SPEAKING FROM AMONG THE BONES (Alan Bradley)

Eleven-year-old amateur detective Flavia de Luce is thrilled when plans are made to exhume the bones of Saint Tancred, the "bishop" of Bishop's Lacy, from his tomb in the local church on the 500th anniversary of his death. When the tomb is opened, however, Flavia stumbles upon the body of the handsome Mr. Collicut, the much admired church organist who has been missing for several weeks.  This is not just an ordinary murder case, though.  How did Mr. Collicut end up in the tomb, why is he wearing a gas mask, and how does the legend of St. Tancred's bejeweled staff, supposedly buried with his body, figure into Collicut's death?  Despite being worried about her father's preoccupation and the possible sale of her crumbling family estate, Flavia uses her considerable investigative skills and her talent as a chemist to narrow down the list of suspects and, as usual, trump the local constabulary to solve the crime  in this hilarious mystery full of twists, turns, and all the undiminished charm of Flavia's past adventures.  Warning:  Do NOT look at the last page ahead of time!