Canadian mystery writer Alan Bradley, who created Flavia de Luce character, dies at 87

Alan Bradley, as shown in this handout photo, 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.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-CNW Group/Penguin Random House Canada Limited-Jeff Bassett (Mandatory Credit)

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.

Bradley was born in Toronto and grew up east of the city in Cobourg, Ont.

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 years.

He 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.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2026.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press