Another instalment in the Phryne Fisher mystery series. This book has Phryne find a mummified body being passed off as a mannequin in the ghost train at Luna Park. She sets forth to find the identity of the body and the reason for its murder and subsequent mummification. The convoluted trail uncovers the family secrets of her sister, her sister’s best friend and a suitor they have both rejected. The story includes a substantial secondary plot related to the Chinese on the gold fields that folds in well with the primary story when Phryne is kidnapped in Castlemaine.
Greenwood has produced another little gem with The Castlemaine Murders. Well written, well researched, well paced and, most importantly for me, a well executed plot. I could wax lyrical about how much I love Greenwood’s work and the Phryne series in particular but Alex has already done that at length so I need not go on. Just assume I second all she has said.
I will just mention that I particularly like the way she has managed to keep the regular characters consistent throughout the series yet have them grow and develop. And I admire her ability to produce interesting, compelling crime novels without resorting to vivid detail of the crimes/murders that so many authors feel the need to include today. Light and easy I could read these books back to back and never come away with that exhausted heavy feeling so often left after more vivid dark description.
I would highly recommend both this book and the series as a whole to anyone interested in reading crime fiction.-Lynn
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