Book #13: The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag

Another book down! I've been a bit behind with writing up the books that I've read, hence why there have been several posts in the last couple of days! Last night I finished my 13th book of the year!!! This one was the second in the Flavia de Luce series, once again bought by Auntie Lizzie.

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, I dove straight into it's sequel 'The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag'. I wasn't disappointed one bit with it!

As usual, I will not give any of the plot away, that's for you to find out by yourself! It's set after the events of Sweetness, and Flavia hopes that her crime busting days are over after the first murder... Just like Midsomer Murders, and Death In Paradise, her sleepy village is once again a magnet for another mysterious murder. Why anyone goes to Midsomer or Saint Marie, and now Bishop's Lacey is beyond me, unless you want to be killed or placed under suspicion!

So what did I like about this book? As before, it is just so quintessentially British, from the village tea-rooms to the Church Hall, one can see the village of Bishop's Lacey virtually anywhere around rural England. Like the first book, there's twists and turns at every corner, and of course the constant bickering of Flavia and her two sisters brings a real childlike element into the book.

Some may call Flavia precocious as she is a bit of a know it all, but this smartness puts her head and shoulders above those who believe themselves to be superior to her.

I was a bit confused, some 150 pages in, when the main murder hadn't been committed, however the scene was well and truly set for it to happen, so when it happened, just over halfway through the book. The victim, unlike in the first book becomes well known to the reader, and when I got to their death, I was relieved they were killed (is that harsh of me to say so?!). With the character being so unlikeable, there are of course a plethora of characters who had motive to kill.

The book had me guessing right up until the end, which is just what I wanted! I'd thoroughly recommend these books to anyone. Onto the next book! I'm only 7 pages into this one, so it may be a few days until I get around to writing another post!

The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: 3cm

Total read so far: 13 books - 33.5cm

159.5cm left to read!