Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher, #1) in Around the World

Dec 14, 2011 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read2012, location-australia, ebooks, around-the-world, secret-agents-and-detectives

I would never have come across this book without the huge master lists created by the members of the Around the World in 52 Books challenge that I've been participating in since January. The book title under Australia caught my attention, and when I read the description, I thought it sounded like a fun read. A lady detective in Melbourne, in the 1920s?

I wasn't wrong. I haven't had so much fun reading a mystery novel in a long time. There were moments that made me laugh, and others where I was of ...more

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Mar 04, 2015 Renae rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-historical, genre-mystery-thriller, setting-australia, read-in-2015

In Cocaine Blues, the first volume in the long-running Phryne Fisher mysteries, Kerry Greenwood has set up all the necessities for a delightful series. The story was interesting and fast-paced, the author’s prose was simplistic in an elegant way, and the Honorable Miss Fisher herself was a delightful character I certainly want to read about again.

I picked this book up because I wanted to read more mysteries, and this series seems to have a rather favorable reputation from readers of the genre. I In Cocaine Blues, the first volume in the long-running Phryne Fisher mysteries, Kerry Greenwood has set up all the necessities for a delightful series. The story was interesting and fast-paced, the author’s prose was simplistic in an elegant way, and the Honorable Miss Fisher herself was a delightful character I certainly want to read about again.

I picked this book up because I wanted to read more mysteries, and this series seems to have a rather favorable reputation from readers of the genre. I didn’t, exactly, expect to enjoy it—mysteries and I have a complicated relationship. But I was quite pleased with what Greenwood did here. There was a wonderful balance of plot and character development, and the mystery itself was neither too predictable nor too far-fetched. And while Cocaine Blues certainly touches topics that are on the serious side (drugs, illegal abortions, rape, arsenic poisoning), the novel’s tone never loses the upbeat zaniness that Phryne Fisher brings to the table.

Because this is the first book in a long series, Cocaine Blues is of course concerned with establishing its protagonist’s character. Phryne Fisher is absolutely the biggest draw of this book, and I adore her character and what Greenwood has done with it. Phryne is perhaps an anomaly of her time (1920s British aristocracy), but not unreasonably so. She flies planes, drives fast cars, engages in casual sex, and befriends various shady characters—and, of course, she solves mysteries. In Cocaine Blues, Greenwood introduces exactly the kind of protagonist I enjoy, and her attitude really made the mystery for me.

Of course, the mystery itself was quite excellent as well. There were several threads running throughout the book, aside from the original set-up (Phryne is hired by a wealthy woman’s parents to find out why their daughter is so sick). There’s a case of botched illegal abortions performed by a rapist, and also an underground cocaine ring among the wealthy ladies of Melbourne. And while the multiple plot strand tactic isn’t unique in the genre, I liked that Greenwood pulled all the plot threads together into a cohesive story by the end. It made for a very satisfying, and mildly surprising, reveal.

On top of all this, we have a wonderful historical setting: 1928 Melbourne. The establishment of setting/place is subtle and not rich in excessive detail, but rather is done subtly and deftly. The location and time period serve as an excellent backdrop for the larger goings-on in Cocaine Blues, and I thought the author did a very good job with it all.

Altogether, Cocaine Blues was quite excellent. Phryne Fisher is a detective whose investigative style I quite enjoy, and Kerry Greenwood spins a mystery that I found engaging rather than dull or dry. In sum, this book was a lot of fun in a new and surprising way. ...more

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Jan 03, 2014 Rebecca Huston added it

Shelves: england, nook, 20th-century, series, historical-fiction, 2014-around-the-world-in-52-books, mystery, australia, phryne-fisher

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Sep 15, 2012 Shomeret rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-reviews, historical-fiction, mystery-thriller, kindle

This is the first book in the series, but the third Phryne Fisher novel that I've read. I hadn't been particularly impressed by the other two in the series, but I did like the character. This one was quite an improvement. We learn where the fabulous Phryne Fisher came from ,and I think it makes her even more extraordinary . We also see her working to assist other women and the cause of women in general. The case isn't all that interesting, but everything else was great. There is a wonderful woma ...more

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Feb 09, 2022 mussolet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2024-shelf-challenge, region-aus-oceania, g-historical-fiction, g-crime, monthly-challenge-shelf, country-australia, g-mystery

I had not expected to ever read these books, but a challenge came up, and they fitted in, and so I did.
This has been the first book I have actually read instead of listening to in ages, and it has been an enjoyable journey.
I am not as interested in fashion, or boytoy distractions, as Miss Fisher, but I was interested in the historical setting, Australia, and the well-drawn characters. The solution to the mystery seemed a bit obvious, but as the road there was amusing and adventurous, I can for ...more

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