Death in Daylesford is book 21 in the Phryne Fisher’s Mysteries series by Kerry Greenwood, published by Poisoned Pen Press. This time Miss Fisher is taking a holiday of sorts to visit a spa for WWI war veterans to consider donating to the cause. Mysteries seem to follow her and Dylesford and Hepburn Springs is no different. A murderer is on the loose specializing in killing victims at local crowded events, staging it as accidents. Women also seem to quietly disappear from farms in the area and Miss Fisher sets out to find what’s really going on in the beautiful Victoria spa country. At home in Melbourne Miss Fisher’s 3 adoptive children are solving their very own mystery, finding what happened to a drowned schoolgirl found floating in the harbor.
Main character is baron’s daughter Phryne Fischer who seems a confident woman who work as a private investigator. She seems to have a strong character and doesn’t care a jot that people might judge her for living a very different life from women of her time. I find that impressive, which makes her my favorite of this story.
Supporting character is Lady’s Maid Dorothy, Dot, Williams, who seems to take on a bland presence wearing beige/brown clothing at all times. She seems to have an interesting relationship to her boss, speaking to Miss Fisher like a servant when in public, but being friend and confidant in private. I found her likeable and dependable. Like the ideal practical kind of “female Watson”.
This is the first book I have read by Kerry Greenwood, and read it as a standalone. That worked out perfectly, but I wish I had read book 1 and maybe a few more from the start to get a grip on how Miss Fisher developed into the formidable, renowned character she is in book 21. In this book you kind of get a 2 for 1 deal as the plot reads like two separate mysteries. I loved the descriptions of prosperous Australian lifestyle of the 1920s. I have read a few contemporary books set in Australia before, but this one stood out with its historical setting, the colorful characters (apart from beige Dot) and the great writing; even funny in places. I’m very pleased there are so many more books in the series. The murder in the middle of a festival was an excellent dramatic element, but my absolute favorite was the fabulous surprise ending where the identity of the culprit took me totally by surprise.
I feel hooked by this series and is excited to see what the next book will be about. I recommend this one to readers who enjoy an excellently written historical mystery with a fabulous ending. Similar authors to explore might be Victoria Purman or Rosalie Ham. Thank you to #Poisoned Pen Press and #Edelweiss+ for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.
Conclusion: Death in Daylesford is the fabulous new story where Miss Fisher experiences murders in the middle of crowds and local women of Daylesford mysteriously go missing from their homes. Miss Fisher’s children work with Melbourne police to find what happened to a schoolgirl drowned in the harbor.
Rating: 4 stars / 5
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