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COCAINE BLUES
by Kerry Greenwood
Poisoned Pen Press, April 3006
326 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 1590582365


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

COCAINE BLUES is the first mystery in the Phryne Fisher series. Phryne is bored with life in London. She agrees to travel to Australia to look into the living situation of Lydia, a Colonel's daughter, who has married an Australian. The family believes that she looks ill every time she visits and are worried that the husband is poisoning her.

Phryne quickly jumps into the Australian social scene and meets Lydia. Lydia does indeed seem sick even when no one else in her household is. In addition, Lydia and her husband have an unusual relationship that Phryne cannot easily describe or understand.

During this trip, Phryne also finds herself helping the local police in hunting down an illegal abortionist, who is killing his patients through lack of medical training. This man has killed several women and it is time to put a stop to his actions.

Obviously these two crimes keep Phryne well occupied, although she does find a distraction in the form of a Russian dancer. Not only is he physically appealing, he also seems interested in stopping a cocaine smuggling ring. Phryne must juggle her time well in order to accomplish all she sets out to in this mystery.

This book sets the scene for Phryne Fisher's future adventures. Her independence and personal beliefs are well developed through the actions of this book. She is a firm believer in an individual's personal freedoms even when these freedoms are not necessarily approved by society.

Phryne's belief in self-gratification is also evident. She takes lovers at will, enjoys good clothing and perfumes and has a strong love of fast sporty cars. While Phryne is more than willing to assist those in need, it is always done on her own terms and in the manner that she believes best.

While I do not always enjoy this series, it is interesting to see how Phryne finds a place for herself in Australia. COCAINE BLUES shows how Dot came to work for Phryne, how Bert and Cec befriend her, how Phryne begins her working relationship with the police and how she selectively embraces members of the community. I would imagine that adding Phryne to the social scene probably made things very lively for Australian/British culture.

As this book proves, sometimes going back to read the first book in a series can be just as beneficial as reading a series in order.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, March 2006

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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