Phil Rickman: The Fabric of Sin

From the back of the book-

Garway church was built by medieval Knights Templar, whose stone coffin lids can be seen in its altar steps and window sills. After seven centuries, the Welsh Border village is still shadowed by their mysteries.
A few fields away, the Master House, abandoned and falling into ruin, has been sold to the Duchy of Cornwall. But renovation plans stall when a specialist builder refuses to work there, insisting it's a place that doesn't want to be restored.
Directed by the Bishop of Hereford to investigate, Merrily Watkins is unconvinced, wary of being used and suspicious of the people she's supposed to be helping. But violent death changes everything, and Merrily uncovers hidden layers of sin and retribution in a secretive landscape where local inns have astrological names and a feud between two local families has its roots in medieval history.
Warned off when her inquiries stumble into forbidden areas, Merrily has no option but to conceal a major crime as she goes back to Garway to find fibres of fear stitched into history and insidiously twisted in the corridors-and the cloisters-of power.
I read this quite some time ago and the specific details have become a little fuzzy in the intervening months. I do recall being quite satisfied with the twist ending, which is no surprise really since Rickman is one of my favourite authors and rarely does his work fail to keep my interest. He manages to intertwine the supernatural and the mundane in such a way as to effortlessly convince the reader that this is simply how the world is.
I also like that the presence of evil isn't always attributed to the metaphysical. There is quite enough evil in the hearts of man to be getting on with and Rickman uses this to great effect while still making the spiritual/paranormal an integral element of his stories.
As I said, it's been a while, and I think it's time I picked up the next in this series.-Lynn

Craig Harper: Your Perfect Body-A State of Mind

From the back of the book-

Most weight-loss books advocate that creating your best body is all about diet and exercise. Exercise scientist and personal trainer Craig Harper says that for most people it is more about having the right attitude than it is about choosing the right nutritional philosophy or exercise program.While many books focus on food, Harper teachers that creating life-long change is more about the dieter than the actual diet.
"Once we fix the psychology, then we can address the physiology," he says.
Australia is a country which now offers more weight-loss options than ever before, yet as a society continues to get fatter by the year. More experts, more information, more gyms, more health retreats, more dietary options, more media hysteria and more fat Australians.
This book is written for those people who have a history of almost getting in shape.

The main thrust of this book reinforces a message that I have lately come to myself, losing weight and getting fit is more about habit and consistency than motivation, so naturally I thought it was good.
I quite liked that the perfect body of the title is not measured by some external standard but is a reference to whatever the reader is wanting to achieve.
The author delivers a kind of tough love telling the reader that the results they get are entirely dependent on the effort they make. But unlike many other diet books he doesn't 'blame the victim' if they don't achieve the results they were promised by a particular program. He, rather sensibly I feel, points out that not all programs will work for all people. If you have honestly stuck with a program, followed it to the letter, and not got the results you want, then maybe it is time to reassess what you're doing and try something else.
Your Perfect Body is a no-nonsense book that tells it like it is, unapologetically stating that attaining your perfect body and keeping it is hard work but achievable for anybody if it's what they really, really want.-Lynn

Kerry Greenwood:Murder on a Midsummer Night + Dead Man's Chest

Murder on a Midsummer Night
From the back of the book-
Melbourne 1929. The year starts off for glamorous private investigator with a rather trying heat wave and more mysteries than you could prod a parasol at. Simultaneously investigating the apparent suicide death of a man on St Kilda beach and trying to find a lost illegitimate child who could be heir to a wealthy old woman's fortune, she needs all her wits about her , particularly when she has to tangle with a group of thoroughly unpleasant bright young things.
But she is a force of nature and takes in her elegant stride what might make others quail. Including terrifying seances, ghosts, kif smokers, the threat of human sacrifices dubious spirit guides and maps to buried pirate treasure.

