From Booklist
*Starred Review* American fans have been treated to several installments in the beguiling Phryne Fisher series (among them, the recently released
Castlemaine Murders [BKL S 15 04]), but this one, originally published in Australia in 2001, may be the best yet. It's 1928, and the globetrotting, glamorous Phryne (rhymes with briny) is at home near Melbourne, missing her lover, Lin Chung, who is on a silk-buying trip in China. When Phryne's detective friend, Jack, asks for her help investigating the murder of Miss Lavender, a well-known author of fairy stories, Phryne is glad of the distraction. The investigation leads to a temporary job as a fashion reporter for
Women's Choice magazine, Miss Lavender's former employer. Phryne's encounters with the various magazine staffers add considerable zest to the adventure, as does Lin Chung's possible abduction by pirates. Phryne on the rampage makes for fine entertainment all on its own, but Greenwood effectively combines her inimitable heroine's antics with thought-provoking details about the struggles of women in the 1920s, forced to adjust to the loss of the unprecedented independence they had enjoyed during the war. This series is the best Australian import since Nicole Kidman, and Phryne is the flashiest new female sleuth in the genre.
Jenny McLarinCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Phryne Fisher isnt really a glossy girl, she's just pretending to be one to solve the suspicious death of an old luvvie who wrote and illustrated fairy stories for a womens magazine. Not exactly riveting reading by todays standards, but this story is set in the 20s when women read articles on how to be virtuous, and never ventured out without a hat or gloves. Greenwood manages to evoke the elegance of the era in this charming tale, which dwells as much on the wardrobe of the heroine as the morbid details of murder and mayhem." -- Vogue, June 2001
"Greenwood crafts a passable whodunit, but terrific historic color (complete with a three page bibliography) and the blithe proto-feminist heroine are the real highlights here." -- Kirkus Reviews
"This series is the best Australian import since Nicole Kidman, and Phryne is the flashiest new female sleuth in the genre." -- Booklist
"Kerry Greenwood makes it impossible for the audience not to like the charming Phyrne or her investigations." --Midwest Book Review
About the Author
Kerry Greenwood is the author of thirty-eight novels and six non-fiction books. Among her many honors, Ms. Greenwood has received the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award from the Crime Writers' Association of Austrialia. Other mysteries In the Phryne Fisher series available from Poisoned Pen Press are Murder in Montparnasse, Cocaine Blues, Flying too High, Murder on the Ballarat Train, Death at Victoria Dock, Ruddy Gore, and Urn Burial. She is also the author of several books for young adults and the Delphic Women series.
When she is not writing she is an advocate in Magistrates’ Courts for the Legal Aid Commission. She is not married, has no children and lives with a registered Wizard.
From AudioFile
She smokes. She drinks. She isn't overly fond of small children. She lives with adopted daughters, assorted animals, and faithful servants. It's 1928, and the very unconventional Phryne Fisher sparkles with wit and champagne elegance. Phryne's been asked to help solve the murder of a snoopy old woman who wrote fairy stories for a magazine devoted to encouraging women to pursue nontraditional roles without actually changing anything. Meanwhile, ruthless pirates on the South China Sea have captured Phryne's lover, Lin Chung, and her Celtic blood is set to boiling. Stephanie Daniel performs with genteel ease. Her upper-class Australian accents and her wild assortment of reputable and disreputable characters are truly amazing. Kerry Greenwood's "Agatha-Christie-meets-Indiana-Jones" plotting and Daniel's energetic reading make this must listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
