Miss Fisher is a hoot! Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books- this will be fine as a standalone. A pleasant cozy.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

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Blood and Circuses (Miss Phryne Fisher #6), Kerry Greenwood
★★☆☆☆
251 Pages
POV: 3rd person, multi-POV
Content Warning: mistreatment of carnival/circus, intersex people


I wanted to read the Phryne Fisher series, because I watched the TV show and loved it. Sadly, the books just aren't up to snuff. They don't have the same charm, the same interest, and Phryne doesn't ever really do anything of note, to be considered a 'private investigator'. Most of the time she gets by on luck and things falling into place. Or because she pays someone else to do it for her.
As the characters (and, of course, the author) point out in this book, Phryne is a woman who has too much money, not enough sense, and feels she's earned the right to sit back and do nothing with her time. Sure, she grew up poor, but as her Aunt Pru shows, people who know poverty can use their wealth later in life to help those who need it.

Unfortunately, I ended up DNF'ing this book at 18%. I just find the writing so laborious, with the constant changing of POV and the often-times lack of flow and sense, the “mysterious” scenes that don't make sense and don't fit into the plot, mean that I'm left with a headache. While I might normally applaud Kerry Greenwood for consistently including minorities into her stories, I'm sorry to say that I don't like the way she goes about it. Most of the time, they're used a victims, as comic relief, or deliberately used within the story as some sort of proof that Phryne accepts all kinds of people. Considering she sleeps with just about any male walking in every book, I can't bring myself to read any more. They're just the same book with different people, constantly trying to show just how amazing and brilliant and beautiful and sexual Phryne is, while boring me to tears.

One of my favourite Phryne Fishers! Always well written, always entertaining.

DNF 37%!

I've tried twice now to read this book, but the story is utterly boring and I just can't stomach the thought of reading more. The previously books have all been good, so God knows why this one fails to impress me.

In my review of [book:The Green Mill Murder] I did a little bit of exploration of how very different the Miss Fisher tv episodes are from the books they're based on. I was about to say that the changes didn't feel quite so drastic in this one, until I remembered the very drastic change at the beginning. Yeah, there were great big changes; I guess it was a bit streamlined to make it easier to digest on television.

And, again, I liked the TV episode – but I liked the book better.

Another thing I mentioned in the last book was that I always seem to learn something from these books, and the same held true this time out. The bit about the human cannonball made me blink for a second, and then basically go "Well, sure." And I loved the detail about circus trick riding – I'm a little sad that wasn't the way they went with the tv show, because that would have been beautiful. Ah well.

A note on the horses - - I've said before that one area in which I always judge a writer is how they write horses. Kerry Greenwood did a nice job. They had names, and gender-specific pronouns were used. I approve.

I'm still a little disappointed and disoriented by this, the original, "real" Inspector Robinson. It took a minute, but once I finally adapted, I enjoyed him. The Shakespeare quotes that pepper this one helped – how can I not love a man whose response to someone being upset at police in her home is "'Oh, woe, Alas! What, in my house?'"

Lizard Elsie, Miss Parkes, the circus folk – these were some wonderful characters. Miss Fisher is a potent enough force to carry the whole series on her own if she had to – though she's not invulnerable, and I like that and her awareness of the fact – but she is surrounded by lovely juicy characters who are all immense fun to read, both the series regulars and the guest stars. Love it.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

I like a cosy mystery but this just wasn't good enough. The plot was slack; the protagonist spends much of the book wandering around and observing an awful lot of not much in particular. Eventually she puts it all together in the space of a paragraph without it feeling like a logical conclusion of all that's come before.

Perhaps the structure is better than I'm giving it credit for but if so I can only assume the fact I wasn't able to appreciate it was because of the prose. 'Rules of writing' can be prescriptive but Greenway could do more to show and not tell; characters regularly read out chunks of their own or each other's bios as if from some concordance. Very few people understand their motivations as well as the characters in this book and fewer still soliloquise to almost complete strangers about them.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did – I'm a sucker for mystery novels, a bigger sucker still for mystery novels with a posh bird getting her stocking tops out on the cover – but it just wouldn't let me. It was so clumsy and demonstrative it constantly pushed me away. I shan't be reading any more Phryne Fisher.

Phryne Fisher is bored. Life appears to be too easy, too perfect. Her household is ordered, her love life is pleasant, the weather is fine. And then a man from her past arrives at the door. It is Alan Lee from the carnival. Alan and his friends want her to investigate strange happenings at Farrells Circus, where animals have been poisoned and ropes sabotaged. Mr. Christopher has been found with his throat cut in Mrs. Witherspoon s irreproachable boarding house and Miss Parkes, an ex-performer, is charged with his murder. Phryne must go undercover deeper than ever to solve the circus malaise. She must abandon her name, her title, her protection, her comfort, even her clothes. She must fall off a horse twice a day until she can stay on. She must sleep in a girls tent and dine on mutton stew. And she must find some allies. Meanwhile, in Melbourne, the young and fresh-faced policeman Tommy Harris has to solve his own mysteries with the help of the foul-spoken harridan Lizard Elsie, or Miss Parkes will certainly hang. Can Phyrne uncover the truth without losing her life?"

