What do you think?
Rate this book
Phryne Fisher #5
The Green Mill Murder
In a jazzy 1920s Melbourne, the Green Mill is the hottest dancehall in town. But the glamorous Miss Phryne Fisher finds there are hidden perils in dancing the night away - like murder, blackmail and young men who vanish.
173 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
466 people are currently reading
2778 people want to read
About the author
Kerry Greenwood
86 books2,540 followersKerry Isabelle Greenwood was an Australian author and lawyer. She wrote many plays and books, most notably a string of historical detective novels centred on the character of Phryne Fisher, which was adapted as the popular television series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. She wrote mysteries, science-fiction, historical fiction, children's stories, and plays. Greenwood earned the Australian women's crime fiction Davitt Award in 2002 for her young adult novel The Three-Pronged Dagger.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 685 reviews
February 3, 2022
3.5~4★
“‘You'll know if you're icing because the wings get heavy and unresponsive.’
‘And if the wings are iced?’
‘Land somewhere. If in trees, aim to shear the tops, that'll slow your rate of descent.’
‘And tear the wings off?’
‘Yes, of course, but you might get out alive.’”
Of course we know Phryne gets out alive because this is #5 in a long series of the Phryne Fisher Mystery Series. This was written almost 30 years ago, so Phryne’s radical, promiscuous independence would have been unusual, particularly in a heroine of the 1920s.
But she is fun to read about even now, when there are countless novels with gorgeous female investigators throwing themselves today into the path of danger, not to mention lovers.
This is post WWI Melbourne. Phryne is now a wealthy, independent woman with her own household and lovers who come and go. The well-named Mr. and Mrs. Butler look after the house, kitchen, and car, while Phryne attends to her interests as a Lady Detective, and her loyal assistant Dot looks after her wardrobe. Suffice to say it is beautiful, extensive, and deliciously described in detail.
She is dancing at the popular Green Mill dance hall where the second day of a dance marathon is about to wind to a close.
“It was eleven by the Green Mill's clock when the cornet player went into a muted reprise in 'Bye Bye Blackbird,' and one of the marathon dancers plunged heavily and finally to the floor at Phryne Fisher's feet. She stumbled over him. His partner dropped to her knees with a wail.”
The opening paragraph gives us the murder scene! Phryne’s dance partner looks about to be sick at the sight of a dead man, grabs his coat, and runs away. It’s not the behaviour of her usual dance partners, but Charles Freeman isn’t usual.
Charles disappears, Phryne looks for him, goes to see Mrs. Freeman, his mother, discovers some family secrets, including the fact Charles has a missing older brother, a war veteran who came home with severe shell-shock.
Because Mr. Freeman died some time ago, there’s a bit of kerfuffle over his will. Is the brother dead or alive and who inherits what? Phryne is off to track down his last-known whereabouts, deep in the steep Australian Alps. (Australia isn’t all desert and beaches!)
Time to get the Gipsy Moth out and go up, up, and away! Her good friend Bunji Ross is worried.
“‘It's very lumpy country, Phryne,’ she commented. ‘It's the highest country in Australia, mountains extending into the Great Divide and up to the Snowy. I'd call it inaccessible and I can see why you want to fly it, but...’
. . .
‘Now, I've only seen heights like this in the Himalayas. Big mountains, and they cause a lot of flying problems. Downdrafts that can drop you five hundred feet in a second. Mist. Cloud. . .
Isn't there another way to get to this dratted place?’
‘Packhorse and days and days,’ commented Phryne. ‘I'm in a hurry.’”
The best part of the story is not the murder mystery but Phryne’s time in the mountains, which is cold, fresh, stimulating, and interesting.
“More wattle, past its bloom but bravely golden still, and scarves of mist caught in the olive-green leaves of snow gums. Decorated bark which looked as though it had been dyed; once the unmistakable shape of a scar showed that a bark dish had been cut from a very old tree.”
Greenwood works a lot of local history and Australian history into the story, including some war stories told by Phryne’s friends Bert and Cec. It’s an entertaining read about the period when people were trying to cut loose after the Great War.
“‘You'll know if you're icing because the wings get heavy and unresponsive.’
‘And if the wings are iced?’
‘Land somewhere. If in trees, aim to shear the tops, that'll slow your rate of descent.’
‘And tear the wings off?’
‘Yes, of course, but you might get out alive.’”
Of course we know Phryne gets out alive because this is #5 in a long series of the Phryne Fisher Mystery Series. This was written almost 30 years ago, so Phryne’s radical, promiscuous independence would have been unusual, particularly in a heroine of the 1920s.
