Customer Reviews

Cocaine Blues : a Phryne Fisher mystery

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

I was looking forward to discovering a new voice in the period piece mystery genre; but was disappointed in this one. Reviews that I had read implied that Kerry Greenwood was the Australian Agatha Christie. Not so, her flapper sleuth is just a little too self centered and selfish to be attractive. The improbability of the plot stretches credulity, the shallow characterization is unbelievable; and although set in Melbourne, is so lacking in atmosphere that it could be about Chicago. The only authentic Aussie flavor was in the street names and the obvious reversal of the seasons one encounters when going "down under". I will try one more title before I give this author up as a poor substitute for the real thing.

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.

Boy, am I glad I stumbled on this series! Greenwood turns the cliche flapper image on its head. Rather than tell us about how flappers were free thinkers, but stop short of showing us, Greenwood shows us Phryne (pronounced FRI-KNEE)rolling in the hay with the beautiful Russian dancer Sasha, unabashedly smoking, drinking and wearing her gorgeous clothing. Social convention be damned in this first installment of Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series.

Kerry Greenwood is an unbelievably skillfull writer...a pleasure to read. Not a word is wasted as she sets up the story of (Phryne needs to bring George the Butcher abortionist to justice and uncover the SNOW KING, cocaine dealer and mastermind) introduces us to her taut group of Phryne assistants and secondary characters -- Bert, Cec, Dot, Dr. McMillan. While most amateur sleuth stories require a leap of faith that the amateur is actually capable of solving a crime, as does "Cocaine Blues" but not much. Phryne is a plucky, likeable -- real character. Her charm sweeps the reader along to the novel's satisfying conclusion -- a true to Phryne conclusion.

I haven't finished this yet, but this is the second book of I've read by Kerry and I am having a great time with this book. I couldn't even finish a Meg Gardiner book, and was afraid I needed to give up fiction for awhile. Luckily I started this and Kerry brought back the magic. Kerry Greenwood's characters are all believable and delightful (Well maybe they are a little over the top, but thats what makes it fun.) Kerry has a wonderful sense of humor. Meet her crew and have a long relationship with them in future books. I cant believe all the 4 star ratings, compared to what the reviewers say. I think the reviewers must be ashamed to have so much fun. Try it you will like Phryne Fisher and visit often.

This is not the best book in the series, but it is lots of fun. Keep reading, they get better.

I thought this mystery began delightfully enough, then it became so very contrived and unrealistic--kind of like Wonder Woman in the 20ies, Down Under. I will probably try one more Phryne Fisher, and then give up if it doesn't get any better.

A fully enfranchised flapper in Melbourne after the first War, Phryne Fisher is a heroine after anyone's heart, and Greenwood's prose does her full justice. Take this, for example:

Phryne Fisher had a taste for young and comely men, but she was not prone to trust them with anything but her body.

Or

Phryne, carrying the cocktail, decanted it unobtrusively into a potted palm against which she had no personal grudge, and hoped that it would not give her away by dying too rapidly.

In this first novel she busts up a Melbourne cocaine ring and contrives the arrest (and later the hanging, as this is back in the un-PC day of capital punishment) of a back-alley rapist/abortionist. Strong characterization, great setting, and a lot of talk about what she's wearing which makes you feel like you've wandered into an episode of The House of Eliott - Series One, but so what? A very enjoyable read.

Fabulous cover art, too.

I really enjoy this series & this book starts it all off. Phyrne Fisher is a free spirit, and she always wins.