Dead Man's Chest
From the back of the book-
Travelling at high speed in her beloved car accompanied by her maid and trusted companion Dot, her two adoptive daughters and their dog, Phryne is off to Queeenscliff. She's promised everyone a nice holiday by the sea with absolutely no murders, but when they arrive at their rented accommodation that doesn't seem likely at all.
An empty house, a gang of teenage louts, a fisherboy saved, and the mysery of a missing butler and his wife seem to lead inexorably towards a hunt for buried treasure by the sea. But what information might the curious surrealists be able to contribute? Phryne knows to what depths people will sink for greed but with a glass of champagne in one hand and a pearl handled beretta in the other no one is getting past her.

Greenwood's stories were, as always, a complete delight. I could wax lyrical for hours about the depth of the characters, the development of Phryne, the complexities of plot, the technical skill demonstrated by the writing and so on-take it all as said.
If you're not already familiar with the series, what are you waiting for? Go! Read!-Lynn

For Alex's reviews of Murder on a Midsummer Night and Dead Man's Chest click here and here respectively.

Shaun Tan: Tales from Outer Suburbia

From the back of the book-
Shaun Tan…reveals the quiet mysteries of everyday life: homemade pets, dangerous weddings, stranded sea mammals, tiny exchange students and secret rooms filled with darkness and delight.
When my teenaged daughter brought this book home from school I was a little surprised. She’s well past the age where I would expect her to be perusing the junior section of the library. However, I’m glad she decided to share this discovery with me. This picture book for older children is truly delightful.
At first glance the illustrations appear simple, even slightly rough but with closer inspection they reveal themselves to be incredibly detailed and highly expressive. Though many of the stories are accompanied by words, the pictures are so rich as to make them superfluous. Having said that, the author has a succinct way with words, getting a maximum of meaning and emotion out of a minimum of syllables.
This is a layered work offering more than is simply, and beautifully, presented on the pages. I don’t know how it is I’ve never come across this author before but I would highly recommend his works to all.-Lynn

Stephan Chbosky: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Through a series of anonymous letters we get a glimpse into a year in the life of a high-school boy. We see his struggle to make new friends, deal with family crisis and cope with the intricacies of sex, drugs, violence and death as he establishes his place in the world.
This book has been compared favourably to The Catcher in the Rye and I can certainly see the similarities. This coming of age story is raw, honest and beautifully written.
The main character’s confusion as to what is socially acceptable amongst his peers and his difficulties navigating interpersonal relationships is wonderfully portrayed. His lamenting the loss of that intense delight in simple things as experienced by the very young awakens similar feelings in the reader.
Ever passive, the sense that something is just a little ‘off’ with this character pervades the story. The reveal at the end goes a long way towards explaining how he has become that way and gives the reader hope that he will learn to accept and grow into who he is.
Poignant and powerful, I highly recommend this novel.-Lynn

The Truth Machine - James L Haperin

After his younger brother was murdered, child prodigy Randall “Pete” Armstrong tries to understand how it happened, how a convicted criminal could be unsafe but paroled. Over the subsequent decade, while completing an education that includes early entry to Harvard, the idea of creating a way to definitively know if recidivism is likely ticks away in the back of his head, and Pete decides to create an infallible truth machine.
This summation does no justice to the complex and riveting story that is The Truth Machine – the narrative, recounted by a journalistically-programmed computer, opens twenty-five years after the launch of Pete’s truth machine, at the beginning of a tribunal hearing into the fraud, and worse crimes, committed by Armstrong. After giving the reader a little background, it opens with a chronological account of the creator of the most revolutionary invention in human history.
Each chapter opens with a snapshot of life in that time – political events, health recommendations, the effects of new laws – that become more speculative the further into the future they occur; the timing of these events is partly determined by the plot, but others (like the banning of margarine because of the health effects of trans-fats, or the increasing prominence of the Unitarian church) were based on aggregate estimates from SF writers and scientists. Both the inventions foreseen (like VOIP) and not (widespread mobile phone uptake) are interesting.
The Truth Machine is equally driven by character and plot; the former relies heavily on the persona of Pete, a driven, honest, blindingly intelligent man still trying to atone for the last words he said to his baby brother. As he’s drawn ever deeper into law breaking due to seemingly unviable alternatives, we see a brilliant example of justifying the means for the ends. When alternatives are revealed the reader, along with Pete, is stunned that these weren’t seen.
This is easily the tenth time I’ve read The Truth Machine, one of my all-time favourite books. Published in 1996, each time Halperin’s world and ours is a little further apart, and each time I’m drawn anew into the transformative idea of an invention that would make getting away with dishonesty impossible. Halperin looks at how it would change aspects of culture from government to trade negotiation, relationships and finance. He’s also created a fairly utopian future – not only are people necessarily more honest but among other changes: prisoners are only released when they pass literacy and numeracy tests, prisons focus on fitness for life outside and rehabilitation rather than punishment, but some crimes are punished capitally, and health insurance is freely available regardless of pre-existing conditions. I find something new in The Truth Machine on each reading, and this time was no exception – Alex

