Murder on the Ballarat Train: Miss Phryne Fisher Investigates Paperback – 18 April 2013

A five star thriller. Good complicated plot. Miss Fisher does not shirk from the seedy sleazy side of life so we have underage girls being procured, vile Madams, decent chaps...all too willing to fall into sexy Phryne's sea green bed...The whole told graphically but with a sense of the goodness that can emerge when the right things are done. In Miss Fisher's world the evil get their just deserts. Very satisfactory. Brilliant writing, conveying time, place, and social ethics without preaching....and with a wry sense of humour to lighten the undoubted horrors. Highly recommended.

I think I liked this one even better than the previous 2. The story is compelling and the TV adaptation changed enough for not everything to be obvious to me-the show's avid watcher.I particularly enjoy all the bits of emotions the author tucks into descriptions of people, places and conversation, which help to establish so much with so little words.A quite diverting read.

a phryne fan this was to replace a damaged "copy"

I bought this book and some others in the same series after watching the TV series that is based upon them.The books are excellent .....Miss Phryne Fisher is a flapper....she is rich,an honourable and adores beautiful clothes and beautiful men....She is not, however, an airhead. She is an original feminist....self reliant, tough and clever....with an insightful mind and the bravery of a lion.....In this book a murder happens on a train that Miss Fisher is travelling on and she sets out to investigate what has happened...it has themes of love,distrust,class, child abuse and misogyny within it....so cool...Each of the books is a stand alone story but using many of the same central characters....They are of particular interest as they are set in Australia.....so more interest there too....The books are not old....only having been written in the last 15 years or so....They are however, entertaining and a fun mystery read.....Excellent....

I do love Miss Fisher. I adored the tv series, and for once came to the books back to front. I was very surprised (though I shouldn't have been) to discover a Miss Fisher in the writing who was harder, in a way, and with supporting characters that were also harsher, no less endearing but more realistic and less romantic. Jack, for example, the detective of gorgeousness from the tv series (that always reminds me of Moonlighting - showing my age here) is not a detective of gorgeousness in the books. He's a homely man, a sound copper, but there's nothing in the least bit sexy about him. Will that change - one of the reasons I know I'll read on to the end.I enjoyed this. I raced through it. It delivered exactly what I wanted. More of Phryne. A nice crime that wasn't too complicated. Lots of colour. A few bawdy laughs. And a few more waifs and strays added to the permanent cast. It's not one of those books that keep you thinking or musing, but it leaves you with a nice satisfied smile at the end of it and you know, that's surprisingly rare - or so I've found. Just what I needed.

Everytime I read one it makes me want to bring out my inner Phryne. Please write more. Amazingly good read

A very enjoyable light read, well crafted with some quirky characters. Some very dark motives and behaviours are exposed, although the plot itself is fairly simple.

Easy reading style. Good tale.Pricing getting a bit high for an ebook.

Still the fascinating Phryne Fisher as of the first book - abolutely greatly written. Storyline, characters all well and adorable.Loved it

After having seen the series I was keen to read the origin of the inspiration for the series. And i was not disappointed. So many details were different in the series and book. It is like two separate thread of the story are being slowly but surely being knotted together to a make an attractive fabric. A modern heroine who has panache, and numerous lovers that is replicated only by James Bond. Can't put it down once you start reading....

Great product

Fun read ! Nancy Drew Mysteries on steroids ! If you were a fan of Nancy Drew when you were a child, and you enjoy Phryne Fisher Mysteries on PBS, you'll get hooked on these delightful, fast reading "Nancy Drew" Phryne mystery books for grownups ! Pure escapism....The Roaring Twenties setting is delightful.Phryne is an independent, daring, heroine who carries a gun (similar to Nancy Drew), not afraid to bend the rules and always has a temporary lover. The books are are not quite the same as the TV series, to which I am addicted to, but the pace and stories are just as much fun. You will find Bert, Cecil, Dot (introduced in Cocaine Blues”) and others. Inspector Robinson is older, and not potential love material, and not as endearing as depicted in the TV series. Each book I’ve read, the fascinating action immediately grabs your attention before the end of the 2nd page. Great summer reading, or when you need a break from more serious reading pursuits.So far, I have read 3 of the series, and "Murder on the Ballart Train" is my favorite to date (the first one I read, Cocaine Blues, for me, spent too much time on describing her clothes in detail.) In the "Murder on the Ballarat Train" you will be introduced to the orphan,"Jane", an amnesia child with her story of abuse, neglect and worse. In the 3 books I've read, besides the murder mystery, there has been other themes, either social or political in nature which sometimes introduces characters that will become familiar in future stories.I highly recommend "Raisins and Almonds". Ms Greenwood's stories certainly, remind me of the delightful hours I spent reading "Nancy Drew" mysteries when I was young (however I do not recommend them to impressionable youngsters 17 yrs old or younger, primarily for Ms Fisher's casual promiscuous love choices - perhaps that just reflects my fuddy-duddy age during the 40's, 50's era.)Do not expect a Dorothy Sayers or J.D. James mystery. Kerry Greenwood's, Phryne Fisher is a short fun romp of escapism, and enhances the colorful PBS series.

I love all Kerry Greenwood cds, I am working my way through this collection. Miss Fryne Fisher is so different, the stories are full of characters which make the stories , interesting, you as you get to understand them all. It is set in Australia in the 1920's , really fun recommend them all so far.