Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Paperback)) (Paperback)

by Kerry Greenwood (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The growing American audience for Phryne Fisher, Australian author Greenwood's independent 1920s female sleuth, will be delighted that her diverting first mystery is finally available in the U.S. Fisher's off-the-cuff solving of a high society jewel theft leads her to her first professional engagement when a witness to her brilliance asks her to investigate a possible poisoning-in-progress. The detective's admirable willingness to intervene to help those in distress involves her in a variety of other puzzles, including identifying the King of Snow, who has taken over the Melbourne drug trade. Many of the members of Fisher's entourage familiar from later novels make their debuts as well.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Australian Greenwood has been exporting her outstanding Phryne Fisher series to the U.S. for the past several years, but the books haven't arrived in chronological order. Finally, we have the series debut, which explains how the irrepressible flapper (the series is set in the 1920s) became a detective. Phryne fans will relish the chance to see how beloved characters like Bert, Cec, Dot, and Inspector Robinson wandered into Phryne's life, and newcomers will enjoy getting to know ultrafashionable Phryne, who's wealthy enough to do whatever she wants but whose previous poverty has created a strong empathy for the working class. In Melbourne to investigate the mysterious illness of the daughter of a family friend, Phryne stumbles into a case involving two of the 1920s' signature evils: cocaine and back-alley abortions. Banding together with a crew of colorful local characters, and finding time to indulge in some erotic fun with a sexy Russian dancer, Phryne soon leaves her mark on Melbourne. From beginning to end, Greenwood infuses her series with evocative settings, multidimensional characters, and satisfying mysteries. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (April 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159058385X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590583852
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #278,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great start to a fantastic series, January 11, 2006

By	E Rice (western ny state) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher Mysteries) (Hardcover)

cocaine blues, published first in the country as _death by misadventure_, is the first mystery to feature phyrne fisher, australian born daughter of a remittance man, english educated once her father inherits the title and millions, who is asked by a set of parents to investigate the apparent murder attempts against their daughter, who is in australia.

of course, phyrne accepts and returns to the land of her childhood. it is 1928, and one of the many charms of this series is the picture of australia just after the great war. we also get to enjoy the fashions in dress, food, and cars, and wince at the some of the social mores.

phyrne rapidly solves the mystery in the style of the golden age of mystery writing, fitting for the time this is set.

our heroine is definitely her own woman. she is independent, competent, intelligent, remembers the lessons of childhood poverty and enjoys wielding her adult money and title.

the only drawback to the first three in this series is that they are comparatively short. the plots are first rate, the descriptions well done, the characterizations accurate and even pungent. there is also humor of every kind.

this is a mystery and a series not to be missed by any reader who wants a well-written, exciting read.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely delightful!, June 27, 2005

By	L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cocaine Blues - A Phryne Fisher (Paperback)

Phryne, pronounced Fry-knee to rhyme with briny, is a wonderful character. She's independent, smart, talented, stylish, and knows both poverty and wealth. This is someone you'd love to know. The story is both light and humorous but deals with serious subjects. The writing is intelligent, clever and in keeping with the period. There are now 15 books in the series and you can believe I'm going to try to find them all.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The first of the Phryne Fisher mysteries in 1920's Australia, March 22, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cocaine Blues - A Phryne Fisher (Paperback)

Phryne Fisher sails to Australia in the late 1920's. She finds herself surrounded on all sides by villains during her search for the King of Snow. This book brings alive the magic of 1920's Melbourne and the era of fun and flappers.