Robin McKinley: Sunshine

A woman is kidnapped and chained up with a hungry vampire. As part of a battle of wills with their captor he refuses to kill her. In thanks when she discovers latent magical ability that allows her to escape she takes him with her.
When their escape is discovered their captor knows something extraordinary has happened and starts to hunt them down. The vampire turns up on the woman’s doorstep with the news and the two of them band together to destroy their mutual foe and save each others lives.
But vampires and humans are eternal enemies and the woman is conflicted about their developing friendship and her role in saving the life of an unrepentant killer, who may, at any second, decide to kill her. All she wants is a quiet life working in her family’s café. Instead events have drawn her to the attention of a government agency set up to monitor all nonhuman species in a post war world, alienated her from her few friends and forced her to confront the dark side of her psyche.
My summation doesn’t even come close to describing what is essentially a rich, modern reworking of Beauty and the Beast.
The story is unapologetically derivative and the pace can be a little slow at times but for all that it is still engaging.
This story’s main strength is its world building. McKinley has produced a reality I can completely believe in. Magical and yet mundane. A place where evil is truly evil and good can be ambiguous. If you’re sick of the vampire as a tortured or misunderstood hero then you’ll love this return to the traditional horror story vampire and be impressed by the author’s ability to make a hero of the monster yet still have him remain essentially a monster.
In the end a number of questions are left unanswered making me think there might be a sequel in the works, or perhaps even a series. If that’s the case I think they would be worth a look.
Not the best book I’ve ever read but head and shoulders above most of the stuff on offer in the horror/ urban fantasy arena at the moment.-Lynn

Holly Black: Ironside

When she makes a rash declaration to the new king of the Unseelie Court, a young pixie changeling is sent on an impossible quest.
Despondent she sets off with a human friend in tow. But word has gotten out about her plight and the queen of the Seelie Court wants to make her on offer she can’t refuse. In spite of her best efforts the pixie finds herself drawn into the dark games and power plays of the faerie courtiers. Forced into an alliance with humans with no love of her kind she eventually manages to free the child whose place she took and return her to her mother, remove a deadly curse from her friend, achieve her quest and as a by product bring unity and a shaky peace to the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.
The third book in this series, Ironside brings together characters and plot points from the previous two works and builds on them, weaving from the apparently disparate threads a coherent story.
The characters have an ambiguous morality which keeps the reader guessing who the ‘bad guys’ really are. The plot twists about being at times darkly seductive and at times horrific, provided truly unexpected turns.
Complex characters and richly detailed setting added to a deceptively simple plot all come together to make this a brilliant dark fantasy novel. Read Tithe, read Valiant, then read Ironside. If you like young adult fantasy you won’t be disappointed.-Lynn

E. Lockhart: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

When her sex is the only thing that prevents a young woman from joining a secret society at her exclusive boarding school, she decides to show the world just how outdated such a notion is. She secretly follows her boyfriend and spies on the society’s meetings until an opportunity presents itself to infiltrate the organization.
Through a series of emails claiming to be from the society’s leader she orchestrates a number of complex pranks that the society carries out.
It is only when a scholarship boy is threatened with expulsion that she admits to her boyfriend that she was the mastermind behind the events. Her admission prevents the expulsion but ostracises her from her boyfriend and his elitist circle.
At first upset by their rejection she soon comes to accept her new reputation, pleased to have shaken off the burdensome image of the innocent child.
I really enjoyed this book. The writing was fresh. The school and all the characters within it were recognizable stereotypes yet well developed enough to stand out as individual.
The feelings of a young girl discovering, and rebelling against, the injustices of the world in general, and her world in particular, towards her sex was handled with delicacy and wit.
The boys’ reaction to the discovery of her role in the pranks felt real, as did her confusion about that reaction.
This story is a gentle and funny reminder that double standards still exist. No matter how egalitarian society would like to believe it is the old boy network is alive, well and doing its best to keep girls out. This is made very clear by the ending where the heroine is left older and wiser but arguably not particularly happier. I can’t help but wonder how different the ending would have been if the perpetrator of the pranks had been a boy instead of a girl. There’s every chance he would have ended up as the leader of the secret society rather than ostracised and in counselling for behavioural issues.
Superficially a fun read but with an underlying message for anyone who cares to see it. Highly recommended-Lynn.

