Neither Kerry Greenwood nor her indomitable character Phryne Fisher mess around, so it’s no surprise that Raisins and Almonds starts off with a murder in the third paragraph. Someone is soon arrested but, of course, the wrong person, necessitating the hiring of Miss Fisher to find the real killer and free the self-possessed bookseller accused of the crime.

The most unusual clue is a collection of seemingly incomprehensible documents that lead Phryne to investigate not just the Jewish community, but the mystical fields of alchemy and Jewish mysticism. Adding Yiddish words by the hour, Phryne takes a deep dive into Judaism, including a beautifully handsome young lover, the son of the man who hired her.

As usual, Phryne involves her own irregulars in the pursuit of justice. There are surprises and her investigation is fair and there are plenty of complications.

I like a good series and Phryne Fisher is one of my favorites. She is sui generic, a liberated, modern woman in a time where it was possible but rare. She’s smart, independent, kind, all the while maintaining her fun and fashionable life.

This is not my favorite in this series. It made me think of the “write what you know” advice for writers. I generally think that is misinterpreted, after all none of knows alien worlds or future societies, but people write wonderful books about them. I think write what you know is more important in writing about emotions and how people act, react, and interact. It is hard to write authentically about emotions you have never felt. However, this time I see how write what you know might apply to more mundane purposes. I can feel the hours of Greenwood’s research in the novel. It weighs it down, not when Phryne is reading the books, but when the knowledge is being repeated by her. It sometimes seems as though Greenwood felt that if she did all that research, she is darn well going to shoehorn it into the book. I understand that, I hate to leave work out of anything I write.

Still, it is a fun book and I look forward to more in the series, hopefully ones without so much esoterica, making it easier to leave in the notes and off the page.

Raisins and Almonds will be released on June 6th. I received an advance e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

I was not thrilled with this book but it did have a good plot.

The Phrynne Fisher cozy mysteries by Kerry Greenwood, is a favorite series of mine. The most recent adventure is set in the Jewish community in Melbourne, Australia in the 1920's. The story begins with a Jewish scholar’s mysterious death in a book store. The owner of the bookstore, a woman who refuses to speak up for herself, is arrested and Phrynne is called in to prove her innocence. I found the character of the owner intriguing and I was rooting for her to be exonerated.

As in any good cozy mystery, Phrynne finds romance along the way with a young Jewish man, Simon. The romance was a little disappointing but I always enjoy the scenes with her friends and the family she has created (adopting two young girls) and these were no exception. The dialogue moves along easily and the story is generally fun. Greenwood incorporates Jewish Mysticism and the Kabbalah into her tale, which I found interesting.

A must read for fans of this series and for lovers of cozy mysteries in general. Highly diverting. I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy it.

Another great installment! Miss Fisher fans, or those new to her exploits will not be disappointed!

I thoroughly enjoy this entire series. Each book is rich with intense characters and intriguing plots and this one is not an exception. This book in the series includes Jews in Australia at a time before Hitler is in power. The discussions between the characters on this as well as the age old discussion of a homeland for the Jewish people led to an incredible backdrop for the entire story. And Phryne may be a shiksa but she is definitely also a mazik!

This went down very well! Phryne on top form, as usual, this time with a colourful glimpse into the lives of Jewish immigrants to Australia. I enjoyed the read very much, with one caveat: although the research for the characters was passed onto us with a light touch, the information about Kabbalah and alchemy tended to be on the indigestible side. A welcome addition to the series, though! Thanks so much for the chance to read,

In Kerry Greenwood's ninth Phryne Fischer mystery, we delve deep into the world of Jewish traditions, Zionism, and Jewish mysticism. As seen in Ms. Greenwood's previous stories, Ms. Fischer is quite the murder and mystery solving lady. Think Miss Marple - just much younger, sexier, bolder, flirtatious, gun carrying, and willing to take matters into her own hands (including dangerous stunts and breaking and entering)... Ok. Don't think Miss Marple!

