Pam's Book 6: The Sweetness of the Bottom of the Pie

I confess: I love murder mysteries. Especially of the old school British variety. It all started with an Agatha Christie when I was around ten, and it's been all over since. I came across The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie in a literary review. It looked promising, so I got it from the library, and it met, if not exceeded, expectations. It had all the elements of a classic British murder mystery: a brilliant if off-beat heroine, the murder of a shady character (it wouldn't be good form to kill somebody we might like), red herrings, brilliant deductions, a suspenseful confrontation between the heroine and murderer, a happy ending, and some dry humor.

Flavia, an eleven-year-old amateur chemist, stumbles across a dying man in the cucumber patch. He whispers, "Vale," and expires. An adventure ensues, in which Flavia does her best to outwit the police and beat them to the identity of the murderer. She has to delve deep into her father's past and the lore of philately in order to identify the dead man and unmask his murderer, as well clear her father's name (he shouldered part of the blame in a past tragedy, both in his own mind and those involved in the unfortunate event).

The book was amusing, engaging, and well written. There were a number of quirky characters, a bit bizarre but believably drawn. The events flowed well. Flavia was plucky and brilliant, yet had failings common to preteen younger sisters. This book did not change my life. It is not a literary masterpiece. But I enjoyed the reading of it immensely. And I will recommend it to my friend Trish, which is the ultimate litmus test for any mystery.