reflections.” 

- The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag.

A travelling puppet show has come to Bishop’s Lacey, famous Rupert Porson and his assistant Nialla whom Flavia befriends. Rupert and Nialla are stuck as their truck has broken down and the vicar sees this as an opportunity; he will get their truck fixed if they host two pupped show performances in the church hall. It seems like a lovely plan. Unfortunately it ends with death.

“I'm at that age where I watch such things with two minds, one that cackles at these capers and another that never gets much beyond a rather jaded and self-conscious smile, like the Mona Lisa.” 

- The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag.

Enter Flavia: master chemist, amateur sleuth, eleven. Flavia, always at the scene of the crime, takes it upon herself to unearth the truth with her usual brilliance and unstoppable snooping. Oh, how I adore her. The same cannot be said for the local police, inspector Hewitt and his men, who are always one step behind Flavia and usually embarrased when it turns out they’ve overlooked something an eleven-year-old found out. The book, mystery interlaced with Flavia’s interactions with her mean sister, her distant father, the chatty Mrs. Mullet, the wonderful Dogger and Bishop’s Lacey colorful population is brilliant.

“While you've been gadding about the countryside, we've held a meeting, and we've all of us decided that you must go.'
In short, we've voted you out of the family,' Daffy said. 'It was unanimous.” 

- The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag.