Raisins and Almonds (Phryne Fisher Mysteries)

I discovered this series a couple years ago on NetFlix. The whole series of books has been turned into an Australian TV show and I've watched all 3 seasons multiple times on NetFlixUS. But I hadn't read any of the books so when I saw this at NetGalley, I promptly requested it. I was actually hesitant to read it because I love the TV show so much, what if I didn't like the books or liked them not as much? Well, I didn't love this but I did enjoy it. The TV episode based on this book was pretty true to the source so I was already familiar with much of the story.

Phryne gets involved in the investigation of a young Jewish man, trying to clear woman accused and hunt up the true killer. In the process, she takes a young, slightly naive, Jewish man as a lover and learns quite a lot about Zionism. It was interesting seeing the discussion from a different perspective, specifically Australian, as I really only know the American perspective. Greenwood does go into a lot of detail, not all of it necessary, and that did bog the story down at times. The actual mystery is second fiddle to the Zion story line though it took me a while to realize that with everything that was happening.

For me, the best parts of the story were the characters themselves; Phryne, Dot, Jack, Hugh, etc. including a few who got chopped from the TV show but are regulars, apparently, in the books. Surprise! :D I enjoyed seeing, or in some cases meeting, them in book form and getting to understand them better. The characters who appear just in the story, such as Miss Lee, and Simon were also interesting though Simon could have been fleshed out more. I loved that Miss Lee, like Phryne, was a resourceful and independent woman, happily making her own way in the world. These women are no shrinking violets! And Phryne has a healthy sexual appetite that is respectfully handled. I was glad to see that she could be gentle with an inexperienced young man. She really does have a knack for handling people.

While the story, and mystery, didn't wow me, I enjoyed the people, the setting, and the details. I liked it enough that I now have two more Miss Fisher re-releases on my Kindle thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood is the ninth book in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Phryne Fisher is enjoying the Foxtrot Competition run by the Jewish Young People’s Society with Simon Abrahams. While the judges are debating on who won the competition (best couple versus best Jewish couple), Phryne is asked to meet with Simon’s father, Benjamin Abrahams. Benjamin wishes to hire Phryne to help Miss Sylvia Lee, owner of Lee’s Books. Miss Lee has been accused of murdering Simon Michaels, a frequent customer, in her shop. Phryne goes over the crime scene and is certain Miss Lee is innocent of the crime. Phryne dives into a new world with this investigation. She must enter the Jewish community to find out more about the victim and tangle with a difficult Rabbi when she needs a Hebrew translation. Phryne is soon knee deep in Yiddish, Zionism, the Jewish cultural, alchemy, and so much more. Phryne with the help of Bert, Cec, the Butlers, Dot and Jack will prove Miss Lee’s innocence and capture the killer.

Raisins and Almonds lets readers join Phryne Fisher on another adventure. I enjoyed the descriptions of Phryne’s gorgeous frocks (I would love her wardrobe). Most of the story was easy to read, but some parts were more difficult. The sections on alchemy, Zionism, chemistry and the Jewish religion were tedious (they will put a person to sleep). Ms. Greenwood needs to find a way to incorporate the information into the story in a more engaging manner (instead it feels like I am in a lecture hall with a professor who talks in a monotone voice). I do commend the author on her excellent research. The book does have good, snappy dialogue. I give Raisins and Almonds 3 out of 5 stars. The mystery was easily solved early in the book. Two tiny little bits of information provide the killers identity. The method of murder was not difficult to figure out. It was no surprise when the solution was revealed. I liked how Phryne’s home life is developing. A puppy joins the family thanks to Phryne’s wards. In Raisins and Almonds, I enjoyed the cozy elements more than the mystery (which everyone knows is not the norm for me).

Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood is book number nine in the Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries series. This is one of my very favorite series to read and also watch on TV. Having said that if you enjoy reading books with a strong female character then this book is for you. Miss Phryne Fisher is a confident and modern woman who enjoys life to its fullest. She is a lady detective who is unconventional to say the least.....
A young Jewish man dies under mysterious circumstances while visiting a local bookstore. The police determine that the owner, a woman named Miss Sylvia Lee is the perpetrator and arrest her. Miss Fisher is hired to attempt to prove her innocence. She enlists the assistance of her companion, Dot along with Bert and Cec. While Miss Fisher's lover, Lin is away she is smitten with a young man of Jewish faith which aids her in understanding more about the Jewish faith and customs. As Phryne and her "lot" continue to investigate Police Detective Jack Robinson even begin to question their previous assumption as to Miss Lee's guilt. As the book moves along the reader is entertained with the antics of Miss Fisher and her adventures. She is a woman who thoroughly enjoys pushing the boundaries! The lavish costumes Miss Fisher wear conceal the gun she carries and she does know how to use.This book contains details about the Jewish faith and customs which give the reader a better understanding of the barriers that Jews face.. Miss Lee's fate lies in the hands of Phryne and her group of friends to prove her innocence or can she before time runs out?
I enjoy reading books in this series because of the returning main characters they bring back in each one. The lavish descriptions of Phryne's clothes and the adventures in which Miss Fisher gets herself into. Also, the other side of Miss Fisher is glimpsed on occasion such as her two adopted daughters and her loyalty to her friends. I
I gave this book five stars and enjoyed reading the further adventures of Miss Fisher and her lot attempt to solve this crime. While this book can be read as a stand alone, I encourage you to read the previous books to give the reader more insight into the characters and Miss Fisher. I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Raisins and Almonds is a typical Phryne Fisher mystery, but somewhat more cerebral. Evidence of that is found in the inclusion of a bibliography reflective of the author’s research and a glossary of Yiddish words. This mystery is strongly tied into the Jewish community that settled in Australia, the politics of Zionism, and a sub-sect focused on alchemy. Phryne has to do a lot of research in addition to her usual methods of sleuthing in order to find the murderer of a young Jewish scholar and free an innocent bookseller from prison.

Greenwood excels in this book in three ways. She uses the supporting characters to good advantage in solving the mystery as she sends her adopted daughters, her assistant Dot, and friends Bert and Cec out on different missions which play to their strengths. Phryne and Jack agree on the bookseller’s innocence enabling them to cooperate in their separate missions to solve the mystery. The ending of Raisins and Almonds is a fun surprise which wraps up the mystery and the title quite satisfactorily.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I will give each book in the Phryne Fisher series basically the same comments. A friend introduced me to the series by author Kerry Greenwood and I enjoyed them all. They are light and fairly fast reading tho the plot can get a bit slow in parts. The books themselves are "thin" so you feel as if you won't be spending hours getting halfway through the plot. The heroine, Ms. Fisher, is a funny, clever, and quick-witted character with a vocabulary to match (i.e., have you ever heard of "cami-knickers?" :o). The beginning chapters mention how she got to where she is (i.e., a wealthy and influential socialite who is also a self-proclaimed investigator), but it's quick and clean, unlike so many books where entire chapters are taken up reviewing the backstory to the book. Consequently, you don't have to read each book sequentially, though when changes happen, such as a marriage or death, the author spends time in character and plot development. If you feel that you must have this background, then read them in sequence, but as stated earlier, this isn't mandatory. In summary, this is an enjoyable series of books that won't take a lot of time or brain power with many characters and multiple plot twists - just a good, 'ol fashioned time reading!

Many of the historical mystery novels that I read also serve as a window into another world and as an in-depth history class. Most of what I know of Ancient Rome has been culled from the Marcus Didius Falco novels by Lindsey Davis; I have learned so much about the world in the 1920s -- be it Great Britain, Palestine, North Africa -- from the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes series penned by Laurie R. King; everything I know about China's Tang Dynasty I learned from Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee mystery novels. So I appreciate a well-crafted novel that interweaves history into a whodunit.

