Really the top of the series - Ms. Greenwood is firing on all cylinders in this entry. The plot hums with multiple mysteries, each neatly done, and our Hon. Miss Fisher swans about in lovely clothes (I could have had a little more description here but that's not what we're here for, ostensibly) seducing locals and solving crimes with a deft touch. Perhaps a third of the book is spent with Tinker, Ruth, and Jane, which is probably just enough time as I don't find these characters as winning as I think I'm meant to but that is a small criticism in light of the overall charm just radiating from the page. A great read for summer with all the comfy escapism you need.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In her 21st mysterious adventure, Phryne Fisher is destined to unravel not one, but two separate mysteries in the country while her adopted daughters help Sergeant Hugh Collins with a mystery back in St. Kilda. Phryne receives an invitation from Captain Spencer asking her to check out his health spa for veterans of World War I dealing with shell shock. He's hopeful that once she sees the good work he's doing that she will be willing to make a donation to the cause.

Phryne and Dot have barely established themselves at Daylesford when it becomes apparent that all is not well. There are "accidental" deaths and they hear of women disappearing. The center of the mysterious deaths appears to be Annie, a beautiful young woman who works at the Temperance Hotel. She is the hope and dream of every young man in the area and it seems more than a coincidence that her most devoted beaus keep dying. The first fell from a train window before Phryne arrived in the country town. The next was killed when another suitor, famous for his ability to toss cabers (a huge, roughly trimmed tree trunk), is startled into a deadly slip. A third dies of poisoning at a local dance.

The second mystery surrounding Daylesford involves the disappearance of several women. No trace is found of them--either living or dead--and their families and the police are baffled. One woman apparently took off in her night dress. Phryne spots clues that point to the local lending library, knitting patterns, and a particular kind of scarf.

Meanwhile, Tinker (a more recent addition to the Fisher household) discovers a dead young woman floating near the docks. The body is that of a schoolmate of Ruth and Jane (Phryne's adopted daughters). The three young people get involved in a mystery of their own--assisting Sergeant Collins to discover who put the girl in the family way and how she came to her death.

It's been a while since I visited with Phryne Fisher. This newest mystery seems to be a bit more sedate--the pace is more steady and there's less adventure than in some of the earlier books. But the plot is an interesting one and it was nice to see the young people investigate on their own. Still very enjoyable and a good mystery.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

It's always lovely to get a chance to visit Phryne's world, but this is not the most satisfying entry in the series. The main plot is too thin - and the book is bulked out with a subplot involving Tinker (now living with the Fishers for Reasons), the girls and Hugh. Although the series has always been third-person omnipotent, this one feels a bit different because you spend so much time with characters that aren't Phryne. Nice, but not the star turn I was hoping for.

I soooo enjoyed the continuation of the Ms. Fisher story. There was several mysteries involving all the characters and the ending was splendid!

Three and a half stars.

Well, do I feel stupid? I read this entire book not realising that Phryne Fisher is the Miss Fisher of the TV series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, D'oh! Although in my defence I don't think I've actually seen an episode.

Miss Fisher is a single wealthy woman. She lives in a large house in Melbourne with her cook, maid/companion Dot, and butler (Mr Butler) and two young school girls (Ruth and Jane) and a young man (Tinker) that she has adopted. She is modern and forward-thinking and is happy to be the concubine of a wealthy Chinese businessman.

In this novel Miss Fisher receives an invitation to visit a spa in the country, one that treats injured soldiers from WW1. Whilst Phryne and Dot are away in the country, Tink and the girls solve a mystery with the help of Dot's fiancé, Sergeant Hugh Collins.

Phryne and Dot arrive in the small town of Daylesford to find it a hotbed of mysteries and sexual tensions. Several women have disappeared over the years and their bodies have never been found. Soon after Miss Fisher arrives a man is killed at the Highland Gathering when he is hit by a misthrown caber. As the body count of young men mounts up, murdered under Miss Fisher's very nose in public, two more women disappear.

To start with, I found the way in which the author over-used adjectives and liked to use long words to be irritating, do I need to have Miss Fisher's turquoise silk robe referred to like that constantly? Can't it just be a robe the second and third time its mentioned? Also I found the scene between Phryne and her lover Lin Chung a little uncomfortable, along with other incidents/descriptions in the book, I don't know if I'm being overly sensitive and this is just Aussie plain-speaking, or just an attempt to be historically accurate.

However, I am glad I persevered because once Phryne and Dot got to Daylesford the story overtook the writing and the irritant factor dropped considerably. Having not read any of the previous 20 books in the series, I do wonder whether Kerry Greenwood is writing for the TV series (or with it in mind), as the descriptions of what Dot and Phryne are wearing seemed a bit excessive, especially since Dot only seems to wear combinations of brown and beige, ditto the recitation of what they have for breakfast every day! I also found it a bit disconcerting that the action shifted from Daylesford to Melbourne between one paragraph and another without any warning, one minute I was knee-deep in shell-shocked WW1 soldiers and the next Tink was fishing with his old mates in Melbourne.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the unravelling of each of the mysteries, some of them I guessed and some came to Phryne in a flash of inspiration. Any book that contains three murders, two attempted murders, a kidnapping, a drowning, and a secret baby can't be bad.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed this but I suspect the writing style might become repetitive if I read more in the series.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Bumped for release.