I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
by Alan Bradley
The fourth instalment of the Flavia de Luce mystery series
OVER SIX MILLION COPIES OF THE FLAVIA DE LUCE SERIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
It’s Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving—is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to trap Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luce’s decaying English estate, to begin shooting a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern.
Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop’s Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern perform, yet nobody is prepared for the evening’s shocking conclusion: the actress’s body found, past midnight, strangled to death by a length of film from one of her own movies. But who among the assembled guests would stage such a chilling scene? As the storm worsens and the list of suspects grows, Flavia must use every ounce of sly wit at her disposal to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight.
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293 pages / Finished books available
RIGHTS SOLD
US: Bantam Dell
US Audio: Random House
US Large Print: Thorndike
Canada: Doubleday
UK: Orion
UK Audio: W.F. Howes
Brazil: Saraiva
Bulgaria: AMG
China: Harbin
Czech Republic: Euromedia
Finland: Bazar
France: 10/18
Germany: Blanvalet
Germany (Audio): Random House
Hungary: Maxim
Italy: Sellerio
Japan: Tokyo Sogensha
Korea: Munhakdongne
Netherlands: Luitingh-Sijthoff
Poland: Vesper
Russia: AST
Spain: Alma
TV: Robert Mickelson, Mystic Point Productions
(Photo by Shirley Bradley)
ABOUT ALAN BRADLEY
Alan Bradley is the internationally bestselling author of short stories, children’s stories, newspaper columns, and the memoir The Shoebox Bible. The Flavia de Luce mystery series has been sold in 39 territories. The books have been bestsellers in Canada, the USA, Germany, Russia, Brazil, China, and Holland, appearing on bestseller lists in The New York Times and Der Spiegel.
PRAISE FOR I AM HALF-SICK OF SHADOWS
“As in the past three works, Bradley gives a thrilling ride. … His writing is clear and memorably playful.” — THE GLOBE AND MAIL
“Flavia is an original.” — AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, CANBERRA
“The mystery is fascinating, the tiny bits of background on the de Luce’s compelling and Flavia, as always, the sort of heroine that makes a reader hope for an endless series of volumes, neatly lined up, always ready to read again.” — BOOKGEEKS UK
“Flavia de Luce is a mystery lover’s dream.” — DAILY HERALD, Chicago
“Flavia continues to delight.” — THE MONTREAL GAZETTE
“Flavia must use every ounce of her chemical cleverness and crime-solving prowess to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight.” — MCNALLY ROBINSON
“It’s a classic closed circle mystery, and Bradley executes it perfectly — Agatha Christie would be proud.” — ASSOCIATED PRESS
“This is a delightful read through and through. We find in Flavia an incorrigible and wholly lovable detective; from her chemical experiments in her sanctum sanctorum to her outrage at the idiocy of the adult world, she is unequaled.” — LIBRARY JOURNAL, starred review
“Another charming novel from Bradley … a perfect holiday gift.” — ShelfAwareness.com
“With its sharply drawn characters, including the hiss-worthy older de Luce sisters, and an agreeable puzzle playing out against the cozy backdrop of a British village at Christmas, this is a most welcome holiday gift for Flavia fans.” — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“That serial charmer Flavia, wreathed in Tennyson and Shakespeare.” — KIRKUS REVIEWS
