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In this 18th of one of my favorite series, the intrepid Phryne packs up her family and heads off to Queenscliff on vacation, having been loaned a seaside house by the friend of a friend, complete with cook and butler. The only problem upon arrival is that there's no one there - the servants have vanished, leaving behind all their things, and the person who lent the house is unreachable. Phryne was looking forward to a rest and a quiet vacation, but things (of course) don't turn out that way. So she and her two adopted daughters Jane and Ruth and her companion Dot roll up their sleeves and set out to clean up and set up the house so they can recoup some of their vacation. They work hard at it and get some help from the townsfolk, and finally everything seems fine - it's summer, they're at the seaside, and the little house is really rather nice. But although Queenscliff is supposed to be just a quiet place on the coast of Victoria, they find that a great deal is going on just under the surface. The tales of pirate smugglers and lost loot seem to be the sort of thing that's required of a holiday at the seaside, but it slowly comes clear that there might be rather a bit more substance to the old stories. Phryne meets some extraordinarily odd neighbors along the way (surrealists, attempting to be oh-so-avant-garde) and also a really nasty one, a cruel old lady with a parrot called Pussykins, and her much-put-upon companion who just might have the last laugh. There are many plot threads, a light touch, and a fast pace, making it a fun read. Not recommended as your first of the series, however, as in my opinion you need to have a bit more back-story about Phryne and her family to catch the emotional nuances. Although enough is offered for the reader to understand Ruth's growth, it helps with the richness of the story if you've already invested emotionally in the characters. And it's not clear just when this story takes place as no dates are given, unusual as Greenwood usually heads the first chapter with one. The previous book was set in early 1929 and if their vacation is mid-summer in Australia, that would make it February, 1929. I always enjoy "visiting" with Phryne and friends, and this solid story is no exception, even though it isn't one of the best in this long series. On the surface the plot is fairly straightforward: Phryne goes on vacation, and mayhem follows, nobody is surprised, everybody pulls together, and everything "comes right" at the end. It's another fun trip for fans even though some of the regulars are missing, which detracts for me, as I enjoy all the vast cast around her home in Melbourne, but there are a couple of new, very interesting characters here as well, with the most memorable a really nasty old lady. Greenwood's sharp satire cuts through the treacle and makes for a lovely read. DEAD MAN'S CHEST appears on the Ned Kelly Award longlist of nominees for Best Novel (2011). §Abbey Hamilton loves New England, her cats, yarn, and old-fashioned murder mysteries, and isn't shy about offering her opinions, usually at great length.
Reviewed by Abbey Hamilton, May 2011
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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