Murder on a Midsummer Night

May 11, 2009
Everyone calls the drowning of young Melbourne antiques dealer Augustine Manifold a suicide—except for his distraught mother and Phyrne Fisher, the heroine of Greenwood's long-running series set in 1920s Australia (Murder in the Dark
, etc.). Brainy, beautiful, blue-blooded and rich to boot, the enviably stylish PI somehow manages to juggle the demands of two adopted daughters, an exotic lover and a full social calendar with multiple cases, including a hunt for the illegitimate heir to a fortune—all while rarely missing a morsel of her cook's inspired creations. Greenwood keeps the action moving as swiftly as milady's Hispano-Suiza, save for the initially confusing flashbacks at the end of many chapters that eventually become pieces in the solution of the Manifold puzzle. But there's no quibbling with the author's ability to create a sybaritic piece of period escapism. As Phryne's mates would say approvingly: Bonzer!

May 15, 2009
The blazing hot Australian summer of 1929 doesn't deter the Hon. Phryne Fisher (Murder in the Dark, 2009, etc.) from taking on two new cases.

A distraught mother asks Phryne to investigate her son's death by drowning. Though the fatality has been ruled an accident caused by strong liquor, Mrs. Manifold says that her son Augustine, self-educated owner of a successful antique shop, never took more than a glass of sherry at Christmas. The second case is brought to her by a lawyer representing the Bonnetti family. Their mother recently died, and her will divided her considerable fortune among her children. The problem is that the family suspects she had an illegitimate child before she was forced to marry their father. Finding whether the child exists and is still living will be no easy task. Augustine's friends are a bizarre bunch ranging from wealthy snobs to spiritualists, Kif smokers and a mysterious motorcyclist, all evidently in search of treasure. Phryne, who's used to dealing with offbeat people, finds most of this crowd loathsome. On the other hand, the oh-so-proper Bonnetti family members are uneasy and obviously hiding secrets. Phryne receives her customary support from friends, including her lover Lin Chung, her family, staff and DI Jack Robinson as she plunders the present and past for clues.

Phryne's devoted following will rejoice as she glides through dangerous situations and survives the sizzling summer in inimitable style.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 15, 2009
It is 1929, and Melbourne PI Phryne Fisher ("Queen of the Flowers") has been hired to prove whether an antiques dealer committed suicide or was murdered. She is also looking for the illegitimate child of a rich woman, which will upset the inheritance of her remaining relatives. Fisher uses every resource at her disposal, and her adopted daughters, her sister, and lover all add spice and a willingness to investigate. VERDICT Cleverly plotted and one of one of Greenwood's best in this long-running historical series.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2009
Its 1929, andPhryne Fisher, the Australian flapper and private investigator, has a couple of cases on her plate. A mans suicide might not be as cut-and-dried as it appears, and theres the matter of an illegitimate child who stands to inherit a vast sum of money, if Phryne can find her. As usual, Greenwood populates the novel with an assortment of offbeat characters, from socialists and psychics to adventurers and antiques hunters. The story moves along at a brisk clip, and Phryne has plenty of opportunities to unleash her acid tongue and apply her razor-sharp wit. Another fine entry in this long-running and deservedly popularseries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)