The Golden Tresses of the Dead

The Golden Tresses of the Dead introduces Flavia de Luce, the twelve-year-old chemist and amateur detective eager to turn professional. She and her father's valet, Dogger, have founded a detective agency, Arthur Dogger & Associates, and unexpectedly stumble into their first case during the revelry at her sister Ophelia's wedding reception.

After an eventful ceremony with a missing best man and a spontaneous ventriloquist act, spirits are high as Ophelia, affectionately known as Feely, and her new husband head for the towering and beautifully iced wedding cake. However, as Feely slices into the first piece, a scream rings out—the bridal cake contains a severed human finger.

Delighted by the unexpected discovery, Flavia wraps the finger in a napkin and whisks it away to her chemical laboratory. By examining the embalmed skin, the indentation of a ring, and the slope of the fingernail, she is determined to uncover the identity of the victim—and point a finger at the killer.