“I Am Half-Sick of Shadows” by Alan Bradley – Murderous Films

The Flavia de Luce mystery series hasn’t been alive for all that long (relatively speaking at least), but it has already managed to garner such an incredible following and vast amounts of acclaim, more so than virtually any other debuting book series out there.

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley is the fourth entry into the mystery series, and just like all of the other ones, it focuses on our heroine investigating a rather perplexing mystery.

This time around, a film crew has erected a set on the de Luces’ decaying family estate, and the event was so popular that the entire village gathered to watch superstar Phyllis Wyvern perform. However, as the mist from the night settles, a brutal discovery is made as the body of a guest is found, strangled with a roll of film.

It becomes rather obvious that the killer is one of the numerous guests to have attended the party, and what’s more, that person is trying to hide in plain sight… so who better than a gifted eight year-old genius to weed them out without arousing suspicion?

As is the case with the other novels in the series, the story is written in a vivid, articulate and yet simple enough manner that neither the language nor the syntax or grammar make it painful or complicated to read. As a matter of fact, even readers who describe themselves as beginners will have a relatively easy time breezing through it.

However, blowing through this plot is not something I would recommend as Bradley weaved a rather intricate story in the sense that there is a lot to appreciate here, even if not all of it is integral to the understanding or enjoyment of this book.

The environments feel alive and unique, being described in great detail with the estate itself turning from a decaying corpse into a majestic body decorated by its scars.

So long as the plot is concerned, it is exactly what you would expect from this series: logical, perfectly-paced, unpredictable, and with a satisfying as well as a rather surprising conclusion. The characters are beautifully-placed in the story, each one bringing either an element of doubt or clarity, and perhaps even both in certain cases.

On the whole, unless you are experienced with these types of novels, you are going to have a good amount of trouble coming to the proper conclusions, though when they are presented you are going to wonder how is it that you did not see it coming, and that in my opinion, is the mark of a great detective novel.

If you are looking to get acquainted with the Flavia de Luce series, keep reaping what it has to offer, or are simply in search of a solid and refreshing detective story, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows would be a wonderful choice.

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Alan Bradley Personal site Alan Bradley is a Canadian author whose body of work mostly revolves around the mystery genre, being best-known for penning the Flavia de Luce series, which begins with the book The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. On July 5th, 2007, Bradley was awarded the Dagger award in London.