But she is fun to read about even now, when there are countless novels with gorgeous female investigators throwing themselves today into the path of danger, not to mention lovers.
This is post WWI Melbourne. Phryne is now a wealthy, independent woman with her own household and lovers who come and go. The well-named Mr. and Mrs. Butler look after the house, kitchen, and car, while Phryne attends to her interests as a Lady Detective, and her loyal assistant Dot looks after her wardrobe. Suffice to say it is beautiful, extensive, and deliciously described in detail.
She is dancing at the popular Green Mill dance hall where the second day of a dance marathon is about to wind to a close.
“It was eleven by the Green Mill's clock when the cornet player went into a muted reprise in 'Bye Bye Blackbird,' and one of the marathon dancers plunged heavily and finally to the floor at Phryne Fisher's feet. She stumbled over him. His partner dropped to her knees with a wail.”
The opening paragraph gives us the murder scene! Phryne’s dance partner looks about to be sick at the sight of a dead man, grabs his coat, and runs away. It’s not the behaviour of her usual dance partners, but Charles Freeman isn’t usual.
Charles disappears, Phryne looks for him, goes to see Mrs. Freeman, his mother, discovers some family secrets, including the fact Charles has a missing older brother, a war veteran who came home with severe shell-shock.
Because Mr. Freeman died some time ago, there’s a bit of kerfuffle over his will. Is the brother dead or alive and who inherits what? Phryne is off to track down his last-known whereabouts, deep in the steep Australian Alps. (Australia isn’t all desert and beaches!)
Time to get the Gipsy Moth out and go up, up, and away! Her good friend Bunji Ross is worried.
“‘It's very lumpy country, Phryne,’ she commented. ‘It's the highest country in Australia, mountains extending into the Great Divide and up to the Snowy. I'd call it inaccessible and I can see why you want to fly it, but...’
. . .
‘Now, I've only seen heights like this in the Himalayas. Big mountains, and they cause a lot of flying problems. Downdrafts that can drop you five hundred feet in a second. Mist. Cloud. . .
Isn't there another way to get to this dratted place?’
‘Packhorse and days and days,’ commented Phryne. ‘I'm in a hurry.’”
The best part of the story is not the murder mystery but Phryne’s time in the mountains, which is cold, fresh, stimulating, and interesting.
“More wattle, past its bloom but bravely golden still, and scarves of mist caught in the olive-green leaves of snow gums. Decorated bark which looked as though it had been dyed; once the unmistakable shape of a scar showed that a bark dish had been cut from a very old tree.”
Greenwood works a lot of local history and Australian history into the story, including some war stories told by Phryne’s friends Bert and Cec. It’s an entertaining read about the period when people were trying to cut loose after the Great War.
June 30, 2018
The Green Mill was hosting a dance-a-thon, with the grand prize of a brand new car for the winning couple. Miss Phryne Fisher was there, dressed to kill and enjoying the company – although the torturous dance-a-thon wasn’t making her happy. When one of the male contestants suddenly collapsed, his partner fell to the floor in angst – the young couple who were left standing after over 42 hours of non-stop dancing were the winners. They also collapsed in sheer exhaustion. But the first man to hit the floor was dead, right in front of Phryne. Shock reigned…
1920s Melbourne, where jazz was rife – and so it seemed was murder – Phryne was determined to discover the killer. Assisting her favourite Detective as he and his men struggled for leads, Phryne learned not all was as it seemed. And when one of the men who had been with her on the night disappeared, she wasn’t sure what to think. But it was meeting the missing person’s mother that gave Phryne her suspicions. She would get results – she always did. And if flying in her trusty Moth across the mountains of the Australian Alps was needed, she would do that too.
The Green Mill Murder by Aussie author Kerry Greenwood is another entertaining historical mystery in the Phryne Fisher series. I love Ms. Greenwood’s work – the lighthearted fun of the mystery; Miss Phryne Fisher’s indomitable spirit and her love of everything “posh”; her kind heart and of course her sense of justice and always solving her mysteries. Highly recommended.
1920s Melbourne, where jazz was rife – and so it seemed was murder – Phryne was determined to discover the killer. Assisting her favourite Detective as he and his men struggled for leads, Phryne learned not all was as it seemed. And when one of the men who had been with her on the night disappeared, she wasn’t sure what to think. But it was meeting the missing person’s mother that gave Phryne her suspicions. She would get results – she always did. And if flying in her trusty Moth across the mountains of the Australian Alps was needed, she would do that too.
