ABOUT THE BOOK:
The London season is in full fling at the end of the 1920s, but the Honorable Phryne Fisher—she of the gray-green eyes and diamant garters—is tiring of polite conversations with retired colonels and dances with weak-chinned men. When the opportunity presents itself, Phryne decides it might be amusing to try her hand at becoming a lady detective in Australia. Immediately upon settling into Melbourne's Hotel Windsor, Phryne finds herself embroiled in mystery. From poisoned wives and cocaine smuggling, to police corruption and rampant communism—not to mention erotic encounters with the beautiful Russian dancer, Sasha de Lisse—Cocaine Blues charts a crescendo of steamy intrigue, culminating in the Turkish baths of Little Lonsdale Street.
READ AN EXCERPT:
MY REVIEW:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first in the Phryne Fisher series written by Kerry Greenwood and published by Poisoned Pen.
Phryne is a wealthy heiress with a talent for solving crimes. Bored with polite English society, Phryne heads to Australia to see about a woman that could be a poisoning victim. Phryne plans to stay in Australia and start her own private detective business.
This first case Phryne is chasing after a hack abortionist, a cocaine ring and of course, trying to find out if her friend's daughter is being poisoned.
Set during the 1920's, the sharp dialogue, excellent descriptions, and a fast moving story with a shocking outcome left me wishing for more.
Phyrne is quite modern, non conformist, witty, sharp and very likeable. The secondary characters are equally charming. This series has been going on for a while, with I think about eighteen books, at this time. But, nearly all of them are under three hundred pages, so it wouldn't take long to catch up, which I intend to do.
Very impressed with this one.
GRAB YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Cocaine-Blues-Fishers-Murder-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07NNZJW1T/
https://www.amazon.com/Cocaine-Blues/dp/B0041CSHP8/ref
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cocaine-blues-kerry-greenwood/1103672924
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
The Phryne Fisher series (pronounced Fry-knee, to rhyme with briny) began in 1989 with Cocaine Blues which was a great success. Kerry has written thirteen books in this series with no sign yet of Miss Fisher hanging up her pearl-handled pistol. Kerry says that as long as people want to read them, she can keep writing them.
Kerry Greenwood has worked as a folk singer, factory hand, director, producer, translator, costume-maker, cook and is currently a solicitor. When she is not writing, she works as a locum solicitor for the Victorian Legal Aid. She is also the unpaid curator of seven thousand books, three cats (Attila, Belladonna and Ashe) and a computer called Apple (which squeaks). She embroiders very well but cannot knit. She has flown planes and leapt out of them (with a parachute) in an attempt to cure her fear of heights (she is now terrified of jumping out of planes but can climb ladders without fear). She can detect second-hand bookshops from blocks away and is often found within them.
For fun Kerry reads science fiction/fantasy and detective stories. She is not married, has no children and lives with a registered wizard. When she is not doing any of the above she stares blankly out of the window.