Death at Victoria Dock (Phryne Fisher Mysteries)

By now, the main characters are well established. Phryne (Fry-knee) is a bit of a slut or a liberated woman, depending on point of view. A bit stereotypical - one set of behavior for the rich and another for the masses. That said, the plots are always enjoyable. These make great summer or travel reads.

Having read the first three Phryne Fisher books I found this one a bit disappointing. It was political in nature and even though the story was good, I just wasn't that enjoyable. However I still plan on reading the next book in the series.

2 mysteries in one "Death at Victoria Dock " is a great addition to the mythos of Phryne Fisher. Set in the roaring twenties in Australia, Phryne is thrust into the world of anarchists when she stumbles across a dying "beautiful young man."

This is the second Miss Fisher novel I have read (the first was "Murder on the Ballarat Train") and probably the last, at least for a while. I was initially attracted by the straight forward writing style and the basic and not overcomplicated mystery. However, this is overbalanced by the gratuitous sex and strange antics of the heroine.

This story concerns Latvian anarchists in 1928 Melbourne, Australia, and is a bit far fetched with seances revealing past secrets and tattoos. Enough for now.

Phyrne Fisher- so clever - the spirit of the rip ,roaring 20's in Melbourne Australia. so many more of this series to delight in,

also recommend the Tv series- the costumes, the sexy sleuth, and the jazz A Delight

Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood is the fourth A Phryne Fisher Mystery. It is 1928 in Melbourne, Australia. The Honorable Phryne Fisher is driving home late one night when her windshield is shot out. Someone is shooting at her. Phryne sees two men fleeing and another man on the ground. She quickly stops the car and runs to his aid. The man whispers a few words to Phryne before succumbing to his wounds. The young man was only seventeen years old and did not deserve to die. Phryne promises to find the men who killed him. This pledge will lead Phryne to anarchists, a socialist bookshop, a tattoo parlor (where Phryne shocks the men within), a “spiritualist”, and Peter Smith (if you know Phryne, I bet you can guess where Peter will end up). But what happens when the anarchists take Dot Williams, Phryne’s companion? Phryne must split her time between finding the young man’s killer and her latest case. Mr. Waddington-Forsythe’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Alicia has been missing for three days. He would like Phryne to locate her quickly and discreetly. According to Phryne’s two adoptive daughters, Alicia was not well liked at The Presbyterian Ladies College. Alicia collected secrets which she then entered into her purple leather diary. Did Alicia threaten to spill someone’s secret? Phryne will need all her investigating abilities and the help of her friends to solve these two cases.

Death at Victoria Dock is a well-written and engaging mystery novel. I love the character of Phryne Fisher. Phryne is an intelligent, vibrant and witty woman (she is full of life). Phryne is a woman who does not let anything stand in her way (I admire her). The novel has just the right amount of humor and romance. I give Death at Victoria Dock 4.25 out of 5 stars. The novel is a quick and easy read. The book has a good pace (except in a couple of spots) and two good mysteries (one is more complex than the other). Death at Victoria Dock can be read as a stand-alone book. All the information a reader needs is provided within Death at Victoria Dock. You might, though, upon completion find yourself hunting out the other novels in A Phryne Fisher Mystery series. I do wish that Detective Inspector Jack Robinson had been included in this story. I will definitely be reading more books in A Phryne Fisher Mystery series.

When Phryne Fisher finds herself in the middle of a murder scene culminating in a beautiful young man with an anarchist tattoo dying in her arms, she is determined to discover who is responsible. At the same time, a young classmate of Phryne’s adopted daughter goes missing and she is hired to find her. The two plots run simultaneously for much of the novel although they are not connected. But they both lead Phryne into some very dark territory, one into a sinister plot to rob a bank and the other into some shocking family secrets.

Death at Victoria Dock is the fourth in the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries series by author Kerry Greenwood and the first that I have read although it is not my first introduction to them – it has been made into a TV series, one of my favourites, and the reason I wanted to read the books. This is a very enjoyable entertaining cozy mystery with a nice touch of humour and Phryne is a strong, independent, and resourceful protagonist. Although this is one of a long series, I found it worked well as a stand-alone and I liked it enough to want to read more in the series.

3.5

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

I was introduced to the lovely Phryne Fisher book series by the TV series. However, I just must point out that, despite liking the books my heart has been captivated by the TV series and I deeply, very deeply miss Detective Inspector Jack Robinson in this book. Now, he doesn't have a prominent role in the book series that have in the TV series and that is regrettable. At least that's how I feel.

Now, how about this book? I did enjoy reading this cozy mystery series. I quite like Phryne Fisher and those around her; her adopted daughters Jane and Ruth, and Bert and Cec that are working for her. And of course Dot, her assistant, and friend. In this book, we are also introduced to Hugh Collins who is playing a large part in Dot's life in the TV series. It will be interesting to see the book's version of their relationship. I did feel that the book's story was familiar, it has probably been made into an episode, but I didn't mind it because it was quite entertaining to read the book. Although I found the missing young girl a bit more interesting to read about than the dead anarchist. Not, that the storyline was uninteresting. I was just more intrigued by the lost girl and the secret she knew.

All and all, a nice interesting story and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books I have yet to read in this series!

I chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased!

This is the fourth in the PHRYNE FISHER series of comic mysteries set in Jazz Age Australia. There is a strong overall story arc to this series so it is best to read this series in order if at all possible.

Phryne is driving home one night past the docks when the windshield of her car is shot out, when she got out to inspect the damage she discovered a young man lying in the road, also shot. The young man dies in Phryne's arms, leaving her determined to find the killers and exact revenge upon them. Bloodied and shaken Phryne returns to her newly expanded household, where her housemaid/companion Dot and Mr and Mrs Butler have been preparing for the return of Phryne's recently adopted daughters from boarding school.

As if this isn't enough to occupy her time Phryne has taken on a case, an upset father has hired Phryne to locate his missing daughter but after speaking to the man Phryne is not convinced that the girl hasn't sensibly fled from her overbearing parent. Still, if Phryne is going to really take up private investigations she cannot expect to only work with people she likes.

Once again Phryne manages to blend adventures, romance and high fashion to solve all the problems facing her.

The mystery aspects to these stories is slight, although there may be a few twists that the reader didn't seen coming. The real attract here is Phryne, her many romances and her ever expanding 'family'.

Phryne is at her best in this compelling book, with several investigations going at once. I really like the way that Ms. Greenwood weaves the history of the period and the cultures from Europe, with Australian background and location. The repeating characters now seem like old friends. "Ms. Fisher" is a red blooded, lusty Australian woman with a lot of smarts and courage. We might see more Phryne-like women if she becomes a role model.

This fourth book in the Honorable Phryne Fisher mystery series begins when Phryne's beloved Hispano-Suiza's windshield is shot out and a young man dies in her arms while bloodying her divine ensemble. With his last breath he utters words that lead Phryne into a nest of communist anarchists with nefarious and dangerous plans. Then Phryne gets hired by a worried father with deep family secrets to locate his missing daughter. This installment of the series wasn't as light and easy to read as the previous ones. I enjoyed the wider cast of characters that were drawn into the plot, many returning characters from the previous books. This makes for a fun read even though the plot didn't quite entertain me as much as the previous books did. However, there were moments of burst-out-laughter from the wonderful use of language and descriptions. I would recommend this book highly.

A good read. A little mystery and some light-hearted fun. Enjoy the characters. I enjoyed the book as I do all of her books because the characters are really likable. The mysteries have both a darker and lighter side which keep you reading and enjoying the situations she gets herself into..

Kerry Greenwood manages a nice line in self-deprecating humour in this one, having Phryne go to bed with a murder mystery only to discard it "having guessed whodunnit by Chapter Three".

Either that or it's unintended irony!

No mystery at all to whodunnit as far as the murder at the eponymous docks, and none intended, and the minor mystery of the missing girl was just an excuse for some chick lit melodrama with hidden diaries, incest etc.

I'm increasingly of the view these are not meant to be bona fide mystery novels, but heaps of Aussies keep buying them (a baker's dozen of Phryne Fisher novels alone) so they must be popular with fans of other genres (and mostly sheilas, I reckon).

This bloke is bowing out at #4.