Miss Phryne Fisher Investigates is the first of a series of crime novels by Kerry Greenwood with the same main character. These are current books but set between the wars. Phryne is Australian and was born into an ordinary family but she inherits a lot of money from a distant relative and comes to live in London where she enjoys herself as a socialite and party-goer. In this book she is asked by a couple she knows to travel back to Australia to see what has happened to their daughter because they are not happy about her new husband.
Phryne is a problem solver and a practical woman. She is not awed by the rich, because she is now one of them, but she understands the ordinary people as well. As she sets out to resolve the issue she becomes involved in a number of other little mysteries, she saves a woman from a nasty fate and makes her a personal maid and she travels with a woman doctor who is liberal in her views.
Along the way the author introduces us to some quirky and unusual characters and some gritty issues. There is drug addiction, birth control and a communist plot. There are also a number of parties and quite a lot of descriptions of elegant dresses. The book describes the society and culture of Melbourne at the time. Phryne is intelligent and outspoken.
This is a popular series, and apparently also a TV series. It has a lot of the elements of similar series which I enjoy such as the Daisy Dalrymple series (see here for a review). I can’t pin down why I didn’t really enjoy this story. It might have been that it was just too quirky for me or I didn’t believe it enough. I am sure that this is a book that will suit those of you who enjoy historical cosy crime set in the Jazz Age, but I will not be looking for others in the series.
