Poison and Postage Stamps

In Alan Bradley's debut mystery, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, an 11-year-old chemist-detective, Flavia De Luce, takes off on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to catch a murderer in 1950s England.

With her widowed father and two older sisters far too preoccupied with their own pursuits and passions—stamp collecting, adventure novels, and boys respectively, Flavia finds a body in the cucumber patch and uses her scientific knowledge to investigate the death and uncovers some dark secrets about her own family's past.

UK's Guardian says, “A strong plot, involving philately, ornithology and prestidigitation, and a wonderful supporting cast make this Canadian novelist's debut delightfully entertaining."

The plot, with its intriguing philatelic elements, is nicely ingenious and delivers a very good end, with a fun twist.

To read the first chapter, click here.