Queen of the Flowers

Kerry Greenwood (author)

Allen&Unwin, Australia: 2003; 275pp

ISBN: 1741142466

Genres: crime, mystery, historical fiction

Issues: relationships, social condition

The Hon. Phryne Fisher (pronounced fri-nee) is a very fashionable, glamorous, strong-minded and intelligent young woman. These are all excellent qualities in a private detective who specialises in difficult cases, ones that require a certain delicacy and the kind of social connections not available to even the most excellent of policeman.

Melbourne, 1928, can be a dangerous place for the innocent, especially young women - and it is a young woman who has gone missing.

Having been asked to perform as Queen of the Flowers in the Lord Mayor's parade, Phryne is concerned when one of her flower maidens disappears only a few days before the event. She is sure that the other girls know something about it but convincing them to share that knowledge is another matter entirely. Matters are further complicated by the disappearance of her adopted daughter, Ruth, apparently in search of her birth parents. When it becomes evident that she has, in fact, been kidnapped, Phryne becomes very angry - which is a good time for other people to become very cooperative unless they wish to find themselves sliced to pieces by her icy green gaze.

Greenwood is an outstanding writer and in Phryne Fisher has created a 1930s heroine who has a very contemporary attitude and personality. Not only is she incredibly beautiful, quick-witted, and brave, but she is as sexy and sassy as the best of today's heroines. Greenwood's novels are always exceptionally well-researched, packed with the little details that delight the imaginative reader. From fashion to food, from politics to people, Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries sweep the reader into a time when Melbourne was finding its feet as a centre for art, style and fashion.

Great fun, good light reading. Highly recommended.

Warning: explicit sex scenes