The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood, 173 pagesHistorical Mysteries Challenge; Colourful Challenge
Late 1920s, Melbourne. Phryne Fisher, a rich, independent, detective lives the flapper life on her own terms. While attending a dance marathon at a local club, one of the dancers falls down dead, killed. Phyrne takes it upon herself to investigate, as her date is one of the prime suspects, and he goes missing.
Her investigations include having her fly to the outback in her Gypsy Moth, in search of a missing shell-shocked soldier, which also lead to my favorite line in the book - One of the goodies she had brought along was her diaphragm. One never knew. Add in a jazz band, with sultry singer and charismatic banjo player, and the atmosphere is set for a great romp.
I love how Phyrne is her own woman, with a staff who adore her, and are not shocked by any of her adventures. She is assertive, and smart, and ahead of her time. The mysteries aren't terribly convoluted, but the characters are fun, and it's a great read every now and then, especially with the 1920s setting and Australia.
A perfect book for a week with parent-teacher interview sessions, when I still want to read, but my brain in fried.
