Murder in Williamstown (Phryne Fisher Mystery, #21)

by Kerry Greenwood

Accustomed to both murder and dalliance, Australia's favourite detective, the inimitable Miss Fisher, returns in a case that will test her courage and judgement to the full.

When the redoubtable Miss Phryne Fisher receives threatening letters at her home, she enlists her unflappable apprentice Tinker to investigate. But as the harassment of Phryne threatens to spin out of control, her lover Lin Chung is also targeted.

Meanwhile, Dot begins to fear that her fiancé, newly promoted Sergeant Hugh Collins, has gone cold on their wedding. And Phryne's clever daughters Ruth and Jane begin their own investigation into suspiciously dwindling funds when they are sent to help at the Blind Institute.

None of this is quite enough to prevent Phryne from accepting an invitation to a magnificent party at the house of the mysterious Hong. When the party is interrupted by shocking tragedy, Phryne gathers all of her unerring brilliance to track down the miscreants.

With some unlikely assistance, Phryne is in a race against time to save a pair of young lovers from disgrace and death

'Greenwood's strength lies in her ability to create characters that are wholly satisfying: the bad guys are bad, and the good guys are great' - Vogue

'Phryne Fisher is gutsy and adventurous, and endowed with plenty of grey matter' - West Australian

'Elegant, fabulously wealthy and sharp as a tack, Phryne sleuths with customary panache ... [she is] irresistibly charming' - The Age

'Phryne Fisher is young, wealthy, beautiful, smart, confident and independently minded, and she has a knack for solving murders when she is not sipping a strengthening cocktail or planning another seduction' - The Australian's Review of Books

• ISBN10: 1408718952
• ISBN13: 9781408718957
• Publish Date: 2 November 2023 (first published 1 November 2022)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Constable
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Murder in Williamstown is the 22nd mystery featuring expat British aristocrat Phryne Fisher and her entourage written by Kerry Greenwood. First released in late 2022, this reformat and new release 7th Nov 2023 by Sourcebooks on their Poisoned Pen Press imprint is 288 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in this most excellent long running series are also currently available on KU.

This is such a well written romp, full of action, eccentric characters, skullduggery, and the returning cast of regulars doing what they do best. This installment provides an intricate interlocking set of puzzles including murder, embezzlement, poison pen letters, and the disappearance of a young family member of Phryne's lover Lin Chung. Hugh, Dot, Cec, Burt & Tinker, and Phryne's adopted daughters are along for the adventure as always. 

Although it's the 22nd book in the series, it works quite well as a standalone. I heartily recommend the entire series, but caveats apply - they're variable in pacing and writing (all worth reading, but uneven). For readers unfamiliar with Phryne & co., she's redoubtable, fiercely independent, intelligent, and outspoken. She and her companion Dorothy investigate crimes and thwart criminals great and small. There's always a lot of wit and some light comedy in the books, but they're also very intelligent with unexpected twists and turns. The denouement and resolution here are satisfying, the clues are fair play, and Phryne is (as always) unflappable and resilient.

It's a well researched historical diverting read, full of Antipodean charm, dependable fun characters, and a good ending. The language is mostly clean (a few damns and bloodies, nothing worse). There is some strongly suggestive light erotic content (completely consensual) between Phryne and a lover, but nothing explicit. I love her pragmatic view of sex and food and her hedonistic honesty. It's pure wish fulfillment and fantasy of course, but it's an awful lot of fun to read.

Four stars. Phryne's a delight.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Ace]

Review originally published at: https://www.acetaylor.id.au/book-review-murder-in-williamstown/

You would think that in a series as large of the Phryne Fisher novels are - Murder in Williamstown is book 22 - that the stories might start to get repetitive and boring, but it isn't the case with this series. Phryne Fisher, once again returns to the socialite world of Melbourne, this time as the Chinese find themselves embroiled in a cultural mystery involving secrets, murders and the never-ending racism they face in 1929, Melbourne.

Joined once again by Jane, Ruth and Tinker who set out on their own adventures, Phryne is otherwise joined mostly by a cast of other characters with DI Jack Robinson, Lin Chung making small appearances throughout the novel. While Robinson usually (grudgingly though) welcome Phryne's involvement in the crime, at this point in time he makes her swear not to become involved as the Chinese are best left to deal with it themselves. That isn't to say they were lacking in the story. With them, her children, Dot, Cec, Burt, as well as Mr and Mrs Butler returning to the cast of the book it very much felt like we never left them.

She tries to at least. Throwing herself into the social scene of the 1920s, Phryne is a famous, rich Flapper and Socialite who enjoys marching to the beat of her own drum not caring what others think of her. Despite trying to stay away from the mystery she still manages to become involved and solve the mystery in her own way.

This is the second book where we find her three adoptive children involved in their own mystery, and it was something I greatly enjoyed. Watching Ruth, Jane and Tinker come into their own as both characters and amateur sleuths was exciting to see.

Once again, Kerry Greenwood has delivered a fascinating book both in terms of the characters but also cultural world-building. It shows that she does a lot of research into what she is writing about, both the events, the character's culture and the global world, with this book including scattered references to a possible economic collapse, which will, as we know turn out to be the Great Depression. I truly cannot wait to see what she comes out with next. There's still so much of Melbourne of the 1920s that she has yet to explore.