The Green Mill Murder by Aussie author Kerry Greenwood is another entertaining historical mystery in the Phryne Fisher series. I love Ms. Greenwood’s work – the lighthearted fun of the mystery; Miss Phryne Fisher’s indomitable spirit and her love of everything “posh”; her kind heart and of course her sense of justice and always solving her mysteries. Highly recommended.
February 6, 2017
The Green Mill Murder is book five in the Phryne Fisher series and you can read them as stand-alone's, although you probably will get a better insight into the characters by reading from the beginning. I have so far read all but one prior to this book, but I have also seen the TV-series. And, have you seen the TV-series will you definitely both have a familiar feeling reading these books, but also feel that so much is different. And, the one thing I miss most of all is the flirtatious relationship between Phryne and Detective Jack Robinson. In this book, at least he was present for a little while, although I would have loved for him to have had a larger part.
As for the murder case at the Green Mill was it pretty easy to figure out how the man was murdered and I had an inkling to whom the murderer was. But, I was still a bit surprised when it all came together at the end. I may have guessed the murder weapon and the murderer, but I did have the whole picture. But, the part that I found myself liking the best was the later part of the book when Phryne flies into the Australian Alps looking for a man who wandered off years ago, left his family and civilization and become a hermit. The milieu that was described made me yearn to travel to Australia.
As for the hermit, I did wonder how long it would take for Phryne to seduce him since well, she has a knack for that. Did she seduce him? Well, I guess you have to read the book since I'm not giving the answer away!
The Green Mill Murder was an easygoing cozy mystery book, and I felt it was perfect for the moment. Sometimes I need something light between heavier books. And this worked like a charm!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
As for the murder case at the Green Mill was it pretty easy to figure out how the man was murdered and I had an inkling to whom the murderer was. But, I was still a bit surprised when it all came together at the end. I may have guessed the murder weapon and the murderer, but I did have the whole picture. But, the part that I found myself liking the best was the later part of the book when Phryne flies into the Australian Alps looking for a man who wandered off years ago, left his family and civilization and become a hermit. The milieu that was described made me yearn to travel to Australia.
As for the hermit, I did wonder how long it would take for Phryne to seduce him since well, she has a knack for that. Did she seduce him? Well, I guess you have to read the book since I'm not giving the answer away!
The Green Mill Murder was an easygoing cozy mystery book, and I felt it was perfect for the moment. Sometimes I need something light between heavier books. And this worked like a charm!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
December 10, 2015
This is what, by now, counts as a fairly typical story for Phryne, featuring two different lovers, some acts of derring-do, and little glimpses of the found-family going on with Ruth, Jane, Bert, Cec, the Butlers, Dot, and Phryne. Oh, and some very unpleasant people in society. Actually, I would quite like to see Phryne getting on with some people that she doesn’t want to sleep with and doesn’t despise, in her own social class… not that social class matters much to her; it just feels like a gap.
The mystery itself is a bit odd, in this one: it’s not really about finding the murderer, just about proving someone innocent. Even though, in this instance, there was a murderer. I dislike the attitude in some detective novels where the person who dies is an awful person, so the detective doesn’t really want to find out who did it. You can’t run a business by deciding who you like and who you don’t — and murder isn’t any more acceptable when the dead person is not likeable.
This book does include a few queer characters, very openly; it’s mostly dealt with casually, with pity for the situation they’re in and acceptance on Phryne’s part. But. Do they have to be stereotypes? Sigh.
It also contains a wombat character, who is epic, and some really gorgeous descriptions of flying and the Australian outback. So… swings and roundabouts.
I gather the TV show handles this one quite differently, and it’s the next one I have to watch, so that should be interesting.
Originally posted here
The mystery itself is a bit odd, in this one: it’s not really about finding the murderer, just about proving someone innocent. Even though, in this instance, there was a murderer. I dislike the attitude in some detective novels where the person who dies is an awful person, so the detective doesn’t really want to find out who did it. You can’t run a business by deciding who you like and who you don’t — and murder isn’t any more acceptable when the dead person is not likeable.
This book does include a few queer characters, very openly; it’s mostly dealt with casually, with pity for the situation they’re in and acceptance on Phryne’s part. But. Do they have to be stereotypes? Sigh.
It also contains a wombat character, who is epic, and some really gorgeous descriptions of flying and the Australian outback. So… swings and roundabouts.
