The Castlemaine Murders: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Paperback)) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Kerry Greenwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004 | Series: Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Paperback)

Phryne Fisher, her sister Beth, and her faithful maid, Dot, decide that Luna Park is the place for an afternoon of fun and excitement with Phryne's two daughters, Ruth and Jane. But in the dusty dark Ghost Train, amidst the squeals of horror and delight, a mummified bullet-studded corpse falls to the ground in front of them. Phryne Fisher's pleasure trip has definitely become business.
Digging to the bottom of this longstanding mystery takes her to the country town of Castlemaine where it soon becomes obvious that someone is trying to muzzle her investigations. With unknown threatening assailants on her path, Phryne seems headed for more trouble than usual.
Meanwhile, Phryne's lover Lin Chung has his own mystery to solve. Feuding families and lost gold fill his mind until he learns that Phryne herself has become missing treasure.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this second light, 1920s-set historical to be published in the U.S. from Australian author Greenwood (Murder in Montparnasse, etc.), iconoclastic feminist sleuth Phyrne Fisher's eclectic household, which includes her Chinese lover, Lin Chung, is expanded by the arrival of her domineering younger sister, the "Hon. Miss Eliza Fisher," apparently banished from England by their stern father. A pleasure trip to a local amusement park turns nasty when a ride on the Ghost Train produces an ancient and mummified corpse, complete with bullet wound. The probe into this long-ago murder becomes more than academic when Phyrne and her friends receive death threats and are the target of several attacks. The trail may intertwine with Chung's quest for the solution to another old mystery—the theft of a large amount of gold in 1857. While the coincidences pile up a little high, the appealing characters and witty banter make for an enjoyable caper.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

The world of Phryne Fisher is an exotic and compelling one, thanks both to the setting, 1920s Australia, and to the frenetic heroine herself. Living with two adopted daughters, her Chinese lover Lin Chung, a temperamental but loyal serving staff, and a demanding cat, Phryne is constantly surrounded by activity. Lin Chung takes off for nearby Castlemaine to resolve an ancient Chinese family feud, and Phryne is stuck with her moody younger sister, Eliza, whose visit has put a damper on the otherwise freewheeling Fisher household. After finding a real skeleton inside a supposedly fake cowboy at an amusement park, Phryne discovers a connection to the "dummy" and Castlemaine-- giving her the perfect reason to visit Lin Chung. Greenwood weaves historical data into the plot like gold thread, giving it richness without weighing it down. The gold rush of the 1850s, for example, ties together a story involving four of Lin Chung's relatives and the skeleton cowboy. As always, the highlight of the series is the sexy and sybaritic Phryne, whose kind heart and generous spirit far outweigh her slightly scandalous behavior. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 375 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; Large Type / ed. edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590581539
• ISBN-13: 978-1590581537
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,682,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable and engaging, December 4, 2004

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Castlemaine Murders: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Phryne Fisher Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The second Phryne Fisher mystery novel to be published in this country (the first was "Murder in Montparnasse), this was my first foray into the series, and what a fun read it was too! Especially the subplot dealing with Phryne's married Chinese lover, Lin Chung's attempts to solve an 80-odd year old mystery.

The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher is feeling a little stressed right now: her younger sister, Eliza, has just arrived in Australia, and seems hell-bent on deriding and dismissing the entire country and Phryne's lifestyle completely. In an attempt to derive a bit of fun under the circumstances, Phryne arranges an outing for her household (her two adopted daughters, Ruth and Jane; her companion-friend, Dot; her married Chinese lover, Lin Chung and her sister, Eliza) at Luna Park. But the pleasure of the day soon ends abruptly when a dummy at the Ghost Train ride turns out to be the mummified remains of a man who was shot. Who was the unfortunate man? How did he end up being mummified? And who murdered him? Phryne is determined to uncover all and to do right by the unfortunate man, in spite of the menacing messages she receives to leave well alone...

"The Castlemaine Murders" was a really fun read from start to finish. Set in the roaring 20s, Kerry Greenwood captures the feel and spirit of the age effortlessly. However, while the entire mystery subplot involving the mummy was intriguing, I have to admit that the subplot that focused on Lin Chung and the eighty year old family mystery involving missing gold and probable murder, captured my interest completely. The author's thumbnail sketch about the early Chinese settlers (who were mostly gold miners) was informative and intriguing, and made "The Castlemaine Murders" all the more enjoyable for me. Swiftly paced and completely engaging, "The Castlemaine Murders" was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and really deserves all the accolades it receives.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a mystery series with everything, November 16, 2005

By 

E Rice (western ny state) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Castlemaine Murders: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Phryne Fisher Mysteries) (Hardcover)

the appearance of a uniform hardback edition of the phyrne fisher mysteries is a wonderful thing. the first three in the series appeared in this country in paperback in the early 90s, but for some unknown reason, none of the rest of the series until now was available on this continent. i ordered most of my paperback copies used from australia (i love them enough to pay the postage!)

mystery readers familiar with the golden age of mysteries and/or 19th century potboilers will recognize ms. greenwood's take on an old favorite plot. her writing is wonderful; the characters fully drawn; the subplots varied, interesting and enjoyable; the historical facts fascinating; the dialogue, humor and wit sparkling. the villains are fairly guessable in this outing, but that doesn't detract from the story.

of the thirteen or fourteen titles currently in this series, i can't think of one not worth reading and re-reading.

4.0 out of 5 stars Book review: Castlemaine Murders, January 1, 2008

By 

Toni Rudersdorf "trudersdorf2" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Castlemaine Murders: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Paperback)

Kerry Greenwood's mysteries, that have her heroine, Phryne Fisher, uncovering the secrets of Australians in the early 1900's, are always entertaining. She steeps the tales in Australian history and includes well thought out social commentary as well. Castlemaine Murders is interesting, informative and fun, but not so much as the earlier Phryne Fisher mysteries.