Customer Reviews

Murder on a Midsummer Night (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Paperback))

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In Melbourne in 1929 the drowning death of twenty-nine years old antiques dealer Augustine Manifold is considered a suicide by most of the city including the police. Perhaps the only holdouts are as expected his distraught mom who refuses to believe her son killed himself and wealthy private investigator Phyrne Fisher.

Though her plate seems overflowing with her meeting her socialite demands, raising two adopted daughters, and working several concurrent cases like searching for a missing heir, she agrees to look into Augustine's death and still have time for her Chinese lover. As she digs deeper into the alleged suicide Phyrne begins finding evidence that her gut is right that someone murdered Manifold, but who and proving it seems impossible to uncover.

This terrific Australian Depression Era mystery is perhaps the most complicated entry in the super Fisher saga. The story line is fast-paced but seems initially all over the place until master magician Kerry Greenwood brings the threads together in a brilliant manner. Phyrne is her usual kick butt independent dynamo as she manages a zillion things only to keep adding one more time consumer onto her overflowing plate. The Manifold investigation is top rate as she sets out to prove the suicide was actually MURDER ON A MIDSUMMER NIGHT.

Harriet Klausner

In the previous 15 novels in this delightful series, the Hon. Phryne Fisher cavorted through a series of capers in the year 1928. Now in the 16th entry, we progress to the dire year 1929, and the 'thoroughly modern miss' is faced with two absorbing new adventures in her inimitable fashion.

First, she is asked by the mother of an antique dealer to find the real reason for his death, ruled a misadventure by drowning. It would appear that several dilettantes believed that he knew where Blackbeard's treasures are buried and, through séances, are still attempting to ascertain their location by making contact with him.

Then, Phryne is approached by an attorney to discover whether or not a deceased woman gave birth to an illegitimate baby, and whether the child is still alive, since the attorney cannot distribute the estate until all possible heirs are known. The investigation, of course, is not looked upon favorably by the known relatives.

Like previous Phryne Fisher novels, this one is charming, as is the protagonist, who goes her merry way. The writing is fluid and the characters the usual assortment of oddities. The author's approach may be whimsical, but there's a lot of meat in the tales, and the book is recommended.

I've now read every book so far in the Phryne Fisher mystery series, and each has been an absolute delight. I can't wait for the next installation!

I'm a librarian (and fiber artist) had somehow missed the Phryne Fisher series of books until recently. When I read a review of this book and saw it was a mystery (my favorite genre) set in the 1920s (my favorite fashion period), I HAD to read it. I enjoyed it so much that I went to Amazon and bought the entire series as a Christmas present to myself. It was the best present I got.

Phryne is a great character -- smart, funny, sassy and a joy to read about. AND she gets to wear Erte! She, her daughters, and her staff read lots of library books which endears them to this librarian. I look forward to lots more Phryne adventures in the future.

Kerry Greenwood's MURDER ON A MIDSUMMER NIGHT tells of Phryne Fisher, is set in 1929, and tells of her investigation of an antique shop other's mysterious death and strange friendships. Phryne follows some strange leads that bring her into international waters complete with pirate maps, spirit guides, and ghosts. An excellent pick for any serious murder mystery collection.