The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie Audiobook By Alan Bradley cover art

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

A Flavia de Luce Mystery

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

By: Alan Bradley
Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.75

Buy for $15.75

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison.

It is the summer of 1950 - and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia’s family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life".

To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: Full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father, a man raising his three daughters alone, is seized, accused of murder. And in a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story - of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school’s tower 30 years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: Her father is innocent of murder - but protecting her and her sisters from something even worse...

An enthralling mystery, a piercing depiction of class and society, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a masterfully told tale of deceptions - and a rich literary delight.

©2009 Alan Bradley (P)2009 Random House Audio
Historical Suspense Fiction Mystery Witty Feel-Good
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Brilliant, irresistible and incorrigible, Flavia has a long future ahead of her...Bradley's mystery debut is a standout." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Fun for the reader.... Fans of Louise Fitzhugh's iconic Harriet the Spy will welcome 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce, the heroine of...Bradley's rollicking debut." (Publishers Weekly)

"While Flavia De Luce is winning your heart, she may also be poisoning your tea. She's the most wickedly funny sleuth in years, brilliant, unpredictable, unflappable - and only eleven. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie offers the freshest new voice in mystery yet." (Charles Todd, author of The Ian Rutledge series)

Featured Article: Eight Cozy Mystery Series Perfect for Audiobook Fans


Baffling crimes brilliantly solved by accidental sleuths—few listening pleasures rival a great cozy mystery! Get acquainted with the delightful characters in some of the coziest mystery series ever and join the fun of cracking cases. It's time to curl up with a cozy mystery. Or, since we're talking audiobooks, it may be time to (cracks knuckles) get some chores done while we listen to one of the most pleasurable genres around.

What listeners say about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,998
  • 4 Stars
    1,605
  • 3 Stars
    709
  • 2 Stars
    223
  • 1 Stars
    131
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,263
  • 4 Stars
    923
  • 3 Stars
    340
  • 2 Stars
    122
  • 1 Stars
    87
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,536
  • 4 Stars
    1,319
  • 3 Stars
    580
  • 2 Stars
    183
  • 1 Stars
    103

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Delicious!

I'll have another piece of that pie please! Seriously, this is the most delightful surprise. I wasn't expecting that much and in fact, put off listening until a few days ago and now I cannot bear for it to end. Jayne Entwistle is absolutely brilliant in her portrayal of Flavia and I am savoring every morsel of this debut novel. Looking forward to the next one in the series and praying that the author gives us lots more of Flavia.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A brilliant narrator

It's so interesting how narrator affect listeners. Both my wife and I can't find enough good things to say about Jayne Entwistle. I want to listen slowly just to make both the story and narration last forever. Will look for both author and narrator in the future.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Audio Book adds value

I listened to this book and just loved it. I read the next one (Hangman...) and didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I missed the fabulous narration by Jane Entwistle. Her reading of this book really makes a good book, great. Thanks Jane!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Story was OK main character was annoying

The main character was intended to be precocious but often comes across as cruel and superior and frankly just an irritating brat. Pretty interesting little "cozy mystery story" but the "hook" for this series seems to be "cozy mystery with a kid protag" which is a bit of a problem since the kid protag doesn't really seem to add anything to the mix. The reader was fine.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Improbable, delightful and worthwhile

Any additional comments?

Flavia is a bit of a sociopath--trying out potentially lethal chemistry experiments in her sisters--and precocious beyond imagination, but the story is terrific. I will read the entire series with anticipation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved this so much!

I absolutely loved this!!! What an amazing concept for a mystery heroine. Flavia is the best.

The author did a fabulous job with this first book. Very clever in his writing style and the plot. Just amazing.

The narrator added to the delight in this book. I can't praise this book highly enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

All Hail Flavia

Absolutely the most enjoyable book I've heard in years. A great little mystery story, fabulous protagonist, and I swear you can *hear* Flavia's mischievous grin through the narrator's reading. You definitely don't want to miss this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I love this book!

I love everything about it. The story is intriguing without being too scary. Flavia may be my all-time favorite heroine- wishing this series would go on forever.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So so so so good

I cannot think of an adequate adjective to capture how thoroughly I enjoyed this book. the writing, plot, narration, character development, everything was superb.

Smart, funny, intriguing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it! Fun!!

I enjoyed this very much....lots of fun....made me laugh out loud at times with the quick witted references.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!