I received this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I am a fan of the Australian TV show Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries from watching it on Netflix. I was very pleased to get ahold of a couple of the books. They are set in Melbourne in the 1920s. While there are differences in the books and the show, they aren't major. Phryne Fisher's pals Bert and Cec come to her with a problem they want to hire her to investigate. Seems that one of their old army mates has been murdered and an attempt made on another. It seems to lead back to the end of the war in Paris of 1918. The group of drunk soldiers were returning to camp after a night of partying and witnessed an artist being pushed in front of a train. Why after all these years would someone decide to kill any possible witnesses. The case brings back long hidden memories for Phryne as she too was in Paris at that time. It was the end of the war and she was returning from the horrors she experienced as an ambulance driver. It also brings back fond memories of days as an artist's model and time spent with the Bohemian art crowd including Picasso and Gertrude Stein. As Phryne seeks to us memories of the past to solve the present dangers to her friends she also investigates the disappearance of a young woman and stop a mutiny in her household staff. This was an entertaining as well as educational mystery involving post war Paris as well as the changing morals of the 1920s.

Murder in Montparnasse features an unusually ruminant Phryne Fisher. In a novel set in 1928, the fabulous Phryne delves into two mysteries: the disappearance of a wealthy girl just returned from Paris and the suspected murders of two ANZAC soldiers who fought with Phryne's red-ragger friends, Bert Johnson and Cecil Yates.

Needless to say, Phryne solves both cases, but what really distinguishes Kerry Greenwood's 12th Phryne Fisher mystery is its exploration of Phryne's vulnerabilities and its window on the ex-pat scene in Paris immediately after the Great War. Phryne's famous Parisian friends include Oscar Wilde's witty niece, Dorothy; Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, poet Natalie Clifford Barney, painter Romaine Brooks and other visitors to Barney's salon. What a delight! I can only hope that Greenwood will revisit Phryne's Paris days in yet another novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy of this book in the Miss Fisher series. As always a book full of detail about Phryne and her friends and associates. The plot in this book is a bit different from the others, giving more insight into aspects of Phryne's past which is interesting for followers of the series. As always, entertaining and gives the reader a feeling of actually 'being there' in the story. The whole series is a gem, with this book being no exception.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy of Murder in Montparnasse, the twelfth outing for Phryne Fisher and her motley band of helpers set in 1928 Melbourne.

Phryne has her hands full. M. Anatole, a French bistro owner, has asked her to try and discreetly find his missing fiancée, Bert and Cec, her communist taxi driving friends, have asked her to look into the recent, apparently accidental deaths of two of their close friends and the upcoming marriage of her paramour, Lin Chung, is causing ructions in her household.

As usual this is a fun read. Phryne cuts an impeccably dressed swathe through Melbourne as she pursues her enquiries although there is some sadness and many memories when her enquiries reveal the arrival in Australia of an old flame from her time in post war Paris. It is interesting to see Phryne in her younger days, ever unconventional and hedonistic, as it fills in some gaps in her history. The historical detail and characterisation are impeccable and interesting in their own right.

The plot is not to be taken seriously but it is cleverly done and I admire Ms Greenwood ingenuity in keeping her plots fresh and inventive. I think her large cast of regular characters helps as it spreads the load. Phryne is never far away and is always the brains behind the investigation but a chapter here and there concentrating on the other characters' exploits gives the novel a broader perspective.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder in Montparnasse and have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

I have been a fan of the TV show "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" since the very first episode. Set in Melbourne in the 1920s, featuring a strong, independent female lead, and a wonderful cast, the show is just fun to watch. I always promised myself I would one day read the books, which were, I was told, a bit different from the adaptation (Phryne is considerably younger and Det. Robinson happily married for example), and figured one of my favorite episodes would be a good place to start. (I wouldn't recommend the same for anyone unfamiliar with Phryne and her friends though, because the characters' relationships are already well established, and there is very little to no rehashing of anything that has happened prior to this.)

The book is indeed a bit different from the episode with the same title, but even if the killer is still the same, it made for an excellent summer read! The wealth of historical knowledge and the historical figures which are featured (Picasso, Gertrude Stein, etc.) results in amazing atmosphere! Having been to Paris quite often, I could clearