When the Undertaker's Shovel Rusts

When the lifeless body of a local hermit—a former executioner with a dark past—is found in a quiet corner of Bishop's Lacey, all the evidence points to Mrs. Mullett, the cook of the de Luce household. After all, it was... she who gathered the mushrooms, she whipped the eggs into a fluffy omelet, and—oh horror!—she served the fateful dish to the victim at breakfast. But twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce, a chemistry genius and master of uncovering secrets (and sometimes locks), does not believe in coincidences.
With her pockets stuffed with test tubes and her trusty bicycle "Gladys", she sets out on an investigation, armed not only with logic but also with sharp British humor. Together with the unflappable Dogger and her cousin Undine, whose character is sharper than a blade, Flavia digs deeper than the gardener’s shovel in Mrs. Mullett's garden. But each clue found only complicates the case…
However, the young sleuth does not suspect that the investigation into all the twists and turns of the case will lead her to the most astonishing discovery capable of turning her entire life upside down. After all, in Flavia de Luce's world, even death is merely the beginning of an experiment.