This story takes place in the town of Billerica (right next to where I used to live!) and tells of Martha Allen – a strong-willed and independent young woman – as she comes to stay at her pregnant cousin’s house to help care for her and her children. “The Wolves of Andover” is the prequel to Kent’s “The Heretic’s Daughter” – a novel about Salem that I just loved! See Alan Bradley discussing his characters through this You Tube link:Ī week ago I finished this great book (from the library) and haven’t had a chance to write about it. I purchase mine through my kindle - pre-ordered and it magically downloaded when it was released! You might want to read these books in order, but I don’t think it’s necessary. There were many plot elements in this story: the gypsy woman’s attack, a lost portrait of Flavia’s mother, the gypsy’s grand-daughter who befriends yet isn’t quite honest with Flavia, a strange religious cult, a lost child, Flavia’s ongoing sibling issues, the family’s impending financial crisis, and the list goes on! I had a bit of a time keeping things straight – and I did figure out the mystery and how all the pieces came together rather early on – but I found precocious chemistry wiz Flavia as endearing and refreshing as ever! This time Flavia is trying to solve the mystery of an attempted murder on a gypsy woman who has been camping on the deLuce property. Intrepid heroine Flavia returns in this third installment of Alan Bradley’s light mystery series (following “The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie” and “The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag” – both reviewed here in 9/09 and 5/10).

The Wolves of Andover by Kathleen Kent