This book will be enjoyed by those who like historical mysteries with strong heroines, those who read books set in Australia and fans of the TV series.

I very much enjoyed the TV series that was made about Phryne Fisher and have also read a number of the books. They are entertaining, fun historical mysteries that feature an intrepid and fearless sleuth.

In this entry, set in the 1920s, Phryne has two challenges. The first is to figure out who killed an author. To work on this case, Miss Fisher infiltrates a publishing firm.

Her second, equally challenging, situation centers on her Asian lover. Why have there been a series of assaults? Read this one to find out.

The Miss Fisher books are always fun and entertaining. There is some slight advantage to reading in order but start anywhere. This is book number eleven.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

Perfect reading for a stormy week stuck indoors. I've been reading through my backlog of these and each one is reliably fun and consistently written.

This is my least favourite novel in the Miss Fisher series so far. I had so many issues with this story.

I found the story quite boring, stretched out, diluted with entire chapters that added nothing to it. The mystery and the adventure about Lin Chung did nothing for one another. Could have been two different novels. I found it distracting that they existed in the same book. And to be honest, the story didn’t manage to get me involved in neither. I found Chung’s plot quite unrealistic and Mrs Lavander’s plot uninteresting.

While normally Phryne’s aptitude is tempered skilfully with very human emotions of doubts and sympathy, here she looked like a superhero who does everything right and can dare anything because she knows it will turn right in the end.
Really didn’t like this. I would have expected more subtlety and more sensitivity from this character. I’ve seen it done before and don’t see why this novel failed.

But I disliked most relationships here, and especially Phryne’s relationship with Chung. I am sure that if it were a male character who saves his lover, and she does nothing but thank him with her own body for nights on end and afterwards he demands her family to keep her as a mistress even after she gets married with another, readers wouldn’t be very happy about it – and rightly so. I really don’t think that, because roles are reversed here, this makes it acceptable.

I also found the ‘Italian thread’ handled with laziness and largely based on stereotype(I’m Italian, it’s my history and culture we are discussing here), which honestly made me wonder how accurate is the depiction of other ‘guest’ cultures in the series, like for example Lin Chung’s.

I’m sorry, but while I really enjoyed other novels in the series, I found this one very very disappointing.

Historical mysteries, especially cozy ones, are my favorites. This series has never let me down, taking me back to the 1920's Australia and the wonderful world of Phryne Fisher. Phryne is rich and beautiful and knows how to take care of herself. She acts like a perfect lady but can solve a murder and wield a gun just as well - if not a bit better - than the local constabulary. The characters are well drawn and the mystery is always satisfying. This is the 11th in the series and can be read as a stand alone but, be warned, if this is your first meeting with Phryne and her group, you will want to play catchup once you finish this entry. In this mystery she is asked to find out who killed Miss Lavender, a woman who wrote for a woman's magazine. It's a fun glimpse into how ladies were supposed to behave in the 1920's and Phryne dives right in to solve the case. At the same time, her Chinese lover has gone missing and pirates enter the story. What more could a reader want? More books in the series, of course.

Away with the Fairies

by Kerry Greenwood

Away with the Fairies begins immediately with the discovery of Miss Lavender’s body in a fairytale setting. There are many possible suspects from the residents of the apartments to coworkers at the women’s magazine that Miss Lavender writes for. Maybe even a disgruntled reader who has solicited help from the magazine’s advice column.

In the midst of this complicated investigation, Lin Chung, Phryne Fisher’s Chinese lover, goes missing and it is up to Phryne to cross the cultural barriers set up by his family. She needs to find him and rescue him if needed.

Dot, Phryne’s assistant, and Bert and Cec, socialist taxi-drivers and part-time employees of Phryne, get major roles. We are also introduced to another interesting character, Li Pen, a Shao Lin monk and bodyguard of Lin Chung.

Away with Fairies is an interesting mystery, full of adventures and intrigue, set in 1928. Phryne, as always, is brave and defiant. The plot is complicated, and the book has a satisfying, but unexpected resolution.

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: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Notes: #11 in the Phryne Fisher Mystery Series. This one would work as a standalone, but is probably more enjoyable if the reader has been previously exposed to the characters.

