Summary: Death in Daylesford (Phryne Fisher book 21) by Kerry Greenwood
When a mysterious invitation arrives for Miss Phryne Fisher from an unknown Captain Herbert Spencer, Phryne's curiosity is excited. Spencer runs a retreat in Victoria's spa country for shell-shocked soldiers of the First World War. It's a cause after Phryne's own heart but what could Spencer want from her?
Phryne and the faithful Dot view their spa sojourn as a short holiday but are quickly thrown in the midst of disturbing Highland gatherings, disappearing women, murder and the mystery of the Temperance Hotel.
Meanwhile, Cec, Bert and Tinker find a young woman floating face down in the harbour, dead. Tinker and Phryne's resilient adopted daughters, Jane and Ruth, decide to solve what appears to be a heinous crime.
Disappearances, murder, bombs, booby-traps and strange goings-on land Miss Phryne Fisher right in the middle of her most exciting adventure (from Goodreads).
My thoughts of this fabulous murder mystery
Death in Daylesford is book 21 in the Phryne
Fisher’s Mysteries series by Kerry Greenwood, published by Poisoned Pen Press.
This time Miss Fisher is taking a holiday of sorts to visit a spa for WWI war
veterans to consider donating to the cause. Mysteries seem to follow her and Dylesford
and Hepburn Springs is no different. A murderer is on the loose specializing in
killing victims at local crowded events, staging it as accidents. Women also
seem to quietly disappear from farms in the area and Miss Fisher sets out to
find what’s really going on in the beautiful Victoria spa country. At home in Melbourne
Miss Fisher’s 3 adoptive children are solving their very own mystery, finding
what happened to a drowned schoolgirl found floating in the harbor.
Main character is baron’s daughter Phryne
Fischer who seems a confident woman who work as a private investigator. She seems
to have a strong character and doesn’t care a jot that people might judge her
for living a very different life from women of her time. I find that impressive,
which makes her my favorite of this story.
Supporting character is Lady’s Maid Dorothy, Dot,
Williams, who seems to take on a bland presence wearing beige/brown clothing at
all times. She seems to have an interesting relationship to her boss, speaking
to Miss Fisher like a servant when in public, but being friend and confidant in
private. I found her likeable and dependable. Like the ideal practical kind of “female
Watson”.
This is the first book I have read by Kerry Greenwood,
and read it as a standalone. That worked out perfectly, but I wish I had read book
1 and maybe a few more from the start to get a grip on how Miss Fisher developed
into the formidable, renowned character she is in book 21. In this book you
kind of get a 2 for 1 deal as the plot reads like two separate mysteries. I
loved the descriptions of prosperous Australian lifestyle of the 1920s. I have
read a few contemporary books set in Australia before, but this one stood out
with its historical setting, the colorful characters (apart from beige Dot) and
the great writing; even funny in places. I’m very pleased there are so many
more books in the series. The murder in the middle of a festival was an
excellent dramatic element, but my absolute favorite was the fabulous surprise ending
where the identity of the culprit took me totally by surprise.
I feel hooked by this series and
is excited to see what the next book will be about. I recommend this one to readers
who enjoy an excellently written historical mystery with a fabulous ending. Similar authors to explore might be Victoria
Purman or Rosalie Ham. Thank you to #Poisoned Pen Press and #Edelweiss+ for
this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.
Conclusion: Death in Daylesford is the
fabulous new story where Miss Fisher experiences murders in the middle of
crowds and local women of Daylesford mysteriously go missing from their homes.
Miss Fisher’s children work with Melbourne police to find what happened to a
schoolgirl drowned in the harbor.
Where to get your Copy
Amazon Hardcover | Amazon Paperback | Amazon Kindle | B&N Hardcover | B&N Paperback | B&N BookNook (E-book)
Book Details
Paperback : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1728234522
ISBN-13 : 978-1728234526
About The Author
Kerry Greenwood (born 17 June 1954 in Footscray, Victoria) is an Australian author and defence lawyer. She has written many plays and books, most notably a string of historical detective novels centred on the character of Phryne Fisher. She writes mysteries, science-fiction, historical fiction, and children's stories, as well as plays. She is unmarried but lives with a "registered wizard" (from Amazon).