I gather the TV show handles this one quite differently, and it’s the next one I have to watch, so that should be interesting.
Originally posted here
July 9, 2021
Another Phryne Fisher mystery kicks off with a murder in a jazz club and gets ever more twisty from there. This was a solid, fun read. I was really starting to wonder how the two separate plots were going to become relevant to each other at one point but, as usual, the two stories were joined together seamlessly in the final chapter and all became clear.
It was nice that there was no child abuse or sexual violence in this one, as those elements were becoming quite grueling in the previous books of the series. I don't object to these subjects but it was nice to have a bit of a break from them.
My next book: Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders vol. 5
It was nice that there was no child abuse or sexual violence in this one, as those elements were becoming quite grueling in the previous books of the series. I don't object to these subjects but it was nice to have a bit of a break from them.
My next book: Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders vol. 5
April 24, 2009
I've got to confess...I was very disappointed with this book. Usually Kerry Greenwood has a tight, clean, writing style, but this one was vague and all over the place. It seemed to be more of a showcase on the research that Ms. Greenwood did on 1920s jazz. In most mystery stories, it is common practice at the end of the book to actually solve the murder. But the murder is never solved! Instead, we are detoured to endure a sounding board for gay rights and a look into emotional abuse. That's fine and dandy, but I believe the entire Green Mill Murder (which the book is named for) could have been left out. The entire storyline of Nerine also adds nothing to the plot but fluff and filler. I love the Phryne books and will read them all, but it saddens me to have to be so critical of one of the books. If you're going to skip one, this is the one to pass over. Poorly written, political agendas and no resolution to the story. Sigh.
March 25, 2019
Nothing like a charming Phryne Fisher mystery to improve the day. This one was one of my favorites so far. Over the course of her investigation into a Jazz club murder, Phryne ends up out of her element which just shows how likable she is under all that sophistication.
September 12, 2020
My favorite of the series so far. I enjoyed the book better than the revised version in the televised series. The Australian lady detective is at a dance hall in the late 1920s when one of the men of the last remaining dance marathon couples drops dead at her feet. Her dance partner, Charles, disappears. Despite his reprehensible and over dramatic mother, she is on the case looking for Charles, who has gone into hiding, helps the winning dance couple get their prize, becomes a lover of jazz (both the music and a band member), and flies her Moth into the cold beyond looking for Charles’ brother who has not been seen since shortly after the Great War. Phryne Fisher is an independent, smart, and resourceful woman, who dresses fashionably, and has no qualms on picking up lovers in her pursuits nor allowing anything to stop her.
April 11, 2017
This book wins for the wombat ex machina alone.
Other than that, on a reread this felt a bit all over the place. There are two overlapping mysteries: one a murder, and one a disappearance. There’s two romances, one of which actually makes me feel kind of squicky inside now I think about it — it’s not often Phryne makes a judgement about who to sleep with that I really disagree with (heck, that’s the point of Phryne; she makes her own decisions)… but one of the two is certainly twisted in his morality, and Phryne does suspect that from the start. I don’t really get the appeal of him, either.
All the same, the book features Phryne being the delight she always is. She protects a queer friend-of-a-friend from the attentions of the vice squad, flies a plane solo to find someone, makes her own decisions and puts her foot down when she has to. The found family are more in the background in this one, given that the high point (ha) of the book is Phryne’s solo flight and her time with a man who has made himself almost a hermit — but of course, they do feature.
I’m left a bit befuddled by the way that the nastiness of people and their squiggly morality seems to be somewhat justified by the fact that it gives Nerine, a blues singer, some real blues to sing about. But I would like to hear her singing, from the descriptions…
Originally posted on my blog.
Other than that, on a reread this felt a bit all over the place. There are two overlapping mysteries: one a murder, and one a disappearance. There’s two romances, one of which actually makes me feel kind of squicky inside now I think about it — it’s not often Phryne makes a judgement about who to sleep with that I really disagree with (heck, that’s the point of Phryne; she makes her own decisions)… but one of the two is certainly twisted in his morality, and Phryne does suspect that from the start. I don’t really get the appeal of him, either.
All the same, the book features Phryne being the delight she always is. She protects a queer friend-of-a-friend from the attentions of the vice squad, flies a plane solo to find someone, makes her own decisions and puts her foot down when she has to. The found family are more in the background in this one, given that the high point (ha) of the book is Phryne’s solo flight and her time with a man who has made himself almost a hermit — but of course, they do feature.
