Raisins and Almonds

Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood (©2002; US edition 2007) 207 pages

In this novel set in the late 1920s, Phryne Fisher, a young Australian detective, is asked to investigate the murder of a man who died in a bookshop. The woman who owns the shop, Sylvia Lee, has been arrested, mostly because she seemed too calm when handling the aftermath of her customer's death. Ben Abrahams, her rich Jewish landlord, also the father of a young man Phryne currently has her appetite set on, has asked Phryne to solve the murder.

The dead man was Jewish, and in his wallet were several letters in a different language, plus scraps of parchment with unusual drawings. Phryne, her beau Simon, and much of her household get into sorting out the facts. Phryne meets a cantankerous Rabbi, as well as several young men in the Jewish community who seem to be withholding information that could help solve the case, even as Phryne's knowledge of the Jewish religion increases and issues of Zionism are hashed out.

I especially enjoyed this book since I recently finished watching all three seasons of the "Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries" on dvd, based roughly on Greenwood's books.

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Murder on the Ballarat Train

Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood (1991) 151 pages

In this third book in the Phryne Fisher mystery series, set in 1928, all of the first-class passengers in a train coach have been poisoned with chloroform, and one old woman has been yanked out of her window and killed. Phryne, after recovering from the chloroform attack, wants to find out who would do such a thing and why, and she is hired by the old woman's daughter to do just that.

Meanwhile, it comes to Phryne's attention that young girls are being sold into prostitution, including one twelve-year-old girl on the train who has lost her memory. Phryne takes the young girl under her wing, while hoping that the girl's memory returns.

A great series for those looking for a heroine with quick wits, strong compassion, and an active sex life.

The Green Mill Murder

The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood (1993) 173 pages

Another mystery featuring Phryne Fisher, another satisfying read! The murder occurs on page one as a dance marathon reaches its 48th hour, ending when one dancer is stabbed to death. Phryne was on that dance floor enjoying the jazz music at the Green Mill club (but not as a contestant in the marathon) and when her date runs to the loo, presumably to be sick after seeing the dead body, he never returns. He appears to be a suspect, and his mother hires Phryne to find him, as well as his brother, who had left home after his return from the Great War many years ago. The overexcited woman appears to be more interested in figuring out her financial status than anything else.

This adventure takes Phryne into the Australian bush in her airplane. Set in the late 1920s, she's using memorized maps from the mid-1800s in order to navigate over the mountains. Runways? Easy access to fuel? Not where she's going! I've found this series really engaging, and this book is no exception.

Cocaine Blues

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (1989) 175 pages

After recently being bowled over by Phryne (rhymes with briny) Fisher, a young woman who solves mysteries while exhibiting  reason, fashion sense, and lust, I needed to read the first book in the series, Cocaine Blues (set in the late 1920s). Within 6 pages, Phryne goes from living in Britain, attending a huge dinner party where a diamond necklace is stolen (and solving the crime in five minutes, tops) to getting her next job, finding out what's up with the adult daughter of a rich, worried couple. Phryne packs up a truckload of clothing and takes up life in the poshest hotel in Melbourne, Australia. Upon entering the country down under, where Phryne had lived in her youth, she hears much talk of lives wasted due to the influence of cocaine. She also learns that there is an abortionist at loose in the city, butchering young women in trouble.

Hold onto your hats; the action never slows down for long! I will definitely be reading more of this series.

Death at Victoria Dock

Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood (1992) 164 pages

The Phryne Fisher murder mystery series was recommended to me by someone who knew I enjoy the Daisy Dalrymple series (by Carola Dunn). This fourth book in the series is set in 1928 in Australia. Phryne (rhymes with "briny") finds her windshield shot out while she's driving near the docks at night. She grabs her gun, but by now, the shooters are too far away to shoot back at them. Then she sees a young man who had been shot during the fray and she holds him as he dies. Thus starts the main storyline. Phyrne has attitude and compassion and the will to rectify wrongs. As she tries to find the killers, she enters the realm of anarchists; the young man was part of the group. Meanwhile, she is called upon by a wealthy man to locate his 14 year old daughter, who has fled from the home of her father, stepmother and brother. That story arc brings us to some questionable relationships in the wealthy home. I found my first experience in the Phryne Fisher series showcases compelling characters, fast action, and a refreshing willingness to explore some once-taboo subjects.

Flying Too High / Kerry Greenwood

Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood (a Phryne Fisher mystery, #2). 156 p.

The other book I bought at Murder By the Book (local mystery bookstore). In this one Phryne shows off her ability to pilot an airplane (and wing-walk), obtains her own house and staff, proves a man innocent of patricide, and rescues a kidnapped child. Oh, and takes a couple of casual lovers. Just another week for the Honorable Phryne Fisher, confidential investigator. I had forgotten that she deliberately bought a house numbered 221 and appended a "B" to the address as her own little joke on being a consulting detective.

Cocaine Blues / Kerry Greenwood

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (a Phryne Fisher mystery, #1). 175 p.

I wanted to go back to the beginning of this series, since I just read the newest volume (#18) in November.* I had forgotten, for instance, the very striking way in which Phryne meets her long-suffering maid Dot. I had not forgotten the communist cab-drivers, though. The late '20s-in-Australia setting is also really interesting, and one I've not run into except in these books. The mystery in this one is not terribly mysterious, but the action is fun to watch.

*Also, I was visiting a rather famous mystery bookstore here in Houston, and someone my friend knows was working when we were in the store, so I felt obliged to buy something.

Dead Man's Chest / Kerry Greenwood

Dead man's chest by Kerry Greenwood (a Phryne Fisher mystery, #18). 258 p.

Phryne Fisher is a wealthy, clever young woman living in Australia in 1928. Her life in Melbourne can be fairly sedate--at least compared with her hardscrabble youth before her father inherited a title, her stint as an ambulance driver in WWI France, and her life as an artist's model in postwar France--so she sometimes takes cases as a consulting detective. Throughout the course of the series she has collected a fairly large supporting cast, but in this volume she's gone to the seaside for a vacation with only her hard-working maid and adopted daughters (and their dog). Despite her intentions to have a quiet trip, circumstances embroil her in two cases.

This series is particularly interesting because of its historical setting; the author always includes a bibliography at the end of the books. In this one specifically we have the filming of a movie and a dinner party with a cadre of Surrealists.