Miss Phryne Fisher is going on a well-deserved vacation,
along with her two adopted daughters, Jane and Ruth, her
faithful companion Dot, and her dog Molly. Driving at
breakneck speed, everyone is relieved to arrive in one
piece, but to an empty house. The caretakers are notably
absent, the kitchen has been emptied, and the artwork has
been moved in the cellar; what gives? Is this the way to
start a holiday? Queenscliff's constable Dawson is useless,
there's a phantom snipper after girls' braids, troublesome
schoolboys are up to mischief, the help is undependable, a
crew filming a movie on a presumed sunken treasure in the
area, and Dot's policeman boyfriend who is expected. At
least, nobody is dead...Yet.
I had loved the previous book, QUEEN OF
THE FLOWERS, but I adored DEAD MAN'S CHEST! Be still my
heart, the writing is stupendous! Ms. Greenwood has such a
remarkable way with words that I can hear Phryne's heels
clacking, her tone of voice, a lifted eyebrow, and all this
without the author ever mentioning the gesture; amazing! It
takes some real talent to make a reader nostalgic for the
Paris she has never known, that of the early Twentieth
Century. And the wit is delicious, and the images arresting:
how can you resist a gem such as a woman being "suicidally
blonde"? DEAD MAN'S CHEST is the sort of mystery that
creeps on you: while it seems that Phryne and her household
are settling in, several little occurrences and people, in
the end, have to do with the suspense, and you just never
see it coming. Kerry Greenwood's research and knowledge of
the 1920s is astonishing, and the bit about neighboring
surrealists is as wild as the movement itself; this is one
passage I will never forget! And a new character is
introduced: the wonderful Tinker; I hope he is there to
stay. There are too many wonderful things to say about this
book; every page is a literary treasure.
DEAD MAN'S CHEST is a marvel of creativity and ingenuity:
the author knows precisely where she is going, and without
any red herrings, comes up with incredible, and entirely
believable, plot twists. Phryne Fisher is beguiling and
redoubtable, and to watch her is an inspiration; who needs
James Bond when you have a heroine such as Miss Phryne
Fisher? She is an enchanting menace! DEAD MAN'S CHEST is a
classic to be savored and cherished; fabulous!
It's high summer in Melbourne—the ideal time, Phryne Fisher
thinks, to pack up the Hispano-Suiza and withdraw to the
quiet vacation town of Queenscliff, at the mouth of the Bay.
And yet, there is mystery and intrigue almost from the
moment of her arrival. The Johnsons, who staff the holiday
house, are nowhere to be found… along with much of the
home's contents. When their bedraggled dog shows up days
later, the Johnsons’ absence begins to look like something
more sinister. Between the missing staff, coastal smugglers,
daft surrealists and a pigtail thief, Phryne’s vacation is
proving to be anything but.
Dead Man’s Chest, set in the Australia of 1929, is the 18th
of Kerry Greenwoods much-loved Phryne Fisher mysteries.
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