I’m left a bit befuddled by the way that the nastiness of people and their squiggly morality seems to be somewhat justified by the fact that it gives Nerine, a blues singer, some real blues to sing about. But I would like to hear her singing, from the descriptions…
Originally posted on my blog.
July 22, 2018
Delightful, as always.
December 30, 2011
Rating: 2.5* of five
Okay, no adolescent girls in jeopardy this time, so I will continue reading the books.
Phryne does, however, interact with two more stereotypes: The neurasthenic, crying gay interior decorator and the outdoorsy, rough lesbian couple.
Try something a little less cardboard, Miss Greenwood. I am losing heart.
The structure of the book isn't great. The eponymous murder takes place, is investigated, and left unresolved. I think I know who did it, but I have no idea why...or at least none I can use as evidence in a court of law.
Phryne's journey into the Australian Alps is memorably described. It's made to sound quite lyrical. I still want to read more of these, and I will until I figure out why, given all the complaints I have, I still want to read the books. Not particularly heartily recommended.
Okay, no adolescent girls in jeopardy this time, so I will continue reading the books.
Phryne does, however, interact with two more stereotypes: The neurasthenic, crying gay interior decorator and the outdoorsy, rough lesbian couple.
Try something a little less cardboard, Miss Greenwood. I am losing heart.
The structure of the book isn't great. The eponymous murder takes place, is investigated, and left unresolved. I think I know who did it, but I have no idea why...or at least none I can use as evidence in a court of law.
Phryne's journey into the Australian Alps is memorably described. It's made to sound quite lyrical. I still want to read more of these, and I will until I figure out why, given all the complaints I have, I still want to read the books. Not particularly heartily recommended.
June 5, 2017
Let's see, what was my history with Miss Fisher before this book … I adore the Corinna Chapman series, and was surprised and impressed by Out of the Black Land, set in ancient Egypt. I did not, however, much enjoy the first Phryne Fisher novel, Cocaine Blues, for some reason. I think it was just discomfiture with the utterly unique and I-don't-careness of Miss Fisher, and her way of breezing in, solving things, sleeping with any attractive man, and breezing out. Still, loving the author, I stocked up on all the books, and have been nabbing them as often as possible on Netgalley. Oh, and I have been loving the Australian TV series, which is QUITE different in some ways. Looking for something reliable and quick, I landed on The Green Mill Murder, and – sure enough. I'm a convert.
Phryne Fisher is marvellous.
Kerry Greenwood, too.
I have to get this out of the way first: I've not read the three books in between Cocaine and Green Mill, so I don't know how the novels treat the relationship between Miss Fisher and Robinson ("Call me Jack"), but in the TV series Jack doesn't say "ain't" and doesn't use double negatives. This is not that Jack. That took some getting used to. I missed him. (I was also a bit startled by the appearance of a Mrs. Butler, but not in a bad way.)
And much as I enjoyed the episode based on this book, I’m kind of happy to say I enjoyed the book more. Characters' motivations were clearer, and the extra time I got to spend with them was appreciated. And there was no wombat in the episode.
The adventure into the Australian Alps and Phryne's time there (note the tap-dancing to avoid spoilers) were wonderful. "I've got a dog and a horse and all the silence in the world." I want that … I really want that, "Lovely and high and far away".
Oh well.
I always seem to learn something from these books; the origins of the words "jazz" and "ragtime" here are nice little bonus tidbits. And I'd never heard of a baby car before – by heck, they were smaller than Mini Coopers, and much as I want one of those I've never been sure I'd feel safe in one.
It's wonderful to have all those Phryne Fishers waiting for me.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
Phryne Fisher is marvellous.
Kerry Greenwood, too.
I have to get this out of the way first: I've not read the three books in between Cocaine and Green Mill, so I don't know how the novels treat the relationship between Miss Fisher and Robinson ("Call me Jack"), but in the TV series Jack doesn't say "ain't" and doesn't use double negatives. This is not that Jack. That took some getting used to. I missed him. (I was also a bit startled by the appearance of a Mrs. Butler, but not in a bad way.)
And much as I enjoyed the episode based on this book, I’m kind of happy to say I enjoyed the book more. Characters' motivations were clearer, and the extra time I got to spend with them was appreciated. And there was no wombat in the episode.
The adventure into the Australian Alps and Phryne's time there (note the tap-dancing to avoid spoilers) were wonderful. "I've got a dog and a horse and all the silence in the world." I want that … I really want that, "Lovely and high and far away".
Oh well.