Unfortunately, that's not "Raisins and Almonds." It's not that author Kerry Greenwood can't effectively and smoothly splice history lessons into her Phryne Fisher novels: She's done so in the past, particularly in Death at Victoria Dock: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, which examined anarchism in 1920s Australia, and The Green Mill Murder: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, which provides a glimpse into life in the untamed, breath-taking Snowy River country during the same time period. However, in "Raisins and Almonds," Greenwood is so taken with teaching us about the Kabbalah, medieval Jewish mysticism, kosher dietary laws, early Zionism and Jews in early 20th century Australia that the history lesson gets in the way of the story. Greenwood even provides a Yiddish glossary at the end of the novel, a two-page bibliography "[i]f anyone would like to duplicate my research" (uh, what's the likelihood of that???) and spends a painstaking two pages elucidating the difference between a schlemiel and a schlimazl, for heavens' sake! At times, the Jews emerge as stereotypes (e.g., Julia Abrahams, the mother of Phryne's newfound Jewish lover, as the archetypical suffocating Jewish mother and Rabbi Elijah as the unapproachable Kabbalah mystic). Greenwood's depiction of virgin Simon Abrahams as a fascinating lover is more part and parcel of Greenwood's adolescent fascination with early 20th century Australian Jewry. Seriously, how probable is it that the experienced and experimental Phryne Fisher is going to be impressed by a mama's boy who has never been with a woman? Greenwood is so determined to provide a glowing portrait of the resilient and adaptable Ashkenazi Jews of early 20th century Australia in "Raisins and Almonds" that, ironically, they emerge as two-dimensional characters.

For those interested in a more three-dimensional -- and better interwoven -- portrayal of Jews in history than you'll get in "Raisins and Almonds," please try Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur series about Jews in 12th century Paris; Ariana Franklin's excellent Mistress of the Art of Death, which elucidates the lives of Jews in 12th century Sicily and England; King's and Dorothy and Sidney Rosen's Belle Appleman series, which is set in Depression Era Boston. As with the early Rabbi David Small novels of the late Harry Kemelman, Faye Kellerman's Rina Lazarus series, and King's Mary Russell novels, these provide an education about the Jewish way of life without swamping the mystery aspect of the novel.

Now, how does the mystery in "Raisins and Almonds" stack up? Even on that level, the novel, the ninth in the Phryne Fisher series, doesn't compare with any of Greenwood's previous novels. A yeshiva student who goes by the Anglicized name of Simon Michaels (actual name: Shimeon Ben Mikhael, an immigrant from Salonika) is poisoned while in a bookstore, and the proprietress gets the blame. A leader of the Jewish community (Simon Abrahams' father Benjamin) hires Phryne to catch the real murderer. As usual, Phryne enlists her faithful maid and companion, Dot Williams; her two "red ragger" pals, Cecil and Bert; and her adoptive daughters to help her discern who really killed Michaels. Usually, the result is a delightful and clever mystery; however, here Greenwood just seems to be going through the motions. You'll figure out how Michaels was poisoned long before Phryne or Detective Inspector John "Call me Jack, everyone does" Robinson do. The identity of the true murderer will, I admit, come as a surprise, and there's a suspenseful climax. Even so, without the unrelieved and clumsy history lessons, the pedestrian "Raisins and Almonds" might have risen to three stars, but no more. Raisins and Almonds is no Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Paperback)),Flying Too High : a Phryne Fisher Mystery,The Green Mill Murder: A Phryne Fisher Mystery or Blood and Circuses (Phryne Fisher Mysteries (Paperback)). If you're looking to skip one, this is the one.

Raisins and Almonds is the ninth novel in the popular Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood. With her lover Lin Chung in Shanghai, Phryne is enjoying the attentions of a beautiful Jewish boy, Simon Abrahams. But soon, his father summons her, not to reproach, but to hire her to solve a murder. Benjamin Abrahams' tenant, Miss Sylvia Lee, has been arrested for murder when a young Jew from Salonika dies of strychnine poisoning in her Eastern Market bookshop. Everyone who knows Miss Lee is convinced she is innocent, but DI Jack Robinson has no other suspect, so Phryne has to find the murderer if Miss Lee is to go free. Plenty of curious clues (a cut finger, missing rat poison, some unsaleable books, old parchment drawings with unknown symbols, mystery customers, poisoned birds) soon have Phryne on the trail of the murderer. As usual, she has the capable assistance of Bert and Cec, but this time Dot takes on a much bigger detection role than usual, and even Phryne's adopted daughters, Ruth and Jane, are enlisted to gather information. The Jewish aspect means lots of references to, and interesting information about, the Torah, Kosher food, Rabbis and Zionist politics, but alchemy and the Kabala are also touched on. There are quite a lot of Yiddish words, so a handy Yiddish glossary appears at the end. An interesting plot with a few red herrings, but, as usual, Phryne manages to tie up all the loose ends with style and panache. Another Greenwood winner.