This book starts of as most mystery books do with the murder/mystery and our heroine must start looking for clues in a community which is not very trusting of outsiders (non-Jews). The author gives the reader an extensive, and to my knowledge correct, description of Zionism and Jewish mysticism including the Kabbalah. This background information might not appeal to every reader, as it is much more than is needed for the storytelling of this book. But then again, we read books to learn new things as well, don't we?

At times, the descriptions do seem a bit superfluous, but at the same time, the authors use of heavy description can have the effect of immersing the reader into the story and being able to 'see' and 'taste' the surroundings and world better.

Miss Greenwood's character building is well done and at times I feel that she leaves no stone unturned. In this installment, we have some of Miss Fischer's regular crew show up again. The dialogue is fun and witty at times (something we naturally expect of Miss Fischer!).

Raisins and Almonds is a quick-paced (except for the above mentioned Jewish elements), fun read that should appeal to Miss Fischer fans and also to fans of the mystery genre. Well researched elements of Zionism, mysticism and the Jewish community make this book not only an exciting murder mystery, but also a learning experience in Jewish culture. I definitely recommend this book to readers of the genre!

Please visit my blog for further reviews: http://book-readers-anonymous.blogspot.de/

This book is really well written.It is also informative about Judaism which I found very interesting.

The books in Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series are always a treat, and Raisins and Almonds was no exception. Entertaining and amusing, among my favorites.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy of Raisins and Almonds, the ninth outing for Melbourne based 1920s sleuth, the Honourable Phryne Fisher.

Phryne has a new beau, Simon Abrahams who is a bit worried about what his parents will say until Abrahams senior hires her to exonerate one of his tenants of murder. Simon Michaels died of strychnine poisoning in a bookshop and Inspector Robinson promptly arrested the owner, Sylvia Lee.

Raisins and Almonds is a light, frothy adventure totally in keeping with the setting of the roaring 20s but it has a serious undertone, the plight of Jews in an increasingly anti-Semitic world. The plot is fun as Phryne and her motley crew investigate the murder and detailed enough to hold the attention throughout. It has a few surprises along the way and is very informative on such arcane subjects as alchemy and Kabbalah.

I thought the passages about Jews were thoughtfully done and thought provoking with all the different sides of the argument presented in a light, readable style without losing any power. This is an art to be applauded.

Phryne Fisher herself is the epitome of the roaring 20s. Outwardly hedonistic she hides her compassion, courage and kindness under a cloak of wealth, privilege and good living. Her zest for life and pursuit for justice are a joy to read.

I have no hesitation in recommending Raisins and Almonds as a good read.

I received a free E-Arc from Netgalley.

I've said elsewhere that I enjoy these books very much and Raisins and Almonds is perhaps, my favourite to date. The structure of the story works very well, and while Phryne may be up to her normal slightly devilish behaviour, she is a little more sedate in this novel than in others I've read (well -sedate for her).

The story, about the murder of a Jewish man in a bookshop in Melbourne, is quite cleverly woven together - and while I could remember the ending from having seen the TV episode, I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative of the book which if fuller and more detailed.

The joy of these books is the ability of the author to wholly involve you in Phryne's 1930's Melbourne - the attention to detail is stunning - and yet do it in such a way that you don't feel as though you're being preached at or lectured.

Another excellent outing for Miss Fisher. Recommended.

I've read several in this series and looked forward to reading this entry. Regrettably Greenwood is far from her finest here. Too much time spent on alchemistic and kabballistic theories and on the Palestinian issues of the 1920s and not enough time spent on portraying Australia's Jewish community of the era realistically or in developing the plot. I hope her ne t effort is more successful.

Another great Miss Fisher story! I love these books. They are quick, fun and witty mysteries that I can't get enough of. This latest installment did not disappoint.

Many of the historical mystery novels that I read also serve as a window into another world and as an in-depth history class. Most of what I know of Ancient Rome has been culled from the Marcus Didius Falco novels by Lindsey Davis; I have learned so much about the world in the 1920s -- be it Great Britain, Palestine, North Africa -- from the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes series penned by Laurie R. King; everything I know about China's Tang Dynasty I learned from Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee mystery novels. So I appreciate a well-crafted novel that interweaves history into a whodunit.