I always seem to learn something from these books; the origins of the words "jazz" and "ragtime" here are nice little bonus tidbits. And I'd never heard of a baby car before – by heck, they were smaller than Mini Coopers, and much as I want one of those I've never been sure I'd feel safe in one.
It's wonderful to have all those Phryne Fishers waiting for me.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
July 16, 2015
The Green Mill murder by Kerry Greenwood is the 5th book in the Phryne Fisher Murder mystery series. Phryne is attending a dance competition at the Green Mill when one of the competitors is stabbed dead without anyone noticing anything. I enjoyed this book very much. I listened to the Audible versionwhich added to my enjoyment as the narrator did a wonderful job in bringing the different characters to life and also sung the jazz and blues songs. It also included an interview with the author at the end which gave us some insight of how the book came about and her inspirations for it. A terrific addition to the series.
March 28, 2021
“Well, well, pet, don’t take on. Corpses can happen to anyone, you know”
“Well, well, Miss Fisher, I ought to run you in for complicity; corpses bloom like daisies wherever you go, don’t they?”
Corpses do indeed seem to spring forth from where Miss Fisher goes; from the dance floor of Melbourne’s premier jazz club to the great frozen silence of the Australian Alps. Another enthralling entry to the series full of mystery and adventure set in Australia during the roaring 20’s.
“Well, well, Miss Fisher, I ought to run you in for complicity; corpses bloom like daisies wherever you go, don’t they?”
Corpses do indeed seem to spring forth from where Miss Fisher goes; from the dance floor of Melbourne’s premier jazz club to the great frozen silence of the Australian Alps. Another enthralling entry to the series full of mystery and adventure set in Australia during the roaring 20’s.
August 3, 2022
I fall more and more in love with Phryne Fisher with each passing tale. She is almost too many things to relate here, but mostly I love her because she feels real, well developed and constantly developing, a woman who could have and should have lived (and I am damn sure some Phrynes have always existed and continue to exist to this day).
Her complexity is what I look for in a good character, and her complexity makes every action she takes, every decision she makes, every risk, every piece of procrastination, every love and every hate utterly believable.
I never got very far on the TV version of Miss Fisher because it was pulled from Netflix just after I started (it might be back now ... I dunno), but having the brilliant narration of Stephanie Daniel breathing life into Phryne is more than enough for me. It may take me a while, but this is a series I expect to finish listening to.
Her complexity is what I look for in a good character, and her complexity makes every action she takes, every decision she makes, every risk, every piece of procrastination, every love and every hate utterly believable.
I never got very far on the TV version of Miss Fisher because it was pulled from Netflix just after I started (it might be back now ... I dunno), but having the brilliant narration of Stephanie Daniel breathing life into Phryne is more than enough for me. It may take me a while, but this is a series I expect to finish listening to.
September 3, 2025
3.5 stars
Not my favourite in the series but a good story that I enjoyed.
Not my favourite in the series but a good story that I enjoyed.
February 10, 2013
I'm wishing now that I wasn't reading these out of order, because this volume is much improved over the #2 and #3 that I have read. Greenwood slows down a bit in order to describe things more, and allow the characters (and readers) more time to absorb events rather than skip along just taking note of them.
The Great War continues to be a background theme - much as it was to Australian life at the time (the 1920s), I'm sure. It's more directly so here, as one of the key characters "had a bad war," as was the oblique way of putting it. With this man, the other major characters, and a number of minor characters all given enough time and attention to be a bit more (or a lot more) than ciphers, the book is definitely reaching for a higher level of quality than I found in the earlier volumes. Also, Greenwood finally brought up a topic that I was unsettled by not finding in the earlier books: birth control. Phryne does own a diaphragm, which (I looked it up) was in fact invented in the early 20th century and would have been available to a well-off young woman like Phryne.
Unfortunately, one of the mysteries goes unsolved or at least unexplained - I'm still not sure who murdered the guy at the Green Mill club. It was the other mystery, of the disappearing son and brother, that was thoroughly solved. I could wish, though, that the sudden villain at the end had given a few more indications that he was headed that way.
But there is a wombat. I could give the book an extra half-star just for the wombat.
The Great War continues to be a background theme - much as it was to Australian life at the time (the 1920s), I'm sure. It's more directly so here, as one of the key characters "had a bad war," as was the oblique way of putting it. With this man, the other major characters, and a number of minor characters all given enough time and attention to be a bit more (or a lot more) than ciphers, the book is definitely reaching for a higher level of quality than I found in the earlier volumes. Also, Greenwood finally brought up a topic that I was unsettled by not finding in the earlier books: birth control. Phryne does own a diaphragm, which (I looked it up) was in fact invented in the early 20th century and would have been available to a well-off young woman like Phryne.
