Alan Bradley

Alan Bradley (October 10, 1938 – May 18, 2026) was a Canadian mystery writer known for his Flavia de Luce series, which began with the acclaimed The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Early life and engineering career Bradley was born on October 10, 1938 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was brought up with two older sisters in the small town of Cobourg. When Bradley was a toddler, his father left the family and his mother raised the children alone. Bradley learned to read at an early age, partly because he was a sickly child who spent a lot of time in bed. However, Bradley confessed to having been a "very bad student", the third (A Red Herring without Mustard) in February 2011, the fourth (I Am Half-Sick of Shadows) in December 2011, and the fifth (Speaking from Among the Bones) in January 2013. The sixth book, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, was released in early 2014. The series has been extended to ten books, up from an original order of six.

In May 2023, it was announced that The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie would be adapted as a feature film entitled Flavia, with Molly Belle Wright starring as Flavia.

Personal life and death After selling their home in Kelowna, British Columbia, in 2009, Bradley and his wife Shirley spent time travelling, hoping to spend time living in various places and visiting every country that published his books.