I owe you all a confession, I've been missing Phryne. You know, that sassy Private Lady Detective from 1920s Melbourne. The Hungarian TV aired the last episode of series 3 of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries a couple of weeks ago and then, she disappeared. However, about a week ago, I spotted her on her way to Williamstown and I followed her there, discovered Williamstown with her, saw it, smelt it, and felt its breeze and sun on my skin.

I read Murder in Williamstown by Kerry Greenwood as a DRC.* It's full of deduction, a cheeky sense of humour, some midnight fright and late-night chases. It's not without a heart and female tact. I even feel sorry for some wretched wrongdoer, since I'm a bit shocked by the hypocrisy of the era.

They all approve; Sherlock even seems a tad bit jealous of Phryne's looks.

https://hu.pinterest.com/pin/468515167501416918/

Sherlock, Poirot and Marple would all approve of Phryne and her family's sleuthing methods. The readers eat some red herrings ;), as for the characters, they prefer the roast. Phryne's sidekicks are her three adopted children, Ruth, Jane and a boy, Tinker, and Dot, her assistant. The most daring and capable of them is Tinker. The least exciting sidekick is Dot, for me, she is more relatable in the show. I like it how she blooms there even in beige and brown; it's a true coming-of-age story for her.

The novel touches on some crucial social issues, yet it's more of a guilty pleasure reading, I'm going to tag it as "escapism." All the characters are annoyingly beautiful except Bert, a taxi driver, and a villain. However, I do accept that Phryne should be a beautiful bad*ss, since she carries on sleuthing even when her beau faints.

As I imagine Bert and his ciggie.

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Reading this novel feels pretty much like being transported back to another era. I feel indignant about the broken opium pipe hurting the foot of a horse as if it happened the other day. I've stopped being surprised by the cumbersome starting of the Hispano-Suiza and fear the speed just like Dot and Jane. The budding linguist in me is enchanted by the slang.

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Content warning: there's an explicit sexual scene, but you know, she's Phryne.

*Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sending this book for review consideration. I read a DRC. All opinions are my own.

My cover image: https://hu.pinterest.com/pin/468515167501416901/