Show Me 5 Saturday: The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

A fun way to add variety to review formats this meme was created by Alipet at That's A Novel Idea.

Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here has the Mr Linky each week so we can link up our posts .

1 Book I read: The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

2 Words that describe the book: Juvenile sleuth

3 Settings where it took place and/or characters met:

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  Set in the 1950's in the English rural village of Bishop's Lacey.
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  Miss Flavia Sabina de Luce - 11- years-old, with a love of reading and chemistry, a bike named Gladys, an insatiable curiousity and a talent for sleuthing.
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  Various villagers , villains and family.

4 Things I liked/disliked about it:

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  I liked the storyline which is actually quite dark and gruesome and involves a murder during a performance of a travelling puppet show with links to a local death several years before.
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  I didn't like the behaviour of Flavia's sisters early in the story. In the first book The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie the girls were constantly having a go at each other but it seemed the normal sort of sibling activity. What is said to Flavia this time is both cruel and vicious and seemed a bit too much.
• 
  
  I liked the introduction of Flavia's Aunt Felicity........"the dotty old bat in George Bernard Shaw costume" who in telling Flavia how like her mother she is removes a heavy burden from this young girl.
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  I like Flavia............and I like her insights. " I'm at that age when two minds exist, one that cackles at these capers and another that never gets much beyond a rather jaded and self conscious smile". This made me think of reading and what a pity it is if an adult reader can't sometimes remove the critical, judgemental hat and simply enjoy a fun and entertaining tale even if at times it stretches one's credibility.

5 Stars or less for my rating:

4 Stars for a another delightful Flavia mystery .