Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

A Flavia de Luce Novel

By: Alan Bradley

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Hailed as “a combination of Eloise and Sherlock Holmes” by The Boston Globe, Flavia de Luce returns in a Christmas mystery from award-winning author Alan Bradley.

In spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. But instead of a joyous homecoming, she is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news: Her father has fallen ill, and a hospital visit will have to wait while he rests. But with Flavia’s blasted sisters and insufferable cousin underfoot, Buckshaw now seems both too empty—and not empty enough. Only too eager to run an errand for the vicar’s wife, Flavia hops on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to deliver a message to a reclusive wood-carver. Finding the front door ajar, Flavia enters and stumbles upon the poor man’s body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene. Curiosity may not kill this cat, but Flavia is energized at the prospect of a new investigation. It’s amazing what the discovery of a corpse can do for one’s spirits. But what awaits Flavia will shake her to the very core.

Praise for Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d

“Mystery fans seeking novels of wit, an immersive English countryside setting, and rich characterizations will be rewarded with this newest entry in the award-winning series.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“There is such a thing as willing suspension of disbelief brought on by sheer outlandish charm, and that’s what [Alan] Bradley and some delicious writing have tapped.”—London Free Press

“Flavia’s first-person narration reveals her precocious intellect as well as her youthful vulnerability.”—Shelf Awareness

“Flavia is once again a fun, science-loving protagonist. . . . This series entry ends on a note that begs for the next story.”—Library Reads

“An eleven-year-old prodigy with an astonishing mind for chemistry and a particular interest in poisons.”—The Strand Magazine (Five of the Best Historical Heroines)

“Bradley’s preteen heroine comes through in the end with a series of deductions so clever she wants to hug herself. So will you.”—Kirkus Reviews

Critic reviews

“Mystery fans seeking novels of wit, an immersive English countryside setting, and rich characterizations will be rewarded with this newest entry in the award-winning series.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“There is such a thing as willing suspension of disbelief brought on by sheer outlandish charm, and that’s what [Alan] Bradley and some delicious writing have tapped.”—London Free Press

“Flavia’s first-person narration reveals her precocious intellect as well as her youthful vulnerability.”—Shelf Awareness

“Flavia is once again a fun, science-loving protagonist. . . . This series entry ends on a note that begs for the next story.”—Library Reads

“An eleven-year-old prodigy with an astonishing mind for chemistry and a particular interest in poisons.”—The Strand Magazine (Five of the Best Historical Heroines)

“Bradley’s preteen heroine comes through in the end with a series of deductions so clever she wants to hug herself. So will you.”—Kirkus Reviews

Sublime.

Life is better with Flavia as performed by Jayne Entwistle. A true gem of mystery literature.

I LOVE this series.

What about Jayne Entwistle’s performance did you like?

Jayne Entwistle has become the voice of Flavia deLuce for me. Don't think that she is replaceable. She is not!

Any additional comments?

If you are new to this series - go back to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and start the series with its unexpected choice for a lead character. If you are a fan and follower of the series, you will not be disappointed or bored with Thrice the Brindled Cat has Mew'd, book #8. We should be. It's the eighth book with the voice of a 12 year old from a dysfunctional family who scientifically analyzes and solves murders before any adult. Ridiculous, and yet. . . I LOVE this series. I wait for each book's release and savor it from start to finish. Alan Bradley awards us the privilege to again accompany Flavia de Luce a bit further along life's path. For me, resolving how and why the victim was murdered is interesting but plays second to the storyline of Flavia's family in this book. Well worth the credit!

perfect tween family road trip series

we love Flavia deLuce. two boys 10 & 12. we have listened to every book on our road trips.

As good as it gets!

True Magic! One of my top 3 series of all time. ​Very w​ell written from the wonderful characters to the ​engagingly ​faceted plot, ​this book as well as ​the ​entire​ series is just perfect!​ ​I am jealous that ​as of 1/22/19 one can binge read this series (books 1-10)! I read them as they came out and had to wait a year (sometimes even longer) to ​read the next installment. ​For me, this is as good as it gets!

Maybe the best yet

In a way this is a stronger story than the earlier (delightful) books in the series.
Flavia has been an archetypal childish heroine, a British Anne of Green Gables who could hold her own with Tom Sawyer.
In The Brinded Cat she is growing up, but in a way true to her character. She has flashes of insight into her own motivations and those of others that we haven't seen in the earlier books. She is just as amusing (and auto-amused) as always, and the story follows a similar trajectory--discovery of a corpse, detection, resolution--but there's more to this book, and in the end we begin to see where the story may lead.
The combination of Alan Bradley's storytelling and Jayne Entwistle's performance is perfect. (Entwhistle does a pretty fair North American accent, a humorous bonus.)
Just two criticisms.
Thomas the cat must be Thomasina or a very rare mosaic, if feline coat color genetics are to be believed.
And I'd like a better-explained wrapup of the author-turned-woodcarver mystery.
But given the quality of the whole, I'm happy to settle for less.