Alan Bradley

Fans of Flavia de Luce rejoice—here’s a special eBook original short story, in which the eleven-year-old connoisseur of chemistry is immersed in her element: solving a mystery!   Murder! the letter says, Come at once. Anson House, Greyminster, Staircase No. 3. How can Flavia de Luce resist such an urgent plea? After all, examining a dead body sounds like a perfectly splendid way to spend a Sunday. So Flavia hops upon her trusted bicycle, Gladys, whose rubber tires hiss happily along the rainy road, and arrives at her father’s mist-shrouded old school. There, a terrified boy leads her to the loo where, sitting in a bathtub, is what appears to be a statue. But, no: To Flavia’s surprise, the thing is in fact a naked dead man. Save his face, he seems to have been carved out of copper. Never one to shy away from the macabre, Flavia gets to work—only to find that when an investigation begins with a metallic cadaver, ever more curious twists are to be expected.   Acclaim for Alan Bradley’s beloved Flavia de Luce novels, winners of the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award, Barry Award, Agatha Award, Macavity Award, Dilys Award, and Arthur Ellis Award   “If ever there were a sleuth who’s bold, brilliant, and, yes, adorable, it’s Flavia de Luce.” — USA Today   “Part Harriet the Spy, part Violet Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Flavia is a pert and macabre pragmatist.” — The New York Times Book Review   “This idiosyncratic young heroine continues to charm.” — The Wall Street Journal   “Delightful . . . a combination of Eloise and Sherlock Holmes.” — The Boston Globe   “Think preteen Nancy Drew, only savvier.” —Entertainment Weekly   “The most intrepid and charming adolescent chemist/detective/busybody in all of rural, post–World War II England.” — The Seattle Times