I discovered Phryne via the television series and I've really enjoyed reading the books. Love the period setting- especially since it's in Australia-I always learn a bit. As always, the plot for this isn't too twisty, there's lots of humor, and Phyrne is just the most intrepid amateur out there! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You can read this in no time and if you haven't read any of the others, you'll be just fine. These novels are a delight.

First Sentence: The ranked books exhaled leather and dust, a comforting scent.

Private investigator, the Honorable Phryne Fisher, is hired by Benjamin Abrahams, a respected member of Melbourne's Jewish community. Miss Sylvia Lee is comfortable with her life as a single woman and owner of a bookstore. A man died suddenly in her shop, Sylvia has been arrested for murder and Mr. Benjamin, with his lovely son Simon, wants Phryne's help proving Sylvia innocent.

I want to be Phryne. She is smart, stylish, beautiful, sensual, independent, cleaver, caring and doesn't forget her roots of poverty even though she is now wealthy. Her life now includes a great cast of supporting characters; both those introduced in past books--I love that Dot, Phryne's maid, is coming into her own--and now Molly, the puppy. All the characters are wonderful, realistic, appropriate to the time and adding dimension to the story.

Greenwood creates a wonderful sense of, not only time and place, but social history. Here, we have the Jewish residents, information on alchemy, John Dee, the Torah and the Holy Kabala as well as Zionism and the desire for a Jewish homeland. Greenwood does an excellent job of combining the information into the story without it ever taking you out of the story.

I always enjoy Greenwood use of dialogue. Being set in 1920s Australia, I enjoyed figuring out the meaning of some idioms with which I was not previously familiar, such as "Phryne beguiled the rest of the afternoon."

The mystery itself is well done solved by legwork, logic and a wonderful bit of clever thinking on Phryne's part at the end. I was half right in figuring it out but love that I was only half right. This was another very good entry into a series I shall continue to enjoy.

When her Chinese lover Lin Chung leaves Australia on business in Shanghai, Phryne Fisher finds a handsome diversion, Simon Abrahams at a public dance hall. Soon afterward they compete at the Foxtrot Competition run by the Jewish Young People's Society in which Phryne is the exotic shiksa. They win the contest but lose the "heat" as Phryne is not a member. While much of the Braille Hall ballroom participants debate the ruling of the judges, Simon's Uncle Marek informs his nephew that his father Benjamin wants to meet his dance partner.

Benjamin asks Phryne for a favor. A different Simon, a Jew from Salonika was poisoned at Lee's Books New and Secondhand Shop. The evidence was swept away by the owner Miss Sylvia Lee and the certifying physician Dr. Stein. The police arrest Miss Lee, as the victim owed her money and she is the only person who could easily have slipped strychnine into his tea and clean the cup afterward. Phryne charges him 10 "oy" quid a day with the understanding that she will seek the truth which could be a Jew killing a Jew. As she investigates, Phryne digs deep into the Jewish community in Australia where chicken soup cures most everything and RAISINS AND ALMONDS are a tradition, but can either solve a murder with political implications?

The latest Phryne Fisher historical whodunit is a great period piece that brings to life the Jewish culture in Australia in the late 1920s. Phryne remains a unique protagonist who defies society rules for single women as she does what she wants flaunting society's restrictive dictates. The mystery is clever with a few twists and the way the sleuth finally figures out the case is brilliant as she understands human nature. Readers will appreciate this vivid deep mystery but never look at RAISINS AND ALMONDS the same way as before digesting Phryne Fisher's newest caper.