Publication: August 1, 2017—Poisoned Pen Press

Memorable Lines:

The case was breaking. She knew the feeling. The matter would be as obdurate as a big stone block for ages, utterly resisting all chipping and tapping. Then just when you were about to give up and take to it with a sledgehammer, it cracked into a lot of pieces and fell away, revealing the gold egg of the solution in the middle. Feeling that she had extended her metaphor beyond its coefficient of expansion, she blew idle smoke rings all the way to the city.

Bert, who was about to call upon his maker to deliver him from unconscionable demands from stroppy sheilas, decided not to on receipt of a fifty megawatt glare from those strange green eyes. He felt a moment of gentle Christian pity for whoever tried to stop Miss Fisher…

She stood so still that a questing rat paused in its passage across her foot, whiffling its whiskers, wondering if the engineer was dead enough to provide a late-night snack. Loathing washed over Phryne so strongly she was afraid that she would retch. The clammy tail was across her bare ankle. It was cold. It was one of the vilest things she had ever felt in her whole life and if it had gone on for another second she might have flinched.

Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood is the eleventh book in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Marcella Lavender, children’s author, was found dead in her home. The Honorable Phryne Fisher is asked to assist on the case by Detective Inspector Jack Robinson. Miss Lavender had recently come to the police about threatening letters she had received, but she was not taken seriously (which distresses Jack). Miss Lavender was a contributor to Women’s Choice magazine (the advice column). Phryne goes undercover at the magazine to see if she can discover who wanted Miss Lavender dead. Phryne’s attentions are not fully on the case though. Phryne’s lover, Lin Chung has failed to return from his latest buying trip and Phryne is worried. Lin’s family is less than helpful (they do not approve of Phryne) leaving Phryne on her own. Miss Fisher will need to work overtime if she is to catch Miss Lavender’s killer and rescue Lin Chung especially since someone is determined to stop her by any means necessary.

Away with the Fairies is well-written and full of action. The two mysteries keep the story lively (murder, adventure, international intrigue). I do wish, though, that the killer of Miss Lavender had been harder to identify. I believe many people will be surprised who is behind Lin Chung’s disappearance. The book has nice pacing and flow which makes for an easy to read story. I am giving Away with the Fairies 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). The language or word usage suits the time period (people had a better vocabulary back then). I love the characters especially Phryne Fisher (I wish I was more adventuress like her). Phryne is a woman who is comfortable in her own skin. She is not willing to change to conform to societies standards or expectations. Phryne is a strong, passionate, confident woman who will protect those she loves and cares about (her family and friends). I do recommend reading the books in the series in order. Otherwise, you will be missing some pertinent details. Away with the Fairies is an entertaining historical mystery.

My Rating: 5 Stars

I absolutely love and admire Miss Phyrne Fisher. A woman wise beyond her years with modern vision and temperament; what is there not to love?

The story starts as a murder mystery always starts: a death. A sweet, innocent fairy-story writer/illustrator is found dead. This time, Miss Fisher will jump into the world of magazine publishing and investigate deeply to find the truth. As the staff isn’t at all helpful, she works together with the police to see the matter solved and justice done. However, she is also involved in a second case, of a more personal nature. Her lover Lin Chung travelled to China a few weeks before and no one has heard from him since. In a family ruled by secrets and dark intents, will Miss Fisher be able to rescue her lover before it’s too late?

This was a deep and complex novel, just how I like them. There are two different plots in the story: the writer’s murder and the disappearance of Phyrne’s lover in China. The author did a great job in developing these two different cases in one story without them getting mixed up together or leaving loose endings. The first plot is steady-paced, very “according to the law” procedure (suspect interviews, taking evidence, analyzing patterns); but the second plot is where the juicy things happen. The tempo is a lot quicker, full of suspense and action. In addition, since it’s a more personal case, Miss Fisher works alone which makes things a lot more interesting.

The characters are memorable. I really enjoy Miss Phyrne Fisher as the main character, she is a force to be reckoned with. She has the determination of iron, she will do everything to protect the people she loves and lives by her own rules. She is a strong woman with a matching temper, not afraid to make her opinions known, to call out injustice and of breaking the rules every now and then. She is the opposite of what a woman should be back in 1928. Dot is a great companion and a lovely character too. Lin Chung is, as I imagine him, very handsome and sweet but at the same time, he hides a few secrets of his own. He’s daring and interesting which is why I enjoyed the chemistry between Phyrne and him so delicious.

