Dead Man's Chest

October 15, 2010

Even on holiday, Phryne Fisher can't escape a mystery.

It's not much of a welcome to the borrowed house in the Australian coastal town of Queenscliff. On arrival with her companion Dot and her two adopted daughters, Jane and Ruth, Phryne finds the promised servants absent, along with every ounce of food. The next-door neighbor Mrs. Mason provides them with a hamper of comestibles to see them through and with Tinker, a young lad who'll prove his worth as a budding sleuth. Ruth, who's always wanted to be a cook, takes on the kitchen duties with help from Dot and bookish Jane, while Phryne, who's decided that the local constable is a dead loss, investigates the mysterious disappearance of the Johnsons. When the servants' beloved little dog, Gaston, turns up thin and filthy, the case takes on a more sinister tone. The neighbors seem equally dubious. On one side, heavy-drinking Mrs. Mason houses her son and his two friends, who are always in trouble, while on the other lives odd Madame Sélavy, who invites Phryne to a party with a group of highly unusual guests. The arrival of Dot's policeman fiancé widens the scope of the investigation, adding smugglers, movie makers, pirates' treasure and a roving pigtail slicer.

Phryne (Murder on a Midsummer Night, 2009, etc.) handsomely demonstrates once more that even a compulsion to explore every mystery that comes her way needn't interfere with her appetite for life.

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November 15, 2010
After some rather harrowing adventures (Murder on a Midsummer Night, 2009) Phryne Fisher, the Australian flapper and PI, is determined to enjoy a quiet vacation. After packing maid Dot, adopted daughters Jane and Ruth, and cat Molly into her Hispano Suiza, Phryne drives to Queenscliff, only to discover that the rental house is missing its butler and housekeeper. Then, despite her desire for a murder-free vacation, she takes on an investigation after the missing housekeepers beloved dog shows up on her backstep, filthy and hungry, and the local coppers prove to be no help. Phrynes determination to get it all wrapped up before boyfriend Lin Chung joins her makes for a fast-paced story. Greenwood weaves in a local legend involving pirates and missing treasure, and Phryne makes friends with some wacky surrealists in this very enjoyable eighteenth series entry. A major new character is introduced as Phryne welcomes into the family a young man who proves a willing and capable assistant investigator. The limited cast of characters (most of Phrynes regulars stay in Melbourne) makes this a good choice for series newcomers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)