Murder in the Dark

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (12/08) Kerry Greenwood's "Murder in the Dark" was exactly what I expect from anything published by the Poisoned Pen Press. I never like what they publish; I either love it, adore it or I am simply crazy about it. "Murder in the Dark" was no exception. Sparkling writing, witty dialogue, enchanting heroine, dastardly villains, quirky plot, vivid background and more red herrings than one is able to keep track of make for an enthralling read. Phryne Fisher has been invited to a very glamorous Last Best party of 1928, yet she did not decide to accept that invitation until she received several warnings about not attending. The surest way to insure her attendance was obviously to tell her she should not come - after that, there was nothing to stop her, not even a poisonous snake delivered to her under the guise of a Christmas present. So she set out to Werribee Manor House, where sinister events started taking place even before her arrival. Once there, she quickly got involved in a sinister scavenger hunt, with the villain leaving cryptic clues which she has to solve if she wants to save a few lives and the remainder of the party. I would be hard pressed to pick out my favorite character from the book, since all of them were so superbly drawn. For a change we got to meet a whole array of very distinct female characters as well. Phryne Fisher was so brilliantly ditzy at times, yet hiding a superb intellect and an unlimited supply of kindness for anybody around her. Nerine was so sizzling hot that it still surprises me the pages featuring her did not burst into flames. Mrs. Truebody was one of the most adorable battleaxes I've ever encountered in a book. Madge to Goat Lady was priceless, and as for Minty, one of her animals, as well as her role in the exciting polo match, I simply lack the words to adequately describe her. While the male characters were no less inspired, I will remember this book by the many fantastic females in it. Another trait that endeared this work to me further was the subtly skewered "Upstairs, Downstairs" aspect of it, and any reader who has ever watched any of the great British comedies dealing with the rapports between the "masters" and the "servants" will undoubtedly enjoy this book just as much. A simply scintillating read, "Murder in the Dark" by Kerry Greenwood is a winner in every sense of the word.

In Australia liberated Phryne Fisher enjoys Christmas 1928 with her significant other Lin Chung and her family. Scandalous acquaintances from Paris, the Golden Twins Isabella and Gerald Templar, have invited her to the Last Best party of 1928, a four-day affair at Werribee Manor house. Phryne considers declining the invitation until she receives letters and a Christmas present containing a poisonous snake in the post that threaten her if she attends. No one scares Phryne away so she goes to the gala. At the party, hashish and alcohol flow freely and she meets an odd collection of people including a bad-mannered child Tarquin who soon afterward vanishes without a trace. Two more people disappear with puzzle clues left behind. As Phryne and Nicholas Booth, who she has just met and believes is an undercover cop, investigates, she realizes someone has been hired to assassinate the sibling hosts. No one messes with kick butt Phryne whether it is threatening her by post, behaving boorishly towards her at a party, or committing murder. She is at her best in this pre-Depression Era Australian whodunit as her sleuthing partner Nicholas brings out her strengths. The mystery is cleverly devised with solid twists and the roaring cast fits the decadent 1920s. Fans will enjoy Phryne's latest caper as once again Kerry Greenwood provides her readers with a deep look at a bygone era Down Under inside of a rousing investigative thriller. Harriet Klausner