Flavia de Luce Books in Order

Flavia de Luce is a series of mystery novels by Canadian author Alan Bradley, following Flavia de Luce, a precocious eleven-year-old amateur sleuth and chemistry enthusiast who solves murders in the English village of Bishop's Lacey during the 1950s. The first novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009), won the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award, and the series has grown to eleven novels as of 2024.

Publication order

In the order the books were originally released.

  1. Cover of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

    The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

    2009 · Alan Bradley

    In his first novel, Alan Bradley introduces Flavia de Luce, an eleven-year-old girl with a fascination for chemistry and poison. Set in the summer of…

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  2. Cover of The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

    The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

    2010 · Alan Bradley

    Eleven-year-old chemist-sleuth Flavia de Luce investigates the electrocution death of puppeteer Rupert Porson in the English hamlet of Bishop's…

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  3. Cover of A Red Herring Without Mustard

    A Red Herring Without Mustard

    2011 · Alan Bradley

    Eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce investigates the bludgeoning death of a Gypsy fortune-teller in her own caravan in Bishop's Lacey, possibly…

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  4. Cover of Speaking from Among the Bones

    Speaking from Among the Bones

    2013 · Alan Bradley

    Eleven-year-old detective Flavia de Luce is accustomed to digging up clues, but not bodies. When Bishop's Lacey opens its patron saint's tomb for its…

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  5. Cover of The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches

    The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches

    2014 · Alan Bradley

    In 1951, eleven-year-old chemist and detective Flavia de Luce awaits her long-lost mother Harriet's return at the railway station in Bishop's Lacey.…

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  6. Cover of As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust

    As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust

    2015 · Alan Bradley

    Twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is sent by her father and Aunt Felicity to Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Canada, the boarding school her mother…

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  7. Cover of Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

    Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

    2016 · Alan Bradley

    After being ejected from Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce sails home to England, where she learns her father…

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  8. Cover of The Grave's a Fine and Private Place

    The Grave's a Fine and Private Place

    2018 · Alan Bradley

    While punting along the river with her family, Flavia drags her hand in the water and catches her fingers in the mouth of a drowned corpse dressed in…

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  9. Cover of The Golden Tresses of the Dead

    The Golden Tresses of the Dead

    2019 · Alan Bradley

    In Bishop's Lacey, Flavia de Luce's sister Ophelia is getting married. Flavia, an expert in the chemical nature of poisons, has turned professional…

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  10. Cover of What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust

    What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust

    2024 · Alan Bradley

    What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust is a 2024 book by Alan Bradley. It is book 10 of the series Flavia de Luce.

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Frequently asked questions

What order should I read the Flavia de Luce books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie”. Start with “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.”

How many books are in the Flavia de Luce series?

We list 10 books by Alan Bradley , published between 2009–2024.

Where can I buy the Flavia de Luce books?

Each title above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.