“Following flamboyant Phryne in her detecting around Twenties’ Melbourne became an immediate pleasure. She’s smart, she’s in charge and she’s fun.” – Felicity Burke
Firstly, an admission. Having never read Kerry Greenwood and not being a fan of the Miss Fisher television series I rashly expected that the literary source would provide little interest.
I was wrong.
Following flamboyant Phryne in her detecting around Twenties’ Melbourne became an immediate pleasure. She’s smart, she’s in charge and she’s fun.
Though there are forays into other cities, Melbourne is Miss Fisher’s usual playground. The city is lightly drawn but the events are firmly set in streets and buildings of a century ago. It is within this world that the beautiful Miss Fisher reliably unravels mysteries at society weddings, ritzy restaurants, academic cocktail parties and places of ill repute. Phryne can confidently cheat at cards, crack a safe, impress Maitre D’s and command adoration from every sort of attractive young man. Sounds a bit too much? It might well be except that the writing is consistently witty and the narrator presents Miss Fisher’s enviable lifestyle through a gently satirical eye.
The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions is a short story compilation gathering together past publications, four new stories and a bonus insight from the author on her creation of Phryne Fisher. Included in the collection is the first ever Miss Fisher short story, The Vanishing of Jock McHale’s Hat. It establishes the lady in Melbourne’s real past, placing her with an icon of the city’s history: the understated recreation of Archbishop Mannix is a small scale triumph. Other stories also offer particular pleasures, the connections of the literary quotes, the plots that are built around allusions- The Miracle of St Mungo and Death Shall be Dead are especially neat. All the cases are entertaining –unusual crimes in period surroundings with opportunities for the reader to savour high tea or high fashion while the investigations continue.
If one has to find a quibble, (a churlish thing to do with writing so sure in its style and humour) it is hard to deny that solutions come very easily to Miss Fisher in some of these brief bustling scenarios. It’s not always evident how she comes to her results and some of the plots and denouements are uneven. Nevertheless, most readers will probably be willing to suspend hesitation and go along for the ride. The journeys are amusing even when the quick witted investigator is left with resolutions that are more ingenious than likely.
For followers of Miss Fisher this expanded, re-edited volume will be welcome. For newcomers it’s likely to be an even happier find. Miss Fisher’s satisfaction in setting the world to rights is as unmistakable as the pleasure she takes in her couturier outfits, the lively attentions of admirers and the glass of something restorative that seems always at hand.
Wit, research, the craft of pinning characters with the briefest of descriptions: these ensure that the jaunty Miss Fisher, her crime solving companions and their creator are a joy to spend time with. Most highly recommended.
Felicity Burke, On The Page
Author: Kerry Greenwood
Publisher Allen & Unwin
Published 30 March 2021.
Category Crime and Mystery
