Whether you met her in one of the series on Public Television, or in one of the 21 earlier books by Kerry Greenwood, it's not surprising if you wish you ran into her more often. Australian sleuth Phryne Fisher is elegant, stylish, and a liberated woman of the 1920s. With her friends among the police and her ever-loyal assistant Dot, Miss Fisher exerts her lively curiosity and sharp wits to solve all sorts of murders and related crimes.
Book 22 in Kerry Greenwood's Miss Phryne Fisher series, THE LADY WITH THE GUN ASKS THE QUESTIONS, is a story collection crammed with delight. Only half of that pleasure involves the crimesolving -- the other half is the way Greenwood allows the stories to reveal her writing process and how she chooses her adventures. Her "Apologia" at the start of the collection offers:
As you will see, sometimes I try out some of the cast of a novel in a short story to see if they like me enough to stay for a whole book, there being a great difference between 3,000 and 85,000 words, and an author needs to pick her company if she has to give them house room for so long.
Greenwood follows this short introduction with a second, called "On Phryne Fisher," that reveals how she began the series. If you're already a fan of the books, some of this won't be new -- but it's still fascinating. For instance, "Because I wanted her to be a female wish-fulfillment figure, I wanted her to be like James Bond, with better clothes and fewer gadgets." Bingo! Greenwood adds, "She's a bold creature for the 1920s but not an impossible one. None of the things she does are out of the question for that brittle, revolutionary period." And then there's the author's insight on the balance that good historical fiction must convey: "Too much detail and the reader is bored. Too little and it fails to convince."
But of course, the whole point of this collection is to present the stories themselves. It's actually a republication of a 2007 group, with four brand new stories added, all set in 1929. The author admits she's done a light re-edit on the earlier stories to tidy up some loose ends -- and then explains more. "Hotel Splendide" is based on an urban myth first written down in the 1920s; "The Vanishing of Jock McHale's Hat" was written for a Christmas collection ("I wanted something light and frivolous, yet with dark undertones"). "Marrying the Bookie's Daughter" explores Phryne's personal independence (can you really expect her to accept a marriage proposal?). And in the midst of all this, of course, these are proper mystery stories, embedded with neat clues, clever puzzle twists, and Phryne's marvelous personal style: "You horrible little insect," she tells one criminal, adding, "I suppose it is educational to find out that you can't have everything that you want," as she offers to lock up the perpetrator with a snake, instead of turning him over to the police.
Summer's just about here — and this is a great addition to the reading pile for real relaxation and plenty of smiles. If you read a copy ASAP, you might even be ready to re-read it at the opposite end of the season. Think of how frugal you'll prove yourself to be! And by that point, you may even have decided which of Phryne Fisher's tea gowns would suit your own style. (Right?)
PS: Looking for more mystery reviews, from cozy to very dark? Browse the Kingdom Books mysteries review blog here.
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