A great read that I recommend to fans of strong female protagonists and of a great murder mystery!

I liked this so much better than the TV episode inspired by this book. This was deeper, richer, and more complex. "Away with the Fairies" refers to the murder of a writer who specialized in writing and illustrating fairy stories. There's quite a cast of people, both at the magazine and in the community where she lived. Despite the murder, it's a genteel sort of mystery with little danger but lots of period detail, and quiet investigative work.

Then there's the second mystery involving Lin Chung and his family. That one was darker, more personal, and full of action and adventure, betrayal and greed. It made for an interesting contrast with the other story line, which was so quiet and, well, civil. Lots of good manners, and the occasional lie,whereas Lin Chung's story line was more dangerous and emotionally volatile. It was a good reminder that Phryne is not just some society dame or a flibbertigibbet (though anyone who accused Phryne of that would need to have their head examined) but a strong, passionate devoted woman who takes what she wants, protects what's hers, and has her own moral code.

I enjoyed the contrast between the two storylines, once I got over my initial surprise. I have mixed feelings about Phryne and Lin's relationship, as he is taken and Phryne has other lovers, but I have no doubt that they love each other despite their free-spirited arrangement. I really need to read this series on order to better appreciate their romance and relationship.

"Away with the Fairies" is a meandering story about family, love, devotion, and choices amongst other matters. It mixes light and dark, philosophy and fashion, a sometimes careless approach to life with a passion for doing the right thing, as determined by Phryne. It's history, romance, passion, fairies, war, and frivolity. It was engaging if slow at times and a delightful return to Melbourne of the 1920s.

So it turns out Phryne Fisher is really hard to 'review'. I mean, what is there to say? I picked it up because it's Phryne Fisher. It's good because it's Phryne Fisher. Haha. In any case, this latest (for me, I mean. It is actually book #11 in the series, which puts it around halfway in terms of the books so far) book was as good as ever.


So, let's talk Phryne in general. One of the things I love about this series is the way it gives us some insight into the struggle for women being expected to return to the 'ordinary' (ie the home) after the war, when many of them had been doing extraordinary things while the men were away. I felt like we got a really god look at that in this books, and I particularly liked the bits about Phryne's women's club, and the fact that they were trying to protect the stories of women, which they knew would otherwise be lost to men's version of history.


If you're a Phryne fan and haven't read this one yet, get on it. If you haven't read Phryne before, this is as good a place to start as any! (Well, kind of - the stories build on each other a little bit in the background, in terms of who are Phryne's friends and colleagues, how they met etc, but not is a way that means you truly have to read them in order).

I just love Phyrne Fisher. I don't think there were a lot of women like her around 1928. This is a woman you do not want to mess with. She is constantly throwing out verbal threats and sometimes she even has to act on them. (People can be so foolish!) She also has a big heart, doesn't take any crap, has lots of money and is willing to give it out to anyone who needs it or anyone who help the case she is involved in at the moment.

This latest one has two mysteries going on. The first is her "lover" Lin Chang has gone to China to purchase a new shipment of silk and she hasn't heard from him in weeks. She's very concerned. The second is a middle aged woman who is quite eccentric and has been murdered. This case takes her into the magazine/newspaper/publishing world. The rag she is helping by writing some fashion articles has mostly women. And, believe me, these women can argue about the nit pickiest things. HA!!

Two mysteries, one she works with the police, and the other, she works alone. Her most favored way to work things. She gets away with a lot more that way.

Always a great read, Phyrne Fisher is a hero and well beyond her time.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

A Phyrne Fisher mystery does not have to have an extra ordinary myster/murder to make it an enjoyable read. It is the whole package put together - Miss. Fisher herself, her very out of the ordinary lifestyle (in laid back Melbourne especially), her blaise attitude and her above average intelligence and flair for finding out what went wrong where and with whom in record time.
The timing is always important because she is way ahead of the Plod - depicted by very nice Policemen and Detectives who abound, who are good friends and who respectfully recognise that they are dealing with a pro.

I am only sorry that I came to the series so late that I have been able to get to only two of her books. I am hoping that the publisher's will be kind enough to allow access to the others but I doubt it will
happen (regulations and all that!!!)