Unfortunately, one of the mysteries goes unsolved or at least unexplained - I'm still not sure who murdered the guy at the Green Mill club. It was the other mystery, of the disappearing son and brother, that was thoroughly solved. I could wish, though, that the sudden villain at the end had given a few more indications that he was headed that way.
But there is a wombat. I could give the book an extra half-star just for the wombat.
September 2, 2012
Kerry Greenwood has done it again. In the Honorable Phryne Fisher's fifth outing in The Green Mill Murder, one of the contestants in a dance marathon collapses after having been stabbed in the heart and Phryne literally trips over him. Phryne's escort for the evening, Charles Freeman, an effete, selfish Momma's boy, is initially accused of the murder. Freeman's overbearing mother hires Phryne to clear her son.
Phryne solves the mystery of this death at the Green Mill, Melbourne's finest dance club, along with taking care of two other problems that emerge in The Green Mill Murder with her usual élan and perspicacity -- but only after a perilous plane trip, a search for a hermit believed long dead, and a trip deep into Snowy River country. The ending isn't just unexpected; it comes as quite a jolt.
The book is so excellent I devoured it in less than 24 hours. You won't regret another outing with the fabulous Phryne.
Phryne solves the mystery of this death at the Green Mill, Melbourne's finest dance club, along with taking care of two other problems that emerge in The Green Mill Murder with her usual élan and perspicacity -- but only after a perilous plane trip, a search for a hermit believed long dead, and a trip deep into Snowy River country. The ending isn't just unexpected; it comes as quite a jolt.
The book is so excellent I devoured it in less than 24 hours. You won't regret another outing with the fabulous Phryne.
November 10, 2017
Phryne Fisher ponovo leti! Za razliku od asfaltne džungle u kojoj se snalazi kao riba u vodi, naša neustrašiva detektivna ovaj put mora otpuhnuti prašinu sa svog vjernog Tiger Motha i odletjeti u ruralnu-pa i divlju australiju kako bi riješila slučaj nestalog bivšeg vojnika. Uz to dobijamo bljeskove iskustava njezinih orijatelja koji su prošli neke od najgorih klaonica Rata Koji Je Trebao Spriječiti Sve Ratove, a kao bonus tu je i nekoliko ljubavnih priča i jedno ubojstvo glazbom. Koje je Phryne riješila na kraju, samo mi nije jasno zašto neki komentari tvrde da je ubojstvo ostalo neriješeno.
June 24, 2015
The series is getting better with each book. The characters in this one really came to life, and I appreciated how the realities of WW1 came into it.
One BIG problem for those reading the hardcover version - THE LAST CHAPTER IS MISSING. Thus I only found out the murderer's identity and motive by reading Goodreads reviews. The publisher will send a pdf of the final chapter if a readers emails them for it, but I didn't know this until later.
One BIG problem for those reading the hardcover version - THE LAST CHAPTER IS MISSING. Thus I only found out the murderer's identity and motive by reading Goodreads reviews. The publisher will send a pdf of the final chapter if a readers emails them for it, but I didn't know this until later.
April 24, 2017
I give 5 stars for the series. Standing alone it may not be a 5, but if read in order you become invested in the characters and delight in their successes. I like Phryne. She's clever, accomplished, trampy and she cares deeply for those deserving. She's just the right amount of "flawed" to be real and likeable. In fact, I think I'd like to be her. :)
Ps. Don't tell anyone about the "trampy" side of me. :)
Australia 1928
Ps. Don't tell anyone about the "trampy" side of me. :)
Australia 1928
April 10, 2023
Don't remember if that was in this book, but there is a scene where Mis Fisher guesses who killed in the book she was reading and throws the book. I was using my kindle and didn't want to harm my reading buddy, but I guessed this one quite early too!
August 19, 2018
In this book it is 1928 and Phryne is attending a dance marathon when on the second day, one of the dancers collapses - dead! But not from exhaustion. With a murderer afoot, Phryne takes on the case, as well as the case of finding a jazz singer's husband, flying in her Gypsy Moth Rigel, and still finds the time to study the then short history of jazz. Accompanied with many quotes by the great W. C. Handy, who is known as 'The Father of the Blues'.
