The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley

The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really want to like this series more than I do. I like mysteries, I like period British stories, I like Flavia's character. Yet these stories just haven't ended satisfactorily to me. And this doesn't end the series well at all. Where is Flavia headed, as she rides off into the sunset? Is Collin a future love interest? Is her future really based on a partnership with Dogger, a man old enough to be her father, if not grandfather? If nothing else, Undine is a loose end. Are they really going to coexist? I thought for a while that maybe Flavia would accept her as some sort of partner, yet in the end she obviously still thinks of her as a child. If this is really it for the series, I want all of these questions answered. Instead we embarked on another stand alone mystery, which was ok for what it was, but lackluster given the expectation to wrap up the series as a whole. Disappointing.

Of course, if he continues to write these, maybe there is a chance of a better wrap up in the future, but even in that case, this book didn't move her character forward at all. Waste of space.

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
My rating (this time): 4 of 5 stars

This was my second time through this book as well, and again, I enjoyed it.  But as with my re-reading of its predecessor, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, I can't give it a second 5-star rating.  It just didn't quite hold my interest as well this time through, and it seemed a little slow.  I did listen to it via audio book this time, but the reader/actor who read it was absolutely one of the best voice actors I have ever heard (Jayne Entwistle), and so I'm reluctant to lay any blame at her feet.

It is still a favorite of mine, and I intend to revisit the whole series, since there are new books at the end that I haven't read yet, but it doesn't quite shine so brightly the second time through.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
My rating (this time): 4 of 5 stars

So this is my second time reading Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and while it is still a great read, I wasn't blown away this time through.  Perhaps it was because I knew what to expect from the character, so there was less to discover, but the whole book seemed slow.  It may also be because I listened to the audiobook this time, which is definitely a slower method.  In any case, it is still an enjoyable story, so I still recommend it, but I can't give it a second 5-star rating.

The standout feature to this book is still the character development of Flavia, the main character, which I wrote about at length in my previous review.  That piece of the book is pure art.  The mystery itself was also very well done, with a baffling murder, a host of suspects and an action-filled finale. If you are a fan of mystery and haven't read this one, fix it now.