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The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce, Bk 6)
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches - Flavia de Luce, Bk 6
Author: Alan Bradley
On a spring morning in 1951, eleven-year-old chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce gathers with her family at the railway station, awaiting the return of her long-lost mother, Harriet. Yet upon the train’s arrival in the English village of Bishop’s Lacey, Flavia is approached by a tall stranger who whispers a cryptic message ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780385344050
ISBN-10: 0385344058
Publication Date: 1/14/2014
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 28

3.9 stars, based on 28 ratings
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
Read All 5 Book Reviews of "The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches Flavia de Luce Bk 6"

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reviewed The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce, Bk 6) on + 5 more book reviews
I enjoy all the Flavia books but this one is one of my favorites in that you learn more about her mother and father. It's a turning point in Flavia's life.
reviewed The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce, Bk 6) on + 1452 more book reviews
I'm not sure how this book let me down but it did. Maybe it's because so many of the characters in other books of the series were not included. I do like Dogger. He's a wonderful character whose depth can surely be explored in future novels.

The mystery of the man who was killed by being pushed under a train takes second place for some time while Flavia's family deals with their own problems. However, I thought that the author did a creditable job of entwining the two even if it seems a bit disjointed at times. Nevertheless, if you have been reading this series you will probably enjoy this one, too. After all, our Flavia is growing up.
smith-jones avatar reviewed The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce, Bk 6) on + 47 more book reviews
I am being generous with the 3 stars in my rating since I had hoped the plot would thicken and grow more interesting but it didn't. I found that too many characters had appeared out of the blue e.g. Lena De Luce, Terence Tardiman and Mr. Tallis that I thought felt like an attempt to bring a certain mystery to Harriet's death that was far fetched; after all, Harriet had been nothing but a ghost of the past. I was not impressed, the whole spy theme held no interest to me as it was too far reaching in my opinion. I actually was hoping that Flavia would carry on with her experiment but alas, that was foiled too.

I appreciated the solid character like Dogger, Mrs. Mullet and of course the Colonel, even the sisters were faded here. Flavia was her usual irritating know it all adult chemist male in the body of an 11 yr. old precocious child.

I love Dogger, and I would have loved to read more about his time as a captive, that plot intertwined with Harriet's story, would have been so much more interesting.


With this said, I will paraphrase the quote I loved: "I have tried so damnably hard to leave alone, which seems to me the most precious gift one can bestow upon a child." Colonel Havilland De Luce speaking to his daughter Flavia when informing her of his decision about her future and Buckshaw's.

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