I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

Goodreads snippet: Precocious Flavia de Luce — an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving — is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. Amid a blizzard, the village gathers at Buckshaw to watch famed Phyllis Wyvern perform. After midnight, a body is found strangled by film. Flavia investigates.

Review: We've all been there; caught red handed with a Christmas themed book in hand in the middle of July. But the regular rules don't apply to this book with its quick action, childish, but saucy humor, and a lovable-hateable cast of characters. To be honest, you don't notice it's Christmas at all if not for the snow. 

This is the fourth book in the Flavia de Luce series, and like the first three, it doesn't disappoint in terms of character. The plot, however, did not have quite as many turns as I would have liked. It was a very straightforward crime, the motive plain and simple. A few extra details spiced it up, but it was nowhere as complicated as the other books, which is a relief and an annoyance. 

Flavia de Luce is marvelous as usual. I swear, she's the smartest eleven year old I've ever met. Alan Bradley does a wonderful job in portraying her as both a child, testing the waters of the world, and as an adult, happily questioning the authority of the police and her older sisters. Both of her hobbies, chemistry/poison making and crime solving, were properly accentuated, each of them complementing the other. The cast of supporting characters, her sisters, Dogger the butler/friend, her father, the constabulary each had their own personalities. Each character, big or small, had quirks that made them pop off the page.

The action was appropriately paced, fast periods with a lull between them. Each stage of crime solving was written beautifully, with all evidence plausible and the result realistic. Overall, this was a great book; fully earning my score of 4.5/5.