Alan Bradley: R.I.P.

Such sad news. Mystery writer, creator of the Flavia de Luce mysteries, Alan Bradley died yesterday at the age of 87. I loved his Flavia de Luce series, and along with so many people, am looking forward to the screen adaptation. I know Alan was looking forward to this, and we corresponded over the years about it. So glad he was able to see an advance screening of the film. Alan won the Macavity Award for The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Alan Bradley will be missed by family, friends, and fans.  

From the Canadian Press:

Alan Bradley, the Canadian mystery writer whose tales of a precocious 11-year-old super-sleuth charmed readers worldwide, has died.

His publisher, Doubleday Canada, says he died in the Isle of Man at age 87.

Bradley earned global acclaim with his debut novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and the character at its centre — kid detective Flavia de Luce — won a devoted fan base.

He was 70 when he published that novel in 2009, the first of 11 in the Flavia series, with a twelfth due to be published in November.

His education was in electronic engineering, and he spent the bulk of his career at the University of Saskatchewan, where he was director of television engineering for 25 yearsHe took an early retirement and moved to Kelowna, B.C., to write full time, which is when he dreamed up Flavia.

Doubleday says a film adaptation of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie featuring Martin Freeman is due to be released later this year.

The publisher says Bradley got a chance to see the finished cut of the film before he died, and visited the set while the film was in production.

The company says Bradley "noted it as a highlight of his life."

Flavia, the Movie!

And this news from BV Lawson's In Reference to Murder, one of my favorite mystery sites. We've been waiting a long time for this. I'm so excited--to see the film--and for Alan Bradley, author of the Flavia books! Congratulations, Alan! What a great cast! I'll keep you posted!

Can't wait for the movie, catch up on Alan Bradley's Flavia series. 13 books so far!

The upcoming feature film, Flavia, based on the books by Alan Bradley, has started principal photography and released a first-look image. The project features Sherlock star Martin Freeman opposite Molly Belle Wright (Deep Water) as the precocious 11-year-old detective, Flavia, Toby Jones (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Karan Gill (The Decameron), Annette Badland (Ted Lasso), and Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses) also star. 

The storyline is set in motion when Flavia finds a dead body at her decaying British manor house and her father is accused of the murder. Flavia dives into her own wild and fearless investigation, unearthing long held family secrets and pitting herself against the true killer.

FLAVIA DE LUCE MOVIE NEWS

Last I heard was Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series had been optioned for a Canadian TV series and another option by Sam Mendes. But that was a long time ago. Today, though, Alan Bradley posted the news on Facebook that a feature film adaptation of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie with Isla Gee and Martin Freeman is being shopped at the Cannes Film Market. Hope this all falls into place! I love these books. They're the perfect vehicle for a large screen production, but I'd be happy if it was a series, too.

From Variety:
Adapted by Susan Coyne (“Daisy Jones and the Six”), the film will follow the adventures of 11-year-old Flavia de Luce (Gie), who is both an amateur detective and a master poisoner. When she discovers a dead body in her family’s decaying British manor house and her father is accused of the murder, Flavia launches her own investigation to uncover family secrets and bring the true murderer to justice.
The film will be directed by Emmy and BAFTA-nominated director Bharat Nalluri (“The Man Who Invented Christmas,” “Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day”). 

The film is being produced by Paula Mazur and Mitchell Kaplan for The Mazur Kaplan Company and Robert Mickelson for Mystic Point, with Protagonist Pictures CEO Dave Bishop and chief commercial officer George Hamilton serving as executive producers.

Bishop said: “Flavia is a most charming and resourceful heroine with an insatiable curiosity in her fearless pursuit of the truth and we have no doubt this amateur detective will become a firm family favorite as she jumps from page to screen. Full of mystery, suspense and humor and rounded out with a fantastic cast, this is exactly the type of film audiences are craving for and we are honored to be launching Flavia’s first big screen adventure into the marketplace.”

Flavia de Luce coming to TV!

Alan Bradley just posted this:

Flavia de Luce is coming to TV. 

For those patient thousands of you who have been enquiring, here it is:
 
Alan Bradley’s New York Times bestselling series of mysteries starring adolescent British sleuth Flavia de Luce have been picked up for series development by producer Robert Mickelson for Canada’s CTV in Toronto, with Susan Coyne writing three scripts. 

The ten-volume book series, beginning with THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE, is published by Delacorte in the USA, Orion in the UK, and Doubleday in Canada, as well as 35 other countries. The ninth volume, THE GRAVE’S A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE, has just been released. 

For further information, see: http://www.bukowskiagency.com/Sweetness.htm.

Director Sam Mendes options Flavia de Luce Mystery

American Beauty director Sam Mendes has bought the rights to Canadian author Alan Bradley’s New York Times-bestselling Flavia de Luce mysteries.

The 10-part Flavia de Luce series (four are in print so far) follows the adventure of a precocious 11-year-old sleuth in post WWII England.