In this story, we find Phyrne stripped bare of all her privileges of wealth and comfort. Going undercover in a circus, to find out why it is being beset by misfortune and accidents.

Loved the storyline and seeing a more vunerable Phyrne, that you don't normally see. Still made her endering, and love her more.

These are well crafted and written mysteries, that are well worth reading.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Published by Poisoned Pen Press and downloaded via NetGalley.

Blood and Circuses

by Kerry Greenwood

Blood and Circuses is my second foray into Kerry Greenwood’s Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Phryne Fisher is recruited by some carnival workers to investigate mysterious problems with the circus they work for, a failing endeavor named Farrell’s. The mystery begins commonly enough, but as Phryne goes undercover as a bareback rider, she learns about the stratified and well ordered world of the circus. There, the trapeze artists have the most prestige, carnival workers are second class citizens, and Gypsies are low life.

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, Sargeant Terence Grossmith, and Constable Tommy Harris are up to their necks with gangster warfare and the disturbing murder of a circus member known as both Christopher and Christine. The source of these crimes seems to connect with the troubles of the circus, but it is hard to discover just how they are related.

In the process of these investigations, the reader learns more of Phryne’s background--some of the things that helped form her character. Several moral issues are addressed: an audience’s hunger for disaster in the circus ring, the need of people to order their society in classes and then discriminate based on the labels they attach to each group, the disparagement of people who are different with the label of “freak,” and the emotions and needs of those born with a physically inconclusive gender. Phryne faces personal issues when she chooses to live in deprivation, giving up her creature comforts, her safety, and her status in the name of relieving her boredom and helping others.

Blood and Circuses is a convoluted mystery, but all of the plot lines are explained in the end. It is not just an exciting tale of adventure. There are philosophical elements which invite Miss Fisher and the reader to engage in a bit of self-examination without even a touch of preachiness.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery, Historical Fiction

Notes: 1. #6 in the series, but could be read as a standalone
2. some bad language and a number of sexual encounters, but the emotions are described more than the physical aspects of the encounters.

Publication: March 7, 2017--Poisoned Pen Press

Memorable Lines:
Sargeant Terence Grossmith was huge. His expanse of blue tunic was as wide as a tent. He had thinning brown hair and large limpid brown eyes, which seemed to hold an expression of such placid benevolence that hardened criminals had occasionally found themselves confessing to him out of a sense of sheer incongruity.

[speaking of Detective Inspector Jack Robinson]...always at the start of a case, he felt downhearted and tired. There was so much evil in the world. “O cursed spite! That ever I was born to set it right,” he quoted to himself. The Mechanics’ Institute English literature classes which his wife had taken him to, much against his will, had been very useful. A man could always rely on Shakespeare to hit the nail on the head. Robinson wondered how he had done without him.

Phryne speaking: “...what’s fascinating about the circus is the people. And I don’t expect you to like them, Dot. They aren’t respectable.” “That’s why you like them,” commented Dot. Phryne looked at her companion’s reflection in the mirror and grinned.

Phryne is bored. When a person from her past knocks on the door and asks her to look into the various "accidents" at the circus, she's not sure she wants to. He asks her if she'd bored, she says yes. Then she says yes to going undercover at the circus. It will be very different for her. She's rich, has servants, has beautiful cothes and a wonderful home. She'll be transitioning to a life where she owns nothing, not even her name. She's going to become a horseback rider in the circus...

Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and is available now.

I found it fascinating to read about the circus life. When a young man is killed in a boarding house, his murder seems impossible. He's locked in his room and there is no way to access it except through the window. The window is high and the police officer almost falls off when he tries to peep in the window. The lady with him saves him. She used to be an acrobat. The cops decide she must have been the one to kill the man. Then the man turns out to be part woman. Mr. Christopher was in the circus, too.

Phryne's teacher was Mr. Christopher's love and she's mourning her loss. She has no friends, no one around knows who or what she is. Phryne has the morals of an alley cat. It isn't long until she's sleeping with two of the men at the circus. She needs them as friends, though. She's heard too much and has figured out how the circus is being used. When they capture her, it appears death is near.

With gangs in the city, hidden plans at the circus and lots of odd characters, you have plenty to take in and sort out. The plot is complex and interesting. This was a good mystery, even if Phryne has too many fellows.

I have watched the entire series of multiple seasons on TV at least twice for each episode. As I was reading this book I realized this was one of the shows. However, it didn't seem to follow the episode I was thinking of. As soon as I finished this book I watched the episode again. I must say I prefer the way the tv episode portrayed the characters over the book. I was actually shocked at the quite graphic sex scene. I felt it was unnecessary to the plot and really was not in character of Phyrne. After reading that scene, I felt the book became less interesting and enjoyable. While I love Phyrne and must say I have a pre-conceived notion of her, this book didn't reflect the way she interacts with others and it was actually rather dull and boring. I do plan to read more of Ms. Greenwood's Phyrne books to see how they compare with this book and the tv series. Overall, I suggest that readers check out the other books first and perhaps flip quickly through the sex scene and other "tarty" parts.

Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood presents yet another fabulous Phryne Fisher adventure. This book holds a darker and rawer version of my favorite detective. Sure plenty of gruesome stuff happens where Miss Fisher is bound to be found. I think trouble finds her everywhere. In this particular case, Miss Fisher goes alone to help another friend of hers. With her personality and intellect, I can see how the woman detective can indeed have so many friends. A friend in a Circus calls for her help in solving a murder. But to do so, Miss Fisher will go undercover, leaving behind her luxurious life. The fact that our main character has not always lived a perfect life, helps her when put in this crazy circus lifestyle. Kerry Greenwood took everyone's favorite sleuth and put her in a sitatuion that tests every skill she has. Entertaining as always... Phyrne Fisher remains my favorite heroine.

Blood and Circuses is bold, dramatic, and worldly. Vulgarity and the ugly side of life shows up...but Miss Fisher is tough enough to handle it all...overall, I highly recommend this fast-paced thrilling journey to readers everywhere.

This is very enjoyable novel and a must have for all fans of the series.

I think a more fitting title for this book would have been Sex and Circuses... I know Phryne loves freely, and there's usually a man in each book somewhere, but this book has Phryne keeping two lovers, in the same circus, who know about each other and don't care... and there's a lot more specific detail on the affairs than the other books are prone to. I'm not one to be afraid of clowns, but the clown scene in this one was more than a little unsettling. There's also a hermaphrodite who was in love with a lesbian and apparently the object of a man's affection as well. It was all just a little much.

That being said, the mystery itself was good, as always. I missed Dot and Constable Collins though. For some reason he was not even mentioned in this story even though the same Police Department was on the case. It was just odd having Phryne so out of her element, and missing the supporting characters of Mr. and Mrs. Butler, Dot, and Constable Collins. It was a good story, just my least favorite of the Phryne Fisher stories.

Free E-Arc received from NetGalley.

This is the second Phryne Fisher book I've read, (and I'm now addicted to the TV series as well) and I found I enjoyed it much more than the first. This is probably because I'm used to the characters from the TV series. That said, I also think it's an easier read than the first book I read.

The book flows well although I did notice that by the time the real work of solving the mystery was under way, I was 80% through the novel, and as such, it seems that solving the mystery is of secondary importance to the story of the circus and the attendant 'hanger-on's'. A fair portion of the novel is also concerned with the investigation taking place by the police and concerned with the gang warfare - and this rounds out the story nicely, but means that we spend less time with Phryne than you might expect.

Overall - an enjoyable jaunt set in the late 1920's in Australia.

Absolutely loved this book. I really enjoyed this and found it a great read. Having watched the programme series on TV I loved delving into the book. While slightly different I thought Phyrne was much more rounded and gentler person in the book and it was a real pleasure to read. I highly recommend this for any one who loves a gentle cozy crime and anyone who enjoys the tv series - go pick up the book - its miles better !

Ah, what can I say about Phryne Fisher? She is hands down my favorite literary character. She has style, wit, compassion, and is not afraid to get her hands dirty, as evidenced by the 6th installment in the series, Blood and Circuses.

Here we see Phryne give up her cozy lifestyle to join the circus in disguise, hoping to find the person responsible for the brutal murder of a circus "freak", Mr. Christopher/Christine, half man half woman. Along the way, Phryne meets a very interesting array of characters and finds herself in danger in more ways than one.

This installment shows Phryne completely out of her comfort zone, stripped of her wealth and title, and she comes to realize just how fortunate she really is and to not take it for granted.

This is my favorite of the series. It has murder, romance, quirky characters, and of course Phryne herself. What more could you ask for? Five stars, highly recommended!

This was without a doubt the worst Phryne Fisher mystery I have read to date. Phryne is often involved in sensationalist plots, so that's all part and parcel, but this one just went too far! Bored of her life of wealth, beauty and adventure she goes undercover at the circus because she once had sexual relations with a circus performer. I'm surprised there's anyone the Phryne doesn't have to help in that case! Because the setting was less of the jazz age, and didn't have the high society elegance that we're used to it was also less believable. But the worst bit? Phryne, who despite being a wealthy socialite, has seen hardship and grew up in poverty. But she whinged the whole time about her loss of creature comforts. It flew in the face of everything we'd come to love about the character. Ultimately a disappointing read.

Phryne find herself at loose ends and runs away to join the circus.
This mystery book is different to the preceding Green Mills Murder, as Blood and Circuses is more of an old-fashioned bodice-ripping adventure than a mystery. Phryne, a rich and bored aristocrat, goes undercover to find out what secrets a circus hides. She fairly easily learns to be a trick rider of horses, one of the company. From the first Phryne is under suspicion and slides from bed to bed and danger to danger. While the day to day doing of a circus are interesting stuff, this is definitely an over-the-top mystery.

This one is not my favorite of the series - Miss Fisher is cut off from the supporting cast for a great deal of it - but it is still pretty fun. Phryne running off to the circus fits her character pretty well. Of course she wants to become a trick rider! Overall it was fine, but I was quite put off by one of the character's attitudes toward intersex people. He is meant to be wrong, of course, but it is still galling to read those insults in what is meant to be escapism.