The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Allan Bradley

I have read so many good reviews of this book, and then there were two sequels out, I thought I might finally read it.  Unfortunately, it did not live up to its reviews.  This book is a quaint little book, along the line of Alexander McCall's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books, although not as entertaining in ways because as amusing and precocious as Flavia is, she is not as worldly as Precious.

Told from the point of view of a smart and emotionally neglected 11-year old, this book is the story of Flavia and her finding of a body in her garden and all that ensues from that find, including her father's arrest, her kidnapping, and lots of biking around and trespassing.  In the end, I found no connection to Flavia or to any of her family, I figured out the murderer well before she did, that being telegraphed in the writing, and I was less than satisfied with the story.  It was all a little too quaint.  It also could just have easily been found in the young adult section, although much of that has more going for it than this book did.