Holly Black: Valiant

When a teenaged runaway takes up with a group of squatters in NYC subway system she soon finds herself in a world full of fairies, none of whom bare any resemblance to the story book creatures she’s familiar with.
She soon finds herself in service to a troll, delivering fairy dust to exiles from the Seelie Court. But somebody is killing off his customers and it is up to her to prove his innocence and ultimately save his life while getting her own back on track.
This is a dark tale of the multiple facets of betrayal, drug addiction and the difficulties of redemption. Fantasy elements give the story a surreal feel while at the same time throwing the reality of life on the streets into stark relief. Complex characters and the complicated relationships between them added to excellent world building make this a brilliant read.
While the moral of the story is clear (don’t judge a book by its cover) it is simply presented rather than forced on the reader making the message all the more powerful.
Though set in the same universe as the earlier work Tithe, this book stands alone. I look forward to reading more of this author’s writing. Highly recommended-Lynn

Shakespeare - Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson, best known for his travel writing, has turned his attention to the life and times of the world’s best known playwright and poet. This slender volume, appropriately reflecting the little actually known about Shakespeare, explores the world of Shakespearian scholarship and Elizabethan England as much as the life of its’ subject, imparting a flavour of mystery and detection that I don’t usually associate with English Literature (the subject).
Throughout the book Bryson convincingly counters the charges that support arguments Shakespeare did not author the many works attributed to him. For example:

Far from having ‘small Latin and less Greek’, as Ben Jonson so famously charged, Shakespeare had a great deal of Latin, for the life of a grammar school boy was spent almost entirely in reading, writing and reciting in Latin, often in the most mind-numbingly repetitious manner… Through such exercises Shakespeare would have learned every possible rhetorical device and ploy – metaphor and anaphora, epistrophe and hyperbole, synecdoche, epanalepsis and others equally arcane and taxing… a more thorough grounding in Latin rhetoric and literature than ‘most present-day holders of a university degree in classics’.

And now I know the very many forms of rhetoric of which I am woefully ignorant.
Bryson also explains where the allegations came from, and the extraordinary devotion of both accusers and defenders of Shakespeare – an entire seething community I was primarily unaware of and am now fascinated by. This, I think, is the true gift of Bryson – he invests the worlds he explores with interest and flavour in all his writing (and in person, having heard him speak in Melbourne and, being something of a Bryson fan girl, having read every one of his books) - from travels far-flung and domestic to the history of language and the history of the world. He so genuinely conveys his own absorption in it that the reader cannot help but be transported along with him, in a torrent of writing that is never dry and often wry, or laugh aloud funny.
Aspects of the book resonated unexpectedly with other aspects of my life – I read Shakespeare not long after attending a seminar of pandemic influenza, and found the discussion of plague and exotic illnesses (like ‘English sweat’, which came out of nowhere and was so severe many patients died the same day they manifested symptoms, then vanished in the 1550s) eerily relevant. But even without that element this is a great book, well worth reading if you have only the most cursory interest in the life and times of Shakespeare but have any interest whatsoever in literature, history, writing, conspiracies, detection, or people. - Alex

