Flying Too High [Mass Market Paperback]

Kerry Greenwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 23, 1992

When the unliked Mr. McNaughton of the Sky-High Flying School receives a fatal blow to the head, Phryne Fisher steps in to prove that Bill, McNaughton's son, is not the murderer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The many U.S. fans of Greenwood's feisty and plucky Australian flapper sleuth Phryne Fisher should especially enjoy the second entry in the series (Cocaine Blues, etc.), which presents another pair of cases from the early days of her career as a private detective. The two inquiries present quite different challenges: the first, to track down the kidnappers of a young girl, whose father just won the lottery, before she is harmed; the second, to identify the murderer of a bully whose son has been charged with the offense. Fisher again displays an impressive set of skills, from air-walking and daredevil plane flying to blood-splatter analysis, and Greenwood leavens her plot with Wodehousian characters and wit.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

The dashing Phryne Fisher, Australian flapper, makes her sixteenth appearance, and she hasn't worn out her welcome. Phryne, a glamorous detective and aviatrix, living in 1920s Melbourne, solves a mystery as easily as she lands a plane. Here her cases involve a murder and a kidnapping, but what makes the story delicious are the flourishes, from Phryne's interior-decorating style (nude paintings of Phryne) to her detecting techniques (jumping into bed with a source). A strong cast of characters surrounds the inimitable flapper, including the kidnapped child (shades of "The Ransom of Red Chief") and a group of women nearly as irrepressible as Phryne herself. Great fun! Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (May 23, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449147770
• ISBN-13: 978-0449147771
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,428,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wing walking, August 28, 2007

By 

B. Heise "DerBücherwurm" (Milpitas, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flying Too High : a Phryne Fisher Mystery (Paperback)

The second book in the series takes place only a few months after "Cocaine blues" ends and with it returns its bright and luminous Phryne Fisher. Many of the secondary (if you can call them that) characters return which adds a nice touch. I liked this book even more than the previous one. Phryne seems to have found her grove in this story along with moving into her new, fashionable domicile. She has to solve two cases at once, the murder of a cantankerous, generally disliked husband and father and the kidnapping of a little girl. Phryne handles both cases with her normal aplomb, intuition and style along with a little wing walking and flying. I especially like Greenwood's use of language and how it reflects the times; this adds another layer of fun and effervescence to these stories that makes me look forward to the next one. I recommend this book highly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phryne is great!, February 18, 2008

By 

Dick from Dellwood "dfromd" (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flying Too High : a Phryne Fisher Mystery (Paperback)

Having read all of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne mysteries I cannot say which one I like the best. But, I love them all and when I get jaded from reading some of the "modern" mysteries full of sex, four letter words and blood and guts I settle down with one of these before bedtime. Let me say I am in love with Australia and would live there if I could--too old to move and my wife would never go. We were fortunate enough to visit several years ago and loved every minute.
Greenwood has developed a very likeable and superlative heroine. The supporting cast is well drawn and interesting in their own. These are truly "cozies" and I find them very enjoyable reads, rationing them carefully lest I run out.
If you like Australian mysteries I would heartily recommend anything you can find by Arthur Upfield, who wrote in the period after WW II. His hero is an Australian police detective "halfcaste" who specialized in solving mysteries in the outback and rural areas of Australia. Great flavor and good story telling!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the second in the finest mystery series ever, January 25, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Flying Too High: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Paperback)

i have been reading mysteries for decades. i have favorite authors whose books i reread with pleasure. but my absolute favorite for the last ten years is kerry greenwood and her phryne fisher series.

the novels are incredibly well-written and well researched, have wonderfully twisty plots, great dialogue, clothes, food and drink. phryne fisher is a complex and fascinating character with, thankfully, no angst or moral quandries. she has ethics and morals and acts on them fearlessly.

there is humor of all kinds as well as suspense. the twisty plots also pay homage to the plots of the golden age of mystery, the period between the wars when mystery writing became culturally acceptable.

even non-mystery lovers would enjoy the series for the fascinating facts from australian history. the only thing ms. greenwood doesn't include is footy, probably because our phyrne lives in st. kilda. it's not a noticeble lack.