Harriet Klausner

The ninth book in the series now appears (publication in the US follows no order), bringing the Hon. Phryne Fisher into another world--that of the small but religious Yiddish population of Melbourne, Australia during the period between the two World Wars. We find her dallying with young Simon Abrahams, son of a wealthy Jew, exposing her to the language and culture of the world of refugees, rabbis, kosher cuisine, chicken soup, Kadimah, the Torah, Kabala and Maimonides.

Simon's father asks Phryne to investigate the strange death of a young religious student in a bookshop owned and operated by one Miss Lee in a property she rents from Simon's father. She is accused of the murder. Phryne follows the usual course in the investigation, using all her wiles and helpers--her maid Dot, Bert and Cec the Wobbly cab drivers and Inspector Robinson. The task is complicated by all kinds of considerations, including alchemy, mysticism and politics, including Zionism. Phryne has to learn all of the nuances, and even begins to speak a little Yiddish.

While a mystery, the story takes on a very different flavor from that of other novels in the series. It is not only entertaining in the customary manner of the other books in this series, but is informative and the unexpected descriptions of Yiddish culture are authentic.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (7/07)

Phryne Fisher's lover, Lin Chung, had been forced to travel to Shanghai to purchase silk. Handsome, Jewish Simon Abraham made a nice distraction for a while. Phryne and Simon entered a dance contest and would have won if Phryne had been Jewish. When a Jewish student was poisoned in "Lee's Books New and Secondhand," Simon's father Benjamin Abraham asked Phryne Fisher to investigate. Benjamin owns the building housing the bookstore. Miss Sylvia Lee ran a quiet and neat establishment. When the body was removed, Miss Lee swept and cleaned, bringing suspicion upon herself. Phryne agrees to look into the matter for ten quid a day. She warns Benjamin that she will tell him only the truth. It may be that a "Jew murdered a Jew." The investigation takes Phryne deep into the Jewish community, politics, and culture. Favorite characters return to assist Phryne with the investigation -- Bert, Cec, Dot and Detective Inspector Robinson.

Fans of Phryne Fisher will be elated that's she's back again in "Raisins and Almonds," by Kerry Greenwood. The setting is 1920s Australia. The Jewish people are in exile; passions run strong in the Roaring 20s. Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher is a strong, likeable character. She is a witty and clever hero. The cover of "Raisins and Almonds" is wonderfully done, capturing the attention of the reader at first glance. The plot draws the reader in. I found myself eagerly turning the pages to see what would happen next. The supporting characters add to the charisma of story. My favorite is Dot, Phryne's maid. I highly recommend "Raisins and Almonds" by Kerry Greenwood to fans of strong female characters and mysteries.

Book received free of charge

I dearly love this series. The heroine is brilliant, determined, accomplished, rich and gorgeous. Her associates are all intriguing. The time period and its concerns are deftly intertwined into a rollicking good story. What more can you ask for? Oh, right - she drives a Hispano-Suiza! Perfection ;)

This also followed the tv story fairly well. Phryne gets involved with a murder in the Jewish community that has to do with an invention, and betrayal. I was interested in the detailed description of the various philosophies and the discussions on a Jewish state. The way she solves the murder has to do with the title , this did not come out in the tv show. It was clever, one of the reasons I love these stories. It was a good story where all the characters are involved again and she adopts a puppy names, Molly.

This one is plain sweet. It moves more slowly than some of the other books. But once again, we visit a little know segment of Australia's colorful population, and see another adaptation to a different reality.
Almonds and Raisins... I loved it.

The ninth book in the series now appears (publication in the US follows no order), bringing the Hon. Phryne Fisher into another world--that of the small but religious Yiddish population of Melbourne, Australia during the period between the two World Wars. We find her dallying with young Simon Abrahams, son of a wealthy Jew, exposing her to the language and culture of the world of refugees, rabbis, kosher cuisine, chicken soup, Kadimah, the Torah, Kabala and Maimonides.