Loretta Chase: Your Scandalous Ways

Heartbroken and scorned a young divorcee steals a packet of incriminating letters from her ex-husband but can find nobody who will believe that they are not vindictive forgeries. Shunned by society she runs away to the continent where she becomes a ruinously expensive whore.
Five years later government agents believe her ex-husband may be in league with Napoleon but the only proof is in those letters and she refuses to hand them over.
A retiring spy is sent to Venice to ‘acquire’ the packet of letters from the notorious courtesan. A veteran thief and unparalleled lover he anticipates a quick job. But he doesn’t count on falling in love with the very independent and unrepentant harlot.
It soon becomes apparent that he is not the only one searching for the letters and they must risk both their lives and their love for King and Country.
This was a delightful historical romance. In a genre populated by prim misses and feisty innocents it was refreshing to find a heroine who is both a fallen woman and happy about it. The heroine is a courtesan and she behaves like one-sizing up men by the depths of their wallets and making sure the hero has no illusions as to who she is and what she does.
Both the lead characters were very well rounded, their histories convincing and the romance between the two of them utterly believable.
There is a bit of incidental humour that the author has the good sense not to labour. The hit and run style had me chuckling and reading parts out loud.
A very good read for those open to romance in unexpected places and an excellent read for lovers of historical romance. Highly recommended-Lynn

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Offred remembers her life before, when women had parity, could do what they wanted, own things, and dress the way they chose. But in the Republic of Gilead none of that exists any more - in a devastating and coordinated coup the President was shot dead and Congress was machine-gunned. Blaming Islamic fundamentalists, the army suspended the constitution and began eroding rights that the populace was too stunned to resist, beginning with freezing women's bank accounts (authority was then transferred to husbands and fathers). A mother, Offred has proven fertility and is retrained - her new role is as a surrogate for a senior member of the military: his wife, like so many others, can not bear a child herself. She cannot trust anyone - Gilead is highly regimented and anyone who defies the law is not only hung but their bodies are strung up in full view of the populace - but she knows that the rest of the world is out there, and perhaps her husband and daughter are still alive, somewhere.
I found some interesting parallels between this novel and some of Tepper's work, and am once again interested in what makes one book Acclaimed Literature and another 'merely' fantasy/science fiction. The Handmaid's Tale is written as a first person narrative, and details about how the Republic of Gilead came to exist are sparingly woven through the text, alongside post-Republic events and details about Offred's training and day-to-day life (including her name). I'd be particularly interested in knowing how men read A Handmaid's Tale, as much of the power of the writing for me comes from the systematic subjugation of women. The initial days of the Republic, and Offred's husband's response to curtailments of her rights, was significantly interesting to me.
The final chapter was a particularly powerful element - the journal entries (which, it transpires, were transcribed from audiotape) have been found some centuries later, and are being treated as an historical text, presented at a social sciences gathering. As a social sciences student this approach caused me to reflect on the techniques my colleagues, lecturers and I use - having engaged strongly with Offred, the contrast is (deliberately) jarring and provocative.
This is my third re-read of The Handmaid's Tale, the first in a decade. I was so impressed when reading it the first time that I promptly bought three other Atwood novels only to discover, to my distress, that this is not like her usual writing style and the others left me cold. I was intrigued by what I remembered and, more interestingly, what I'd forgotten - this included a whole slab of deviant behaviour on the part of Offred's 'master', her friend, the claustrophobic atmosphere, and the post-script in its entirety. I haven't seen the film and am thinking now about borrowing it just to see if and how this aspect (which is what's resonating most strongly still, almost a month after reading the novel again) was handled. A truly powerful work. - Alex

Phil Rickman: December

When a group of psychic musicians come together to record an album at a newly converted abbey they awaken an uneasy ghost determined to have the truth of its passing known, which in turn stirs an ancient evil lurking at the very heart of the abbey. The resultant chaos forces them to scatter.
But each carries with them a legacy from that disastrous night and fourteen years later they are back to set the spirits of the place at rest. Though their powers have grown and they have uncovered a number of the abbey’s secrets it is still doubtful that they will be a match for it and now they all have so much more to lose than they did all those years ago.
Set in the same world as previous novels Crybbe and The Man in the Moss, this novel mentions characters from both yet is a sequel to neither. Being one of his earlier novels, December introduces a number of characters that feature in the later Merrily Watkins series and I enjoyed learning about these characters’ pasts. It has made me want to go back and reread the series in light of what I now know about these characters. (Though I won’t at this point because my 'to be read' pile has several new books from the series I’m itching to get to.)
If you have ever thought about reading the Merrily Watkins series but haven’t started yet, I would recommend that you read this book first. It is not at all necessary form a plot perspective, but when the characters from here start to pop up there you will have a fuller picture of who they are and what they’re doing.
I did have a little difficulty believing the development of a romance between two of the characters but then this doesn’t claim to be a romance. So while I was a bit disappointed in that I can overlook it since the rest of the story is satisfyingly eerie and has more than enough to keep a reader interested.
Rickman weaves several apparently unrelated plot threads together to form a coherent, enjoyable whole.-Lynn