April 2, 2020
A very clever mystery. The main family Phryne works with here are just so unpleasant that it was not quite as fun a read.
April 28, 2021
Such fun
These books are so much fun. I really enjoy 1920’s Australia. Phryne is such a dynamic character and so ahead of her time. I’ll go flying with her anytime!
These books are so much fun. I really enjoy 1920’s Australia. Phryne is such a dynamic character and so ahead of her time. I’ll go flying with her anytime!
February 12, 2017
Phryne flies high!
Phryne is attending a dance marathon at a jazz club with 'a tedious but socially acceptable escort', Charles Freeman. Tintagel Stone the band leader leader and banjo player has a delectable pair of blue eyes. The last two marathon couples are exhausted but still dancing. One stumbles and falls--never to rise again. Phryne is flung headlong into murder, blackmail, missing persons, and a brief liaison--or two, although lamenting from time to time her anarchist lover met in Death at Victoria Dock.
The story ranges from St Kilda to the Australian Alps. Flying with Phyrne in her Tiger Moth through that area, up through Mansfield and on to Mount Howitt plains were highlights of the story. Having walked some of this area I was instantly transported back there, to the sights, smells and sounds. Thank you Kerry Greenwood! As Phyrne reflects when walking to a hut, 'this cold wilderness was utterly unfamiliar, but it did not feel hostile, just indifferent to her fate. If she fell off this path and was broken into a hundred pieces nothing up here would be one whit interested.'
Here are places where some find solace and others inspiration. The descriptions of this part of the world and the people, priceless! As Phyne says, 'they did not talk much and therefore liked to give every word its proper weight. She reflected that a writer might find this touching. Words were seldom given the respect they deserved.' (I loved this last sentiment)
The war references--Gallipoli and Pozières, and the effect of these battles on the veterans as always are stark reminders of the costs paid.
Enjoyable as always.
A NetGalley ARC
Phryne is attending a dance marathon at a jazz club with 'a tedious but socially acceptable escort', Charles Freeman. Tintagel Stone the band leader leader and banjo player has a delectable pair of blue eyes. The last two marathon couples are exhausted but still dancing. One stumbles and falls--never to rise again. Phryne is flung headlong into murder, blackmail, missing persons, and a brief liaison--or two, although lamenting from time to time her anarchist lover met in Death at Victoria Dock.
The story ranges from St Kilda to the Australian Alps. Flying with Phyrne in her Tiger Moth through that area, up through Mansfield and on to Mount Howitt plains were highlights of the story. Having walked some of this area I was instantly transported back there, to the sights, smells and sounds. Thank you Kerry Greenwood! As Phyrne reflects when walking to a hut, 'this cold wilderness was utterly unfamiliar, but it did not feel hostile, just indifferent to her fate. If she fell off this path and was broken into a hundred pieces nothing up here would be one whit interested.'
Here are places where some find solace and others inspiration. The descriptions of this part of the world and the people, priceless! As Phyne says, 'they did not talk much and therefore liked to give every word its proper weight. She reflected that a writer might find this touching. Words were seldom given the respect they deserved.' (I loved this last sentiment)
The war references--Gallipoli and Pozières, and the effect of these battles on the veterans as always are stark reminders of the costs paid.
Enjoyable as always.
A NetGalley ARC
July 16, 2018
This book is the one that differs the MOST from an episode of the TV show (that I've read - and yes I get that it's only No. 5 but still). I purposely re-watched the episode before starting the audiobook (and stellar narration as always). The basic premise starts more or less the same - dancing at a Jazz club and witnessing a murder - and the method of the murder and the murderer are all the same but that's pretty much where the similarities end. There are of course many side plots in the story that would not have fit into the show but the the main thing that stood out to me is that Phryne's partner Charles is MUCH more disagreeable in the book (and that does play a role in the plot). My favorite part is WOM <3 <3 <3
March 6, 2018
Quite liked this one as well. These are nice short, frothy reads. I can see why they changed the plotline of this particular mystery when they adapted it for TV though,
I do like a lot of the minor characters in this though.
I do like a lot of the minor characters in this though.
June 12, 2022
One of the rare cases where I actually prefer the changes the TV show made in the adaptation of this book, which cut out a bit of the quite excessive drama. But otherwise, a stellar Phryne story featuring a murder at a dance marathon, blackmail, a shell-shocked veteran starting over in the wilderness Phryne needs to find, and this time TWO love interests for the lady detective. She really knows how to keep busy, our Phryne.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 685 reviews