Raisins and Almonds: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Hardcover)) [Hardcover]

Kerry Greenwood (Author)

Book Description

Series: Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Hardcover) | Publication Date: September 15, 2007

Phryne Fisher loves dancing, especially with gorgeous young Simon Abrahams. But Phrynes contentment at the Jewish Young Peoples Society Dance is cut short when Simons father asks her to investigate the strange death of a devout young student in Miss Sylvia Lees bookshop located in the Eastern Market.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The mysterious strychnine poisoning of scholarly Jewish immigrant Simon Michaels leads to one of the more complex and somber cases in the career of Greenwood's Australian Jazz Age amateur sleuth Phryne Fisher (Urn Burial, etc.). Fearing that the killing may signal a rise in anti-Semitism, affluent community leader Benjamin Abrahams hires Fisher to clear the name of his tenant, bookseller Sylvia Lee. Fisher, only slightly distracted by Benjamin's devastatingly handsome son, quickly exonerates Lee and dashes off in pursuit of the theory that Michaels was killed for a coded message that might be related to the local Zionist movement. Compared with some of the other entries in Greenwood's popular series, the mood is more serious and the identity of the murderer more mysterious, but fans will have no cause for complaint. (Sept.)
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About the Author

Kerry Greenwood is the author of more than 40 novels and six non-fiction books. Among her many honors, Ms. Greenwood has received the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award from the Crime Writers’ Association of Australia. She is also the author of several books for young adults and the Delphic Women series. When she is not writing, she is an advocate in Magistrates’ Courts for the Legal Aid Commission. She is not married, has no children, and lives with a registered Wizard.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 207 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (September 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590581687
• ISBN-13: 978-1590581681
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fresh Tale, October 8, 2007

By 

Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Raisins and Almonds: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

The ninth book in the series now appears (publication in the US follows no order), bringing the Hon. Phryne Fisher into another world--that of the small but religious Yiddish population of Melbourne, Australia during the period between the two World Wars. We find her dallying with young Simon Abrahams, son of a wealthy Jew, exposing her to the language and culture of the world of refugees, rabbis, kosher cuisine, chicken soup, Kadimah, the Torah, Kabala and Maimonides.

Simon's father asks Phryne to investigate the strange death of a young religious student in a bookshop owned and operated by one Miss Lee in a property she rents from Simon's father. She is accused of the murder. Phryne follows the usual course in the investigation, using all her wiles and helpers--her maid Dot, Bert and Cec the Wobbly cab drivers and Inspector Robinson. The task is complicated by all kinds of considerations, including alchemy, mysticism and politics, including Zionism. Phryne has to learn all of the nuances, and even begins to speak a little Yiddish.

While a mystery, the story takes on a very different flavor from that of other novels in the series. It is not only entertaining in the customary manner of the other books in this series, but is informative and the unexpected descriptions of Yiddish culture are authentic.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent Phryne Fisher historical whodunit, September 20, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Raisins and Almonds: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

When her Chinese lover Lin Chung leaves Australia on business in Shanghai, Phryne Fisher finds a handsome diversion, Simon Abrahams at a public dance hall. Soon afterward they compete at the Foxtrot Competition run by the Jewish Young People's Society in which Phryne is the exotic shiksa. They win the contest but lose the "heat" as Phryne is not a member. While much of the Braille Hall ballroom participants debate the ruling of the judges, Simon's Uncle Marek informs his nephew that his father Benjamin wants to meet his dance partner.

Benjamin asks Phryne for a favor. A different Simon, a Jew from Salonika was poisoned at Lee's Books New and Secondhand Shop. The evidence was swept away by the owner Miss Sylvia Lee and the certifying physician Dr. Stein. The police arrest Miss Lee, as the victim owed her money and she is the only person who could easily have slipped strychnine into his tea and clean the cup afterward. Phryne charges him 10 "oy" quid a day with the understanding that she will seek the truth which could be a Jew killing a Jew. As she investigates, Phryne digs deep into the Jewish community in Australia where chicken soup cures most everything and RAISINS AND ALMONDS are a tradition, but can either solve a murder with political implications?

The latest Phryne Fisher historical whodunit is a great period piece that brings to life the Jewish culture in Australia in the late 1920s. Phryne remains a unique protagonist who defies society rules for single women as she does what she wants flaunting society's restrictive dictates. The mystery is clever with a few twists and the way the sleuth finally figures out the case is brilliant as she understands human nature. Readers will appreciate this vivid deep mystery but never look at RAISINS AND ALMONDS the same way as before digesting Phryne Fisher's newest caper.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not my favorite. :(, September 28, 2008

By 

critters - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Raisins and Almonds: A Phryne Fisher Mystery (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

I have to say, much to my dismay, that this isn't my favorite of the Kerry Greenwood series. While I realize that the Middle East politics discussed have a direct relationship to today's world, I really don't understand it. Harry Potter fans may get some enlightenment from the Philosopher's Stone discussion and alchemy, but that, too, lost me a good bit. The story itself was fine, and I was completely blindsided by the identity of the murderer!!!