Simon's father asks Phryne to investigate the strange death of a young religious student in a bookshop owned and operated by one Miss Lee in a property she rents from Simon's father. She is accused of the murder. Phryne follows the usual course in the investigation, using all her wiles and helpers--her maid Dot, Bert and Cec the Wobbly cab drivers and Inspector Robinson. The task is complicated by all kinds of considerations, including alchemy, mysticism and politics, including Zionism. Phryne has to learn all of the nuances, and even begins to speak a little Yiddish.

While a mystery, the story takes on a very different flavor from that of other novels in the series. It is not only entertaining in the customary manner of the other books in this series, but is informative and the unexpected descriptions of Yiddish culture are authentic.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (7/07)

Phryne Fisher's lover, Lin Chung, had been forced to travel to Shanghai to purchase silk. Handsome, Jewish Simon Abraham made a nice distraction for a while. Phryne and Simon entered a dance contest and would have won if Phryne had been Jewish. When a Jewish student was poisoned in "Lee's Books New and Secondhand," Simon's father Benjamin Abraham asked Phryne Fisher to investigate. Benjamin owns the building housing the bookstore. Miss Sylvia Lee ran a quiet and neat establishment. When the body was removed, Miss Lee swept and cleaned, bringing suspicion upon herself. Phryne agrees to look into the matter for ten quid a day. She warns Benjamin that she will tell him only the truth. It may be that a "Jew murdered a Jew." The investigation takes Phryne deep into the Jewish community, politics, and culture. Favorite characters return to assist Phryne with the investigation -- Bert, Cec, Dot and Detective Inspector Robinson.

Fans of Phryne Fisher will be elated that's she's back again in "Raisins and Almonds," by Kerry Greenwood. The setting is 1920s Australia. The Jewish people are in exile; passions run strong in the Roaring 20s. Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher is a strong, likeable character. She is a witty and clever hero. The cover of "Raisins and Almonds" is wonderfully done, capturing the attention of the reader at first glance. The plot draws the reader in. I found myself eagerly turning the pages to see what would happen next. The supporting characters add to the charisma of story. My favorite is Dot, Phryne's maid. I highly recommend "Raisins and Almonds" by Kerry Greenwood to fans of strong female characters and mysteries.

Book received free of charge

I dearly love this series. The heroine is brilliant, determined, accomplished, rich and gorgeous. Her associates are all intriguing. The time period and its concerns are deftly intertwined into a rollicking good story. What more can you ask for? Oh, right - she drives a Hispano-Suiza! Perfection ;)

This also followed the tv story fairly well. Phryne gets involved with a murder in the Jewish community that has to do with an invention, and betrayal. I was interested in the detailed description of the various philosophies and the discussions on a Jewish state. The way she solves the murder has to do with the title , this did not come out in the tv show. It was clever, one of the reasons I love these stories. It was a good story where all the characters are involved again and she adopts a puppy names, Molly.

This one is plain sweet. It moves more slowly than some of the other books. But once again, we visit a little know segment of Australia's colorful population, and see another adaptation to a different reality.
Almonds and Raisins... I loved it.

Raisins and Almonds is another thoroughly enjoyable entry in the Phryne Fisher series of mysteries--if you've never read one, you're in for a treat. Phryne is an independently wealthy, strong-minded, luxury and glamour-loving, free thinking young woman ahead of her times--and the times (1920s Australia) are always an integral part of the story. Not only is Phryne the type of heroine that many people would love to be in real life (not possible, unless one is a peeress), but the secondary cast of characters are always deftly drawn.

In this outing, Phryne investigates a murder that may have ramifications for the Jewish population of Sydney. Social commentary is gently mixed with the mystery, and a good time is had by all.

If you haven't tried Phryne.....this is a good place to start. (This is one series that doesn't suffer unduly if read out of order.)

I am in love. Kerry Greenwood's 'Raisins and Almonds'. I don't know the lady from Eve, but now I've met her writing I am a lifelong fan. Seriously, if you need a break -- with wry but kind intelligence, humor, and writing so technically flawless it could be mistaken for a piece of fluff except that it isn't, any more than a really good soufflé is just a matter of eggs and air -- pick up her book. I was exhausted and she was restorative.