Bad to the Bones

by Kerry Greenwood (Editor), Adrienne Ross (Contributor), Duncan Richardson (Contributor)

Contents
Pelican Pocket by Coral Hartley
Along the Line by Pat Noad
Buried in Bulimba by Joy Loggie
The Troubled Tobacconist by Adrienne Ross
Riding by Moonlight by Duncan Richardson
Fool's Gold by Kimberley Starr
Of Pearls and Swine by Garrett Russell
The Kettle of Gold by Nancy Cox-Millner
Second Nature by Antonia Hildebrand
Murder at Finnisterre by Joan Eacott
A Federation Event by Ian Callinan
No Remorse by Jocelyn Hawes
Rats by Pat Noad
Tree of Silence by Margaret Hill
If at First by Brenda Cross
Herbie Naughton's Nugget by Angela Le Mare
Punch Drunk by Garrett Russell
Threepenny Pieces by Maureen Whitehead

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Kerry 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.

Reviews

[Cameron Trost · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bad to the Bones" is an anthology of short mystery and adventure tales inspired by Queensland's dark past. There are plenty of great tales in this book, from adventure tales about the escapades and schemes of gold diggers and bushrangers (like Riding by Moonlight by Duncan Richardson, Fool's Gold by Kimberley Starr, and Herbie Naughton's Nugget by Angela Le Mare) to noir (like Buried in Bulimba by Joy Loggie and Pelican Pocket by Coral Hartley). Every story hit the mark.

Of course, I have some personal favourites too. The Troubled Tobacconist by Adrienne Ross was reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, although it's not told from a detective's point of view, and admirably illustrated the Victorian era in Brisbane. Tree of Silence by Margaret Hill is a dark and poignant tale that will touch you.

The anthology was edited by Kerry Greenwood (of Phryne Fisher fame) and she did a great job. I only noticed one historical inaccuracy; the William Jolly Bridge is mentioned at a time when it was still called the Grey Street Bridge, but I only know this because my father, who is eighty-three years old, stills calls it by its original name.

So, a big thumbs-up from me. If you love short tales of crime, mystery, and adventure, you ought to get your hands on a copy of this anthology.