The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley, 315 pages

This was one of the best mysteries I've read, not just in a long time, but ever. I've loved the Flavia de Luce series from the very beginning but this one was outstanding. What's not to love about a 12-year-old girl in 1951 England who not only has a passion for chemistry but a specialized knowledge of poisons, and then you couple that with outrageously tormentive (yes, I'm using it as word) sisters, and an absentee father to create a series that grabs hold of you. This book has me in tears by page 9 and it was a roller coaster ride after that. I can't decide if I love this author or hate him for how much he's made me care about these characters.