Kerry Greenwood: Death by Water

Another of the peerless Phryne Fisher mysteries. In this one Phryne goes undercover on a luxury cruise in order to catch a jewel thief. Together with her intrepid companion, Dot, she weaves her way through the tangle of suspects with grace, style and a champagne cocktail, never resting until the job is done.
Greenwood delivers a delicious blend of mystery, humour and attitude in this story of Phryne’s adventure on the high seas. Well written, as always, the plot meanders along at a deceptively easy going pace before throwing the reader through a sudden unexpected turn. Greenwood has the ability to dangle a cliché in front of the reader with a wink so that I find myself smiling at the joke rather than annoyed at overused concepts. I’ve said it before and I’ll undoubtedly say it again, read this series, just do it.-Lynn

Heavenly Pleasures – Kerry Greenwood

Corinna's back in her second adventure - this time there are no vampires or bondage outfits (which I know I didn't allude to in the review below, but I couldn't include everything). However there is: the return of delicious Daniel, a scrumptious chocolate orgasm muffin, tampering at the Heavenly Pleasures gourmet chocolate shop, trips to restaurants outside the CBD (I have to check out a couple of places in Brunswick Street), a missing kitten and a missing girl, a mysterious new resident, bomb threats, bride kidnap and a very naughty boy pretending to be possessed.
For all praise see the below directly below this one. It's only because I can't dig out the third in the series from my boxes of unpacked books that I haven't splurged entirely and must wait until it shows up (or I can borrow it from the library) before I read both it and the newest installment, Trick or Treat. My Christmas present to myself. - Alex

The Corinna Chapman series:
Earthly Delights; Heavenly Pleasures; Devil's Food; Trick or Treat; Forbidden Fruit; Cooking the Books

Earthly Delights – Kerry Greenwood

Corinna Chapman, accountant turned baker, is very happy with her second life - sure,she has to get up at 4AM five days a week, but the work day's done while all the office slaces are still tethered to their desks, she's her own boss, she gets to make delicious things all day (except the loathesome health bread that a sub-section of her usually discerning clientele insist upon) and she never has to wear kitten heels again.
One morning, arising as usual in the dead of night, Corinna shrugs into her usual baking outfit of a tracksuit, resurrects herself with coffee, and heads downstairs to her fabulous bakery in the heart of the city. When she opens the door to Calico Alley she finds the body of a young girl, pulseless and blue. Resuscitating the girl (with the aid of an ambulance crew and their Narcan) marks the beginning of a cascade of experiences that lead Corinna to see a very different side of Melbourne, and which brings love in to her life.
This is the first of four (thus far) Corinna novels - a heroine very different from the sleek Phryne of Greenwood's 1920's novels, she is a little less unattainable and a little more human. Not that I don't love Phryne, I do, but Corinna is more the mass of contradictions that every woman I know holds. She is also Reubenesque, usually self-accepting but not always, able to easily hold her own with her jerk of an ex, intelligent, self-sufficient and open.
The secondary characters are so wholly captured that they are in no way less than Corinna except for their page time (a concept I may have just coined - the literature version of screen time), the food is the descriptive equivalent of food porn, the plot is smart and complicated without being convoluted or frustrating, and the whole is pure reading pleasure. - Alex

The Corinna Chapman series:
Earthly Delights; Heavenly Pleasures; Devil's Food; Trick or Treat; Forbidden Fruit; Cooking the Books

