Cocaine Blues

Cocaine Blues
Kerry Greenwood, 1989

Premise: When Colonel and Mrs. Andrews ask Phryne Fisher to check in on their daughter, who they fear is in danger from her husband, she takes the opportunity to try her hand at being a Lady Detective. It's 1927, and Phryne may have found her calling.

Oh, I love finding a new series to enjoy. I heard about this series because someone recommended the new television adaptation (now on Netflix!). I found it a quick and delightful read.

Phryne is pragmatic in all things, including matters of the heart. She's multitalented and possibly an example of a female “hero”. By this I mean a Holmes, a Bond. One of those characters, sadly almost universally men, who can be practically perfect in every way, yet never are accused of being uninteresting. (I hope you are now picturing Batman dressed as Mary Poppins. If you weren’t before, you’re welcome.)

The book is full of interesting characters, mostly women, and archly humorous turns of phrase. There's archaic Australian slang to learn, and a great range of vocabulary. I adore a book that can teach me a new word.

The word for today is epicene.

It's a short book, an average length for this type of mystery. The plot was intriguing, the twists exciting, even if the ending was never really in doubt.

By turns aspirational and inspirational, I found reading this great fun.

5 Stars - An Awesome Book