Dead Man's Chest (Phryne Fisher Mystery, #18)

by Kerry Greenwood

The eighteenth Phryne Fisher murder mystery

Travelling at high speed in her beloved Hispano-Suiza accompanied by her maid and trusted companion Dot, her two adoptive daughters Jane and Ruth and their dog Molly, Phryne Fisher is off to Queenscliff. She'd promised everyone a nice holiday by the sea with absolutely no murders, but when they arrive at their rented accommodation that doesn't seem likely at all.

An empty house, a gang of teenage louts, a fisherboy saved, and the mystery of a missing butler and his wife seem to lead inexorably towards a hunt for buried treasure by the sea. But what information might the curious Surrealists be able to contribute? Phryne knows to what depths people will sink for greed but with a glass of champagne in one hand and a pearl-handled Beretta in the other, no-one is getting past her.

• ISBN10: 161595371X
• ISBN13: 9781615953714
• Publish Date: 5 February 2012 (first published 1 January 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 19 May 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Poisoned Pen Press
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 260
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

This is the 18th book in Kerry Greenwood's series with the Hon. Phryne Fisher. Originally published in 2010, this edition is a re-release from Poisoned Pen Press, in paperback and ebook versions.

I can only think of a handful of series (of any genre) that haven't gone very flat after a dozen books. But here's Phryne, doing what she does best (beating the bad guys with style and panache) in her 18th outing. There are pirates and smugglers, disappearing servants, buried treasure, and mysteries galore. Despite trying to get away from everything and have a peaceful family vacation with daughters Ruth and Jane, Molly (the dog) and her companion, Dot, Phryne can't seem to avoid finding mysteries and wrongs to right.

The books are still fresh and fun. I enjoyed this one very much. I loved that Ruth gets to shine and be competent in this book. I also loved the introduction of Tinker, and hope he'll get at least a cameo in future books. I love how egalitarian Phryne is. She could be so smug and supercilious and she's not. I really look forward to new books in the series. Yes, it's escapist and fun, but the books are well written and cleverly plotted. It's good quality escapist fun.

I love Phryne and her family. Wonderful books.

Five stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher (but enjoyed the book so much I bought my own copy).

[MurderByDeath]

I'm biased because I love this series, it's one of my all time favorites. This one did not disappoint. I'm not usually a fan of books within a series that take place 'elsewhere' - a mystery while the protag is on holiday, etc. But Kerry greenwood did a very nice job with this story, keeping me from missing the regular secondary characters. As an expat living in Melbourne, i love reading about 1929 melbourne. It is depressing to think I now have to wait another year...