Numb Were the Beadsman’s Fingers
by Alan Bradley
BOOK 12 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING FLAVIA DE LUCE SERIES
LEARN ABOUT THE UPCOMING FLAVIA DE LUCE FEATURE FILM STARRING MARTIN FREEMAN AND TOBY JONES ON IMDB - READ THE VARIETY ARTICLES HERE, HERE, and HERE
OVER SIX MILLION COPIES OF THE SERIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
“I love the Flavia de Luce novels! Flavia is the best female detective I’ve ever read, full of realism, self-confidence, and emotion (in roughly equal parts), and her tales are hilarious, engaging, and occasionally heartbreaking.”— Diana Gabaldon
A nun’s corpse leads beloved amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce to uncover decades-old secrets in this charming new novel in the New York Times bestselling series.
In the cloisters of Golgotha House, a mere binocular’s-squint away from Buckshaw, a nun lies dead. When her fellow Sisters prepare her corpse for burial, they discover that their companion has been living a shocking lie for years. The truth about her past, and the dark reasons she harbored for escaping it, are impossible to fathom.
Charged with cracking this mystery is the firm of Arthur Dogger & Associates (Discreet investigations)—consisting, of course, of the inimitable young Flavia de Luce herself and her faithful partner-in-detection Dogger.
Working under the eye of a glowering Mother Superior, Flavia and Dogger must uncover a decades-old crime and a secret that lies an ocean away—along with a trail of deception that lies closer to home.
PRAISE FOR ALAN BRADLEY'S FLAVIA DE LUCE SERIES
“To say I am overjoyed by the return of the magnificent Flavia is a massive understatement. It’s a great day when we have her back in our lives with a new, and riveting, crime to solve. Brava Flavia. Bravo Alan!” — LOUISE PENNY
"Cozy mystery fans will love this latest installment featuring Flavia de Luce, Alan Bradley's plucky and spirited protagonist. Delightful!" — NITA PROSE
“Flavia De Luce is in top form…Bradley gives his loyal readers a story that will more than satisfy their expectations while also inviting new readers to discover an endlessly entertaining amateur young sleuth who has much to teach her elders.” — Booklist, starred review
“Rejoice, fans of fiction’s youngest franchise detective: Flavia de Luce is back… Nobody could possibly unite intelligence work, mythological monsters, and village gossip as adroitly as Bradley’s heroine.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Enchanting… Flavia’s characteristic quirky humor and unorthodox thinking are on full display…This series is as fresh as ever.” — Publishers Weekly
“Watching Flavia grow emotionally is one of the keener pleasures of Mr. Bradley’s inimitable series. Her ego remains undimmed (“It is not always easy being blessed with a superior brain”), but she keeps getting better at working with (and for) others to ensure that justice is delivered.” — The Wall Street Journal
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50,000 words
Manuscript available February 2026
RIGHTS SOLD
US: Bantam (November 2026)
Canada: Doubleday (November 2026)
UK: Orion
UK Audio: W. F. Howes
Germany: Blanvalet
Russia: AST
(Photo: Jeff Basset)
ABOUT ALAN BRADLEY
Alan Bradley is the internationally bestselling author of short stories, children’s stories, newspaper columns, and the memoir The Shoebox Bible. The Flavia de Luce mystery series has been sold in 39 territories. The books have been bestsellers in Canada, the USA, Germany, Russia, Brazil, China, and Holland, appearing on bestseller lists in The New York Times and Der Spiegel.
Buckshaw, the home of Flavia de Luce
One week after publication, What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust is #5 on the Toronto Star bestseller list for Canadian fiction, #9 on the CBC fiction bestseller list, and #7 on the Globe and Mail hardcover fiction bestseller list!
Watch Alan Bradley discuss his latest book with Louise Penny
Alan Bradley in conversation with Barbara Peters at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore