The series is set in Melbourne, Australia in the late 1920s and Ms. Fisher gets into all sorts of trouble, drives her fabulous car too fast, flies herself places in her plane, and takes up with all sorts of lovely young men. The books also feature a regular cast of characters including her right-hand-woman, Dot (who is very proper and often scandalized by Phryne's behavior, but stands by her none-the-less); a couple of wharfies, Bert and Cec, who investigate things for her; and her adopted daughters. This book also introduces policeman Hugh Collins, who becomes very important in the series later on.
If you like your detectives serious and proper, this series is not for you. However, if you are not put off by a bit (OK, a lot) of carousing while wearing (or not wearing) amazing outfits then Phryne is your kind of detective. As with any series it is best to begin at the beginning, but I actually started this one well into it and have not found it difficult to follow reading randomly as I come across the books. Think of it as meeting a new person, you come into their life where they are and you learn about things that happened to them in the past as you get better acquainted.
This post is part of the Crime Fiction Alphabet 2012 at Mysteries in Paradise.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!