Kerry Greenwood: Queen of the Flowers

Another instalment in the Phryne Fisher mystery series. This story sees Phryne elected as queen of a local flower festival, traumatic enough on its own, but throw in a runaway daughter in search of her natural father, the return of an old lover, the disappearance of one of her parade attendants and a couple of elephants and Phryne is in for a very busy time indeed.
As if that wasn’t enough, the missing attendant turns up near drowned and it is up to Phryne to save her life, keep her hidden from those who would have her killed and find her attempted murderers.
She manages to do all this and more with poise, wit, impeccable grooming and time left over to visit the festival bazaar.
Kerry Greenwood reliably provides a good read and this book does not disappoint. For Phryne fans this story develops some of the secondary characters but it does not assume an acquaintance with the series and unobtrusively explains the relationships between the characters for those coming newly to Phryne’s world.
Some elements of the story could have so easily have followed the path of least resistance and been obvious but instead they take an unexpected turn that prevents them from wallowing in predictability.
I did see one of the twists coming but the writing is of such quality that rather than be irritated with this I actually felt clever that I’d been able to work it out in advance. Now that shows Greenwood’s skill.
I could wax lyrical about how enjoyable this story was (great character development, beautiful description that truly invokes the period, interesting story line, fantastic balance of historical fact to fictional events, well paced) but I’m sure I’ve said it all before and if I haven’t then undoubtedly Alex has.
A very enjoyable read that was over much too soon, Queen of the Flowers is for lovers of ‘modern’ history and crime fiction alike. Highly reccommended.-Lynn

Kerry Greenwood: The Castlemaine Murders

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

Murder in the Dark - Kerry Greenwood

This is the sixteenth installment in Greenwood's superlative Phryne Fisher series, set in late 1920's Melbourne. Phryne is a heroine par excellence - witty, intelligent, naughty, principled and more real than many people I've met.
Her creator says "Phryne is a hero, just like James Bond or the Saint, but with fewer product endorsements and a better class of lovers. I decided to try a female hero and made her as free as a male hero, to see what she would do. Mind you, at that time I only thought there would be two books."
Greenwood meticulously researches everything she writes, but always manages to assimilate her erudition into the text, rather than bopping the reader over the head with a giant 'I researched this fact' sign. She conveys a marvellous sense of time and place without shouting "Melbourne! Melbourne! We're in Melbourne, Australia!" or "Did I mention that it's 1928? Did I?" in the way that lesser writers are wont to do. In Phryne she has captured an independent woman with modern mores, but who is wholly of her time and class, rather than inserting a contemporary heroine into the past.
I realise that I have so far written little about the brilliance of this series, and instead compared Greenwood to lesser writers, but that is because I am unable to do her justice with my own lackluster prose. Lynn and I save Greenwood novels for rare treats, and never read her during November, because it's just too crushing to even think about participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) when one's grasp so clearly falls short of Greenwoods' reach.
Okay, so on to Murder in the Dark! It's Christmas, and Phryne's been invited to the Last, Best Party of 1928, an extravagant four-day celebration held by the Templar twins, cool Isabella and golden Gerald. Phryne's decision to attend it sharpened by a series of threatening notes warning her off, one of which is accompanied by a live (and deadly) coral snake.
Leaving behind her faithful maid Dot, her married lover Lin Chung, and her adopted daughters Ruth and Jane, Phryne departs for Werribee Manor House and a host of unusual characters with secrets and unknown motives.
As always, Phryne connects with people from a diverse range of background and experience, making friends and enjoying renewed acquaintances. In the process of solving the mysteries of why someone so desperately wanted to keep her away, who is blackmailing Gerald, and why one of the manor rooms is haunted, Phryne partakes in an erotic karez, introduces an innocent to the joys of physical love, frees an imprisoned child, and restores a sorrowful Sapphic to happiness.
The first in this series, Cocaine Blues was magnificent - so much so that I then gorged myself and read the next nine books back to back before sorrowfully realising that I was now limited to each one as it was released. Phryne and her creator go from strength to strength, and I impatiently await the next installment. - Alex

When pursued though a wood by a satyr, make sure that you are captured near the softest available moss - Phryne Fisher

For Lynn's review of Murder in the Dark click here