Unfortunately, that's not Raisins and Almonds. It's not that author Kerry Greenwood can't effectively and smoothly splice history lessons into her Phryne Fisher novels: She's done so in the past, particularly in Death at Victoria Dock, which examined anarchism in 1920s Australia, and The Green Mill Murder, which provides a glimpse into life in the untamed, breath-taking Snowy River country during the same time period. However, in Raisins and Almonds, Greenwood is so taken with teaching us about the Kabbalah, medieval Jewish mysticism, kosher dietary laws, early Zionism and Jews in early 20th century Australia that the history lesson gets in the way of the story. Greenwood even provides a Yiddish glossary at the end of the novel, a two-page bibliography "[i]f anyone would like to duplicate my research" (uh, what's the likelihood of that???) and spends a painstaking two pages elucidating the difference between a schlemiel and a schlimazl, for heavens' sake! At times, the Jews emerge as stereotypes (e.g., Julia Abrahams, the mother of Phryne's newfound Jewish lover, as the archetypical suffocating Jewish mother and Rabbi Elijah as the unapproachable Kabbalah mystic). Greenwood's depiction of virgin Simon Abrahams as a fascinating lover is more part and parcel of Greenwood's adolescent fascination with early 20th century Australian Jewry. Seriously, how probable is it that the experienced and experimental Phryne Fisher is going to be impressed by a mama's boy who has never been with a woman? (view spoiler) Greenwood is so determined to provide a glowing portrait of the resilient and adaptable Ashkenazi Jews of early 20th century Australia in Raisins and Almonds that, ironically, they emerge as two-dimensional characters.

For those interested in a more three-dimensional -- and better interwoven -- portrayal of Jews in history than you'll get in Raisins and Almonds, please try Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur series about Jews in 12th century Paris; Ariana Franklin's excellent Mistress of the Art of Death, which elucidates the lives of Jews in 12th century Sicily and England; King's Jewish Mary Russell, and Dorothy and Sidney Rosen's Belle Appleman series, which is set in Depression Era Boston. As with the early Rabbi David Small novels of the late Harry Kemelman, Faye Kellerman's Rina Lazarus series, and King's Mary Russell novels, these provide an education about the Jewish way of life without swamping the mystery aspect of the novel.

Now, how does the mystery in Raisins and Almonds stack up? Even on that level, the novel, the ninth in the Phryne Fisher series, doesn't compare with any of Greenwood's previous novels. A yeshiva student who goes by the Anglicized name of Simon Michaels (actual name: Shimeon Ben Mikhael, an immigrant from Salonika) is poisoned while in a bookstore, and the proprietress gets the blame. A leader of the Jewish community (Simon Abrahams' father Benjamin) hires Phryne to catch the real murderer. As usual, Phryne enlists her faithful maid and companion, Dot Williams; her two "red ragger" pals, Cecil and Bert; and her adoptive daughters to help her discern who really killed Michaels. Usually, the result is a delightful and clever mystery; however, here Greenwood just seems to be going through the motions. You'll figure out how Michaels was poisoned long before Phryne or Detective Inspector John "Call me Jack, everyone does" Robinson do. The identity of the true murderer will, I admit, come as a surprise. Even so, without the unrelieved and clumsy history lessons, the pedestrian Raisins and Almonds might have risen to three stars, but no more. Raisins and Almonds is no Cocaine Blues, Flying Too High, The Green Mill Murder or Blood and Circuses. If you're looking to skip one, this is the one.

2 and 1 / 2 stars

I am very sorry to say that this installment of the Phryne Fisher series was a dud. I really prefer the stories about Phryne getting into – uh… trouble?... to stories like this one where she talks on and on about one subject. It is not that it wasn’t interesting, but that’s not why I read these books. This one was dull and more than a little boring.

Okay, enough on my soapbox – hopefully the next book in the series will snap back to the ornery, feisty and just plain fun Phryne.

I want to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.