The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie / C. Alan Bradley / 373 pages / 20th Century Fiction

Eleven year old Flavia de Luce is an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison.  Her scientific mind and her disenchantment with her vain older sister prompt her to spike her sister's lip rouge with poison ivy - to observe its effects!  A murder on the premises of the family home, Buckshaw, causes Flavia to mount her dead mother Harriet's old bike, Gladys, to investigate the murder and clear her father's name.  In the course of her investigations, she uncovers rare stamp thefts, a mysterious death, and the excitement and adventure she craves.  This is an eminently amusing portrayal of one spunky eleven year old in 1950's Britain...with perhaps too much courage and daring...a most likable heroine!