Flavia de Luce is back at work! In What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust, Major Greyleigh dies from poison. Unfortunately, Mrs. Mullet, Flavia’s longtime cook and housekeeper, both picked and prepared the mushrooms for the Major. Flavia feels obligated to investigate even though she now a large estate to run and a pesky younger cousin, Undine, underfoot. Both the Major and Mrs. Mullet have many secrets that Flavia must uncover. However, poison is Flavia’s favorite death method due to her lifelong fascination with chemistry. If only Undine would stop breaking the law and finding new evidence!
Undine is the Flavia I remember from the first three books. She is a delight. The mystery in What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust was a little too convoluted for me to solve though I did figure out the last twist rather early on. It seems like the book is perfectly set up for a sequel. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait five years again for the next book in the series. 4 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an advanced review copy.