Flavia de Luce, along with her pestilent younger cousin, investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers secrets that bring the greatest shock of her life. **** Flavia de Luce has taken on the mentorship of her odious cousin Undine, who has come to live at Buckshaw following the death of her mother. Undine's main talent, aside from cultivating disgusting habits, seems to be raising Flavia's dander, although in her best moments she shows potential for trespassing, trickery, and other assorted mayhems. When Major Greyleigh, a local recluse and former hangman, is found dead from a breakfast of poisonous mushrooms, suspicion falls on the de Luce family's longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet. But Flavia knows the beloved Mrs. Mullet is innocent. Together with Dogger, estate gardener and partner-in-crime, and the obnoxious Undine, she sets out to find the real killer and clear Mrs. Mullet's good name. Little does she know that following the case's twists and turns will lead her to a most surprising discovery-one with the power to upend her entire life. **** PRAISE FOR THE HISTORICAL FLAVIA DE LUCE MYSTERIES: 'To say I am overjoyed by the return of the magnificent Flavia is a massive understatement. It's a great day when we have her back in our lives with a new, and riveting, crime to solve' LOUISE PENNY, bestselling author of the ARMAND GAMACHE MYSTERIES 'The Flavia de Luce novels are now a cult favourite' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'A cross between Dodie Smith's I Capture The Castle and the Addams family... Delightfully entertaining' GUARDIAN 'Flavia is mercilessly addictive' DAILY TELEGRRAPH 'At once precocious and endearing, Flavia is a marvellous character. Quirkily appealing, this is definitely a crime novel with a difference' CHOICE