3.5 stars. I'm a huge fan of the TV series and have wanted to read these books for years but I find them hard to get my little mittens on. To my to my joy my book app got this book in. But none of the other books in the series.. But I found it enjoyable anywho maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I was more caught up, don't know how closely the tv show was and it was years since I saw it. I would want to say I'll read more in the series as I don't know how I will get hold on them.. lovely book!

Allen & Unwin gifted me an ARC of “Death in Daylesford” by Kerry Greenwood to reconnect with a long-standing crime buster with a pearl-handled pistol. The sass and sensualness of Phyrne Fisher hits you immediately: she is full of colour and vividness, in comparison to Dot, her quaint beige companion. Their short holiday in the ‘spa’ town of Daylesford draws them into investigating the disappearances of local women, while Phryne’s adopted children in Melbourne undertake some mystery solving of their own, with the discovery of Ruth’s school mate floating in the river. The detail is dripping in sheen and lustre, and there is a lot of effort to knit the characters and the scenes together to provide the feel of Melbourne in the 1900s. Kerry Greenwood certainly has a knack of weaving together a tight murder-mystery and colour it with all the element of Phryne Fisher’s life – her glitz and glamour, her generosity to others, her origins in poverty. Not to mention the richness of history of the 1920s, I am amazed at the amount of detail that sits within every page, and it was perfect to curl up with and plough through.

Ahhh, i missed Phryne. This was delightful.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Death in Daylesford is the 21st mystery featuring expat British aristocrat Phryne Fisher and her entourage by Kerry Greenwood. First released in late 2020, this reformat and new release 1st June 2021 from Poisoned Pen Press is 336 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is such a well written romp, full of action, eccentric characters, skullduggery, and the returning cast of regulars doing what they do best. This installment sees Dot and Phryne off consulting (and scaring the rurals zooming around in the Hispano-Suiza) while Mr. & Mrs. B, Hugh, Cec Burt & Tinker, and Phryne's adopted daughters investigate the tragic death of one of the girls' classmates.

Although it's the 21st book in the series, it works quite well as a standalone. I heartily recommend the entire series, but caveats apply - they're variable in pacing and writing (all worth reading, but uneven). For readers unfamiliar with Phryne & co., she's redoubtable, fiercely independent, intelligent, and outspoken. She and her companion Dorothy investigate crimes and thwart criminals great and small. There's always a lot of wit and some light comedy in the books, but they're also very intelligent with unexpected twists and turns. The denouement and resolution here are satisfying, the clues are fair play, and Phryne is (as always) unflappable and resilient.

To me this is a well researched historical diverting read, full of Antipodean charm, dependable and believable characters, and a good ending. The language is mostly clean (a few damns and bloodies, nothing worse). There is some strongly suggestive light erotic content (completely consensual) between Phryne and a lover, but nothing explicit. I love her pragmatic view of sex and food and her hedonistic honesty. It's pure wish fulfillment and fantasy of course, but it's a lot of fun to read. This is also the very first time in all of literature in which I can recall reading a death-by-caber-toss.

Four stars. Phryne's a delight.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Phryne Fisher and her companion Dot go on holidays to Daylesford. The seemingly peaceful country communities of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs hide secrets that drag Phryne into their midst. She is soon involved in a series of accidents, that turn out to be murder, and the mysterious disappearance of women from the district.

Meanwhile, back in Melbourne Phyrne's adopted kids, Ruth, Jane and Tink, set about solving the discovery of a body floating in the Yarra River, who turns out to attend the same school as Ruth and Jane.

These are two completely separate story lines and I can't understand the inclusion of second story line at all. There was no need for it as this is the Phryne Fisher series. It just seemed like filling and the book could have done without it. Overall it wasn't the greatest of reads as it wondered a bit in an attempt to put in some red herrings. Plus there was an overuse of unusual, and old fashioned, words. You come to expect them from this writer but this time around there was an excessive amount.