Bradley, who grew up in Cobourg, ON, took early retirement from the media center at the University of Saskatchewan in 1994 to write. His first Flavia de Luce book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, was a surprise hit when it came out in 2009.

Bradley’s books have so far been sold in 33 countries and translated into 31 languages.

Wonder who will be cast if this goes into production.

Hat Tip: KrimiBlog

Contest: A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

Winner: John (JF Norris) who blogs at Pretty Sinister Books. Congrats, John. Be sure and email your address, so I can pop A Red Herring without Mustard to you ASAP.  Thanks to everyone who entered this contest.

CONTEST: WIN A COPY OF ALAN BRADLEY'S A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD

February 8 marks the launch of a new novel by one of my favorite authors, Alan Bradley. A Red Herring without Mustard (Delacorte Press) is the third installment of the Flavia de Luce series. Flavia, the detective, may be 11, but this is not a YA book, nor is Flavia Nancy Drew. The books are set in 1950s England, and Flavia is an 11 year old sleuth of the English gentry, albeit in fallen straights, who comes upon corpses and poisons. Her Victorian Chemistry lab is worth the price of admission, or in this case, the book!

In this installment, Flavia draws upon her 'encyclopedic knowledge of poisons and gypsy lore to prevent a miscarriage of justice. Gypsies, nobility, English village, historical (1950s), A Red Herring Without Mustard has it all. Whimsical and madcap!

Alan Bradley, a retired radio/TV engineer from Vancouver, BC, was 70 when he submitted a 15 page synopsis of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (#1 in the series) to the British Crime Writers Association for consideration for the Debut Dagger Award. The rest is history!

Alan Bradley won the Macavity Award  (and many other awards) for The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

CONTEST: Win a copy of A Red Herring without Mustard. Just make a comment below of why you are endeared (or not) by Flavia de Luce. Winner will be chosen by a random numerical system on February 8. Be sure and check back to this post on February for the winner!

Video of Alan Bradley talking about Book 2: The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

2010 Spotted Owl Award: Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

2010 Spotted Owl Award Winner: 
Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Alan Bradley has been named by the Friends of Mystery as the winner of 2010 Spotted Owl Award for his debut novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. The mystery, set in 1950’s Britain, is the first in a series featuring young Flavia de Luce as the protagonist. It won this year's Dilys Award and nominated for an Agatha Award and a Macavity Award. It previously won the CWA (Crime Writers Association-UK) 2007 Debut Dagger Award for an unpublished manuscript.

The Spotted Owl Award winner is chosen by a volunteer committee of Friends of Mystery members from a list of nominee mysteries, the authors of which must reside in the Pacific Northwest. A total of 72 books were considered for this year's award.

Hat Tip: Mystery Book News

Friday Mystery Picks

Friday Picks: Something for Everyone.

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Delacorte). A CWA debut dagger winner, this book captured my heart. You'll be transported back to childhood and a time when things seemed safe, but don't be fooled, this is a very dark novel. The mystery is first rate, as is Bradley's turn of phrase. The novel begins in the summer of 1950 in the sleepy village of Bishop's Lacy. Flavia de Luce, the 11 year old heroine/detective with a penchant for poisons is a welcome addition to the world of mysteries. This book has it all: a country house, stamps, poison, terrific pacing, brilliant quirky characters, dark atmosphere, humor, and lots of twists and turns. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is wickedly brilliant. It's the first of the Buckshaw Chronicles, and I can hardly wait for the next.

Ravens (Grand Central Publishing) by George Dawes Green. After a wait of 14 years, Edgar Award winner George Dawes Green, has produced another excellent psychological thriller. Green is the author of the award winning Cave Man's Valentine and The Juror (both made into films), and I believe this is a real contender for another film. Friends Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko pull up at a convenience store off I-95 in Georgia to fix a leaky tire on their way to Florida where they're going to get away from their dull Ohio tech-support jobs. At the service station, Shaw learns that a local family has won $318,000,000 in the state lottery. He then beings a ferocious scheme to squeeze the family for half of their prize money. Shaw's power over the family and the way he manipulates and drives terror into their hearts will keep you reading into the night. What I particularly liked about Ravens was that although it's dark, Green manages to infuse humor throughout, dark humor, but humor, all the same. From the first page you'll be swept up on a journey through the lives and thoughts of incredibly well developed and somewhat deprived odd characters. It's a 'creepy' novel, but I couldn't put it down. ( July 2009)*


Killer Cuts by Elaine Viets (New American Library). This is in the Dead End Jobs series. In Killer Cuts, Helen has taken another dead-end job to support herself and stay under the radar, this time at a high-end hair salon. She is an assistant and gofer to Miguel Angel, a Cuban celebrity stylist, who runs a salon where a haircut can cost as much as a car payment. The novel starts with the wedding of Kingman King Oden, a wealthy gossip blogger and cable TV show host. When he is murdered at his own wedding, things get hairy, All the usual suspects are in this Dead End job series, and Helen's own life and series development is intertwined skillfully. Fun, fast paced, good mystery and surprising resolution.