Murder in Montparnasse: Summary and book reviews of Murder in Montparnasse by Kerry Greenwood, plus links to an excerpt from Murder in Montparnasse and a biography of Kerry Greenwood.
Murder in Montparnasse A Phryne Fisher Mystery
by Kerry Greenwood
Hardcover: Jun 2004,
276 pages.
Paperback: Mar 2006,
266 pages.
Always enticing in divine twenties fashion, Phryne, one of the most exciting and likeable heroines in crime writing today, leads us through a tightly plotted maze of thrilling adventure set in 1920s Australia.
Seven Australian soldiers, carousing in Paris in 1918, unknowingly witness a murder and their presence has devastating consequences. Ten years later, two are dead...under very suspicious circumstances.
Phryne's friends, Bert and Cec (sometimes cabbies and sometimes men for hire), appeal to her for help. They were part of this group of soldiers in 1918 and they fear for their lives and for those of the other three men. It's only as Phryne delves into the investigation that she, too, remembers being in Montparnasse on that very same day.
While Phryne is occupied with memories of Montparnasse past and the race to outpace the murderer, she finds troubles of a different kind at home. Her lover, Lin Chung, is about to be married; and the effect this is having on her own usually peaceful household is disastrous....
The year is 1928, the setting St Kilda - a fashionable town close to Melbourne,
Australia, with many flashbacks to Paris in 1918. Phryne Fisher (pronounced Fry-knee, to rhyme with
briny) is faced with two puzzles - the disappearance of a young woman about to marry a much older man and the death of two ex-soldiers that have been written off as accidental, but are anything but. When clues lead to Paris during WWI, Phyrne (who served as a volunteer ambulance driver towards the end of the war) finds memories from her past coming back to haunt her with a vengeance.
The first Phryne Fisher mystery , Cocaine Blues, was published in
Australia in 1989, and there are now a total of 14 books in this popular series;
but this, the 12th in the series, is the first to be available in the
USA. Although this book is a complete story in its own right, I
can't help feeling a little short changed coming into the series at this point
because by now Phryne is surrounded by a broad compliment of dubious friends,
professional acquaintances, adopted family, animals and general hangers-on; each
of which, I feel sure, will have had a leading role in one or more earlier
books.
Nevertheless, if you enjoy a good mystery, I recommend you browse Murder in
Montparnasse. As Library Journal writes, 'a most charming, sexy, independent, and candid heroine; clever, literate dialog; and closely woven plotting will win immediate fans for this debut series.'
On a lighter note, let me leave you with a few of Phyrne Fisher's sayings, and encourage you to browse this fun book for yourself.
It is acceptable to kiss and tell, more acceptable to kiss and not tell, but entirely improper to tell and not kiss.
Smile sweetly and carry a hatpin.
A man in the kitchen is worth two in a dance-hall.
Media Reviews
Publishers Weekly
While the narrative's prime twist stems from an artificial device, and the main villain's identity is too obvious, the charm of the setting and the characters more than compensates.
Booklist - Jenny McLarin
Brimming with glamour, high life, and a hint of debauchery, Greenwood's series delivers a literary glass of champagne, lifting readers' spirits while tickling their fancies.
Library Journal
A most charming, sexy, independent, and candid heroine; clever, literate dialog; and closely woven plotting will win immediate fans for this debut series.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Cloggie Downunder Phryne fans will love it! Murder in Montparnasse is the twelfth book in the popular Phryne Fisher series by Australian author, Kerry Greenwood. A request from the French chef/owner of Café Anatole to locate a missing prospective young bride has Phryne thinking back to her... Read More
Maisie is as intelligent and engaging a sleuth as one might desire: the period touches, from clothing to manners, are not only elegantly presented but unostentatious.
The first installment in a wonderful new series that follows the exploits of Benoît Courrèges, a policeman in a small French village where the rituals of the café still rule.
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