“I know I’m not the girl I once was, but I’m not really sure yet who I am,” Flavia de Luce bemoans at about the midpoint of What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust. While she’s still quite young (I don’t think she’s progressed past 12 in this latest installment), she does carry the weight of adulthood on her shoulders at times. Technically she’s not alone in the world–she has her dear friend-of-the-family-part-time-servant Dogger, grandmotherly housekeeper Mrs. Mullet, bookish sister Daffy (Feely still being away on her honeymoon), and a constantly underfoot cousin, Undine. But she’s lacking peers, friends her own age with whom she can relate. Not that a tween scientist whose idea of a good time is hanging out in a graveyard is destined to have many friends, but it would be a nice change to see her make a connection with someone her own age. On top of everything else, she grew up in a proper English family (you’d find warmer bodies in the graveyard) and lost her mother at a very early age. You can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the girl.
Still, she has her chemistry and her mysteries, and the setup to the latest tragedy to befall Bishop’s Lacey has promise. Major Greyleigh, former hangsman (!) is found dead, and the suspected cause is poison mushrooms. Flavia’s brain is doing cartwheels at the thought of a good mushroom murder, but there’s an unfortunate wrinkle–her own Mrs. Mullet was the one to cook the Major’s last meal. Surely nobody could suspect the kindly housekeeper of murder! After all, a hangman must have plenty of enemies. Will it be up to Flavia to prove Mrs. Mullet’s innocence?
Well, kinda. The whole Mrs. Mullet story line is pretty low stakes, as the suspicions against her never gain much traction. Even Mrs. Mullet doesn’t take it seriously, going out of her way to stonewall Inspector Hewitt simply because the man annoys her. The mushroom saga is an entry point into the larger story arc that’s been forming over the last several novels. I don’t want to give away any spoilers in case people haven’t caught up to the latest volume, but there are much greater goings-on in England than a few small town locals being bumped off.
To be honest, I’m kind of wishing for the days when these cozy mysteries were a bit cozier. This latest novel contains revelations that don’t set well with me. I’m furious on Flavia’s behalf which goes to show how invested I’ve become in her character. I’m also feeling like the last few novels were uneven in terms of character focus. I love that we are getting more of Dogger, but with Feely away and Daffy getting barely a scene, I thought we’d at least spend more time with Inspector Hewitt, but he’s become a bit cool and distant toward our heroine. So then it becomes the Undine show which, frankly, I could use a bit less of. I get it, she’s a foil for Flavia, and I do like that Flavia has to step up and become more mature around her. I just wish she weren’t quite so obnoxious or humor quite so scatological.
Overall, this novel was uneven. I always enjoy spending time with the characters, but I wasn’t expecting Spy Kids, Buckshaw Edition. Alas, I don’t think Bradley could put that genie back in the bottle even if he wanted to, so we may see Flavia working for MI6 before we know it.