Rodrigo D D itibaren 86072 San Vittorino IS, Itali itibaren 86072 San Vittorino IS, Itali

Picked this up for a dollar in a NZ library that I visited with my librarian co-travelers! Considering books in NZ typically cost $35 for a quality paperback, this was a bargain. Also really liked reading it as a companion to Once Were Warriors- it is his memoir and describes a lot of the background for his novel.

The third book in the series did not disappoint. Flavia, an eleven-year-old, feisty and precocious, amateur sleuth again involves herself in mysterious happenings in her English country village, Bishops Lacey. Flavia's preoccupied and distant father has fallen on hard times and is selling off a part of his beloved stamp collection and the family silver to save Buckshaw, the family estate. Flavia is left to venture on her own whether it be on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, or in her chemistry lab. The story begins with Flavia accidentally burning down the tent of an old gypsy woman while having her fortune told at a village fete. Feeling sorry for the gypsy woman, Flavia feels obligated to help her. Things get worse. Through Flavia's use of her wit and a bit of deviousness, the story unfolds and we learn more about the quirky villagers, an ancient religious sect, a missing baby, an antique theft and forgery ring, a local theif, and a fishy smell. The story is perfectly paced with just the right amount of irritation between Flavia and her two older sisters and exasperation of the inspector when Flavia involves herself in a crime investigation. Fun to read as an adult and sure to be a pleaser for youngsters.