strictly literary: the golden tresses of the dead by alan bradley

the latest flavia de luce story, the golden tresses of the dead, begins with a wedding instead of a dead body. except maybe there's a piece of a dead body? and maybe flavia's newfound detective agency with her trusty comrade in arms, dogger will soon find itself inundated with mysteries and dead bodies galore?

obviously, the answer to those questions is yes. and it's just such a delight to be back at buckshaw with the irrepressible flavia. she's growing up, and has more overall empathy and a sense of propriety that wasn't always there before. but she's still hella precocious and uber intelligent and just good fun.

her new partnership with dogger gives the series some direction, and instead of this being the end, it feels like a real new beginning. that unfortunate chapter at miss boodicoot's school notwithstanding, i mean, i didn't hate it, but i love flavia best when she's at home surrounded by her kooky cast of characters who we've come to love and anticipate.

mysteries are no fun when spoiled, so i'll just say if you enjoyed all the books that came before, you will also enjoy this one. if you've never picked up dear flavia, then don't start here. look for the sweetness at the bottom of the pie and you won't be disappointed.

**the golden tresses of the dead will publish on january 22, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/ random house publishing group (delacorte press) in exchange for my honest review.