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The Hon. Phryne Fisher, languid and slightly bored at the start of 1929, is engaged to find out if the antique-shop son of a Pre-Raphaelite model has died by homicide or suicide. He has some strange friends - a Balkan adventuress, a dilettante with a penchant for antiquities, a Classics professor, a medium and a mysterious supplier who arries after dark on a motorbike. At the same time she is asked to discover the fate of the lost illegitimate child of a rich old lady, to the evident dislike of the remaining relatives.
Everyone calls the drowning of young Melbourne antiques dealer Augustine Manifold a suicide-except for his distraught mother and Phyrne Fisher, the heroine of Greenwood's long-running series set in 1920s Australia (Murder in the Dark, etc.). Brainy, beautiful, blue-blooded and rich to boot, the enviably stylish PI somehow manages to juggle the demands of two adopted daughters, an exotic lover and a full social calendar with multiple cases, including a hunt for the illegitimate heir to a fortune-all while rarely missing a morsel of her cook's inspired creations. Greenwood keeps the action moving as swiftly as milady's Hispano-Suiza, save for the initially confusing flashbacks at the end of many chapters that eventually become pieces in the solution of the Manifold puzzle. But there's no quibbling with the author's ability to create a sybaritic piece of period escapism. As Phryne's mates would say approvingly: Bonzer! (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
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Richard F Camacho
reviewed Murder on a Midsummer Night (Phryne Fisher Series #17) on December 03, 2017
Murder on a Midsummer Night (Phryne Fisher Series #17)
The amount of effort Kerry Greenwood puts into making sure all her diligent research results in a highly enjoyable novel that feels authentic instead of dull and lecture-y will never cease to amaze me. She is such a wonderful writer, and it's a joy to immerse yourself into Phryne's world, the glittering (or maybe only shiny-on-the-surface) 1920s in Australia. I love learning something new about this era with each book, seeing a new aspect of their daily lives. I love how every time Phryne investigates more than one case, each features different aspects, and observations and little things about one case will ultimately help Phryne solve the other.
In this case, Phryne is asked by her socialist sister to investigate a death the police have ruled accidental. The owner of an antique shop was found drowned, and only his mother refuses to believe he was suicidal. Phryne soon discovers hidden treasures, drug addicts, spiritualists, and many more unpleasant things. Only with the help of her entire family and her lover Lin will she be able to shed some light.
Her other case involves an old family hiding some shameful and ugly secrets that are threatening to ruin more than one life. Phryne's companion Dot finally gets to some more sleuthing on her own, which takes her to the theater of all places, where she finds herself charmed by ageing actors reminiscing about the past.
Another strand of narrative features soldiers in the Holy Land, which did confuse me a bit, but ultimately kept me turning the pages, curious to see how it all worked out. I'm still not really sure what happened there, to be honest, but maybe I'm just missing some historical knowledge? Anyways, these bits were small enough to not bother me.
All in all, I loved spending more time with Phryne and her minions, and I can't wait for more. I've read this series completely out of order, after having watched the series, and I can safely say they work as stand-alones. If you ever come across one of these awesome books, don't worry about which number of the series it is, just go for it. You won't regret it!
*I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
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