For those who like a mystery with ambiance, style, flair and detective work par excellence thrown in, this series is for you.

Goodreads and Amazon review up on 6/7/2017. Review on my blog end November 2017. Also linked to my FB page

I have skipped the previous books in the series and was afraid I would not be able to connect with the characters but glad to find out this title could be enjoyed as a standalone work.

"Away with the Fairies" is a chic, adventurous, and cozy mystery read with few surprises making this title a wonderful work-of-art . The succinct and detailed descriptions of the fashion, high style, the glamorous life style in the 1920s are definitely some nice touches added to the historical backdrop. The mentioning of the troubling time in China certainly is exotic. Besides the expected plot of solving a crime case, the author throws in an unexpected surprise of saving the protagonist's boyfriend from the abominable pirates. Plot wise as a whole is a bit far-fetched and unconvincing but certainly very entertaining. Being said, "Away with the Fairies" is a quality, solid and fun cozy read.

Thanks Netgallery and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me a chance to review the book in exchange of my honest opinions.
.

Another fantastic read. This installment finds Phryne working - an actual job, for the first time - at a women's magazine trying to unravel the mysterious death of children's author and fairy illustrator. Plenty of twists and turns, as always, well-paced, and a great glimpse into the working woman's world of the day. I think this book may have a broader range of characters than any other Phryne mystery so far. It was neat seeing Phryne interact with so many different people - and handling it flawlessly, true to form.
I always appreciate the intricate historical detail in Phryne's mysteries. Everything from the fashion to the politics of the day, and something unique to this series, the impact of the Great War on various areas of society beyond just those directly involved.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the fact that this book has Phryne working two mysteries simultaneously, one of them testing her to her limits. I was almost hoping one of them would be a cliff-hanger trailing into the next book, but it was most enjoyable all the same.

Kerry Greenwood's story is charmingly engaging with solid research to fully absorb the reader into the 1920s. The book marvelously balances between the adventurous and slightly lighter, particularly with the author's sense of humor, and the characters and setting are all very well crafted.

Away With the Fairies is the eleventh book in Kerry Greenwood’s excellent period mystery series featuring Phryne Fisher, a woman whose elegance and élan are only eclipsed by her courage and intellect. I think of her as pure wish fulfillment, gorgeous, rich, brilliant, and with the mores and freedoms of a 21st century woman in the glorious gowns and fashions of the 1920s. What could possibly be better?

Away With the Fairies sends Phryne to a popular woman’s magazine to investigate the death of their agony aunt and famed author/illustrator Miss Marcella Lavender. Miss Lavender’s fame came from her fairy stories and illustrations that are all just a bit too twee for Phryne and Detective Inspector Jack Robinson. Her apartment home is awash in fairies, gnomes and all things pink which might have been enough to inspire someone to murder, but other possibilities abound. First, it’s clear she is a gossipy neighbor and nosy parker, so perhaps one of the others who live in the apartments. There is also an unusual monthly deposit she received which could indicate blackmail. And then, as the advice columnist, she might just have given some bad advice and reaping some revenge.

Phryne goes to work at the magazine helping out the fashion column while Dot tracks down some of the letter writers. Meanwhile, far more worrying, Lin Chung is missing and someone seems to be trying to kill Phryne.



I like Away With the Fairies. It’s fair as Phryne Fisher mysteries always are. It moves faster than some of her mysteries, perhaps because there are two distinct issues, the kidnapping on Lin Chung and the murder of Miss Lavender. They don’t intersect so neither investigation needs to move more slowly to not reveal too much of the other.

If you like fair mysteries that are written to a successful formula with clearly defined characters, you should like this series. Greenwood does her research and seeks to be historically accurate and incorporate as much of the real commerce, characters and structures of 1920s Melbourne as she can. The sense of time and place are excellent. In this book, Greenwood shows a more authentic display of the mores of that time, the advice to suffer a husband’s abuse for example is the kind of advice that would be given at that time. The intolerance of white/aboriginal marriages is the kind of intolerance that dominated the era. In many of the series, Phryne’s own modern values so dominate that the harsh intolerance and misogyny of the era is not apparent. That is not so in this book.

I like Phryne. I think I always will. Greenwood manages to write several books without sounding like the is writing Phryne off a character card she developed in a workshop. That makes me happy.

Away With the Fairies will be released on August 1st. I received an e-galley in advance from the publisher through NetGalley.

I LOVE Phryne Fisher. This woman is everything that a young woman should aspire to be: fearless, smart and sassy. This is the 2nd Phryne Fisher book I've read and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. The story line sees Phryne investigating a murder of a writer and working a job as a fashion reporter to get close to the action and solve the case. I like everything about the style of writing of the author Kerry Greenwood- her writing makes me wish I was in 1920s Melbourne and was Phryne's best friend! Its a really easy read and I'm excited to read another one (there's plenty in the series and a TV show to enjoy).

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review. This is the 11th book in the Phrynie Fisher series, but the first that I have read, although I am a fan of the Australian TV series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries which is available on Netflix. It is set in Melbourne, Australia in 1928 where Phryne is a private detective. Miss Fisher's police detective friend, Jack Robinson, requests her assistance investigating the poisoning death of children' author Miss Marcella Lavender. The case is complicated due to the suspects including the residents of the apartment house where Miss Lavender lived, but also the staff of the women's magazine where she worked. Phryne takes a temporary job there as a fashion writer and the workings and philosophy of the magazine are particularly interesting. There is a second plot that involves Phryne's missing lover Lin Chung who has gone missing from a silk buying trip to war torn China. Miss Fisher is a marvelous character and the 1920s a fascinating time period of enormous change between the two great wars. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

This was another wonderful mystery featuring the ingenious, wonderful Honorable Miss Fisher!

Phryne, sleep-deprived and grumpy, wakes up one day to find a very nervous inspector Robinson in her parlor. Visibly shaken, her begs her to take a look at his latest crime scene- a scene he can make no sense of, that left him deeply unsettled... A nice old lady, a writer for a women's magazine, was found in her apartment, completely blue. But it wasn't the sight of the dead body that shook our inspector to his very core. Oh no.

Turns out the venerable Miss Lavender was obsessed with fairies, and the poor sweet man couldn't stomach staying in the extremely female room :D

I thought this made for a lovely beginning. It was very charming and light, the close-knit community of writers and neighbors who are involved in the case made for an eccentric and interesting supporting cast, and even having watched the episode from the TV show <i>Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries</i> I enjoyed it. As always, enough of the plot was altered to make reading the book it was based on enjoyable even if you know a bit of what is about to happen.

But don't worry, things don't stay too light and... pink for long :) Phryne's lover, Lin Chung, has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom, and Phryne is desperate to get him back safely. She will do anything to save him, even take on Chinese pirates... I really liked seeing this furious side of her, it made me love her character even more.

As always, Kerry Greenwood's extensive research has to be applauded. She truly makes the 1920s come alive, and it's a joy to lose yourself in Phryne's world!

Although all the books in the series are connected, I think this might be an easier book to start with as the one other book I have read (Murder in Montparnasse). I still think you need to know a bit about Phryne and her group of friends to truly appreciate this, but I think you could read this without having read all the other books.

When I discovered an extensive bibliography at the end of this murder mystery, my impression that this was meticulously researched and exceptionally intelligently written was confirmed. I have a rather extensive vocabulary myself thanks to (X) decades of reading and writing and was delighted to discover any number of new-to-me words, many of them archaic today but perfectly unexceptionable in the late 1920s in Australia. Thanks to the instant gratification of being able to highlight a word to get a definition or Wikipedia entry on it I am immensely enriched both from having read the book and increasing my vocabulary. NOTE: For those not so delighted with words, they are pretty much self explanatory in context so you can sort of skim over them. Not judging . . .

Beyond the above, we have a pair of intrigues intertwining with a variety of characters, most of whom distinguish themselves adequately so if you don't unravel the mystery yourself, you will at least say, "Ah, of course!" when the evildoers are exposed.

My reaction to reading the book was that the PBS series (well, that's where I watched it--probably produced in Australia) was exceptionally well cast and true to the concept as written. In fact, I so loved the show that when I realized it was based on actual novels and was offered the opportunity by NetGalley to read one, I snatched it right up! The original print publication appears to have been about 15 years ago but I didn't spot earlier ebook versions; in any event, many thanks to the publisher for re-releasing this delightful title!