The Green Mill Murder (Phryne Fisher Mysteries Book 5) Kindle Edition

Having read the first five of Kerry Greenwood’s novels featuring Phryne Fisher, I can cheerfully state these are essentially sexed-up Nancy Drew mysteries plunked down in Australia of the 1920s. Like Nancy, the heroine is wealthy and detects mainly for the fun of it; she has a host of unexpected skills; and she is always prepared, even to the extent of taking “a birth control device” when she goes flying to the middle of nowhere to meet a complete stranger. She has a number of sidekicks (Dorothy is akin to Nancy’s anxious friend Bess, Bert and Cec could be thought of as friend George, and so on.) The books are also very formulaic, and they typically employ the same double plot line found in the Nancy Drew series.Published in 1993, Kerry Greenwood’s THE GREEN MILL MURDER is the fifth novel in the series. In this particular installment, Phryne is dancing at The Green Mill when a nearby dancer is suddenly stabbed to death on the dance floor. Her own partner, Charles, becomes violently ill and flees the scene, and soon Phryne is caught up in both the murder investigation and a search for Charles himself. It’s a mixture of blackmail, inheritance, and blues music with a few days of torrid sex thrown in for good measure, but on this occasion Greenwood faulters a bit. The book has a dearth of sympathetic characters (even Phryne seems a bit less likeable than usual), includes a number of highly stereotypical gay characters, and the murder method itself is remarkably implausible. As a cap-off, Greenwood makes several sloppy mistakes pertaining to the period, most glaringly her designation of Dior as a designer of the decade. (Ah, that would be no. Dior was thirty years later.) Even so, it’s flyweight fun, an entertaining way to spend the afternoon. Recommended.GFT, Amazon ReviewerPosted 8-2018

I love this series so much, I have to be careful in doling it out to myself! I want it to last!(My edition, bought 10-2015, is complete. If you get one that is missing pages, I'd suggest either returning it to Amazon or contacting Poisoned Pen Press directly.)This is an excellent mystery, piquing my interest in both the origins of jazz, the legal riskiness of homosexuality (male), and some of the effects of the Great War on the men that fought in it.As with the previous books, while some of the content is heavy, the books themselves have a verve that honors the heaviness but still has fun- much like Phryne herself.Phryne is superb, of course! And I love seeing and learning more about her various associates, all of whom are well-drawn and interesting people in their own right.The plots are nicely elaborate and convoluted, and resolve satisfactorily in ways i could not call- much- beforehand. Kudos! (Because I have been reading mysteries for at least 45 years, since childhood, and I really love ones that still surprise me.)Very recommended for fans of the series, in either TV or book form... but I'd start at the beginning. This may be one of the better stand-alines of the ones I've read, though.

I got hooked on these cozy mysteries after watching four seasons of the Miss Fisher mysteries. I loved the television series, and now love the books, as well. Set in Melbourne, Australia during the late roaring twenties, they feature the Honorable Phryne (rhymes with briny) Fisher, an intrepid heiress, who is highly intelligent, fearless, unflappable, free-spirited, generous, and has a heart of gold. She is a thoroughly modern Millie. From the Hispano-Suiza she enjoys driving at breakneck speeds, to the fashionable clothing she is fond of wearing, Phyrne is mistress of her universe. She is also a private detective who has earned the respect of the local police.Here, the reader finds Miss Fisher, dressed to kill and at one of Melbourne's fashionable night spots doing one of her favorite things, dancing. Suddenly, the male half of one of the couples on the dance floor, competing in a dance marathon, collapses to the floor dead and not by natural causes. Moreover, Phrnye's own date disappears from the dance club without so much as a by-your-leave, causing him to become a person of interest. When her missing dancing partner's mother engages Phryne to find him, Phryne leaps to the fore, an acceptance that will take her into Australia's remote outback.This is an easy, breezy cozy mystery that is a lot of fun to read. I love the character of Phryne! This is the fifth book in the series and my favorite to date. The book maintains an authenticity of time and place, evocative of a bygone era. The recurring characters, who assist Ms. Fisher in solving the mystery, flesh out the book, making it feel as if one were visiting old friends. If one enjoys reading cozy period mysteries, then one will love this series!

I hate to give Miss Fisher a bad rating but this book just wasn't very good. The murder was boring and gets pushed aside by Phryne flying to the mountains and seducing a hermit with ptsd. That whole scene was just weird, especially when they have sex while his brother and a neighbor are in the room.The worst part is that she lets the murderer get away. She knows who did it before she leaves on her dangerous flight, but sits on the info for no reason.When she confronts the murderer, he tries to attack her but she still gives him a few days to confess instead of turning her info over to Jack. It was obvious he'd escape since he'd arranged for another suspect to escape, but Phryne seems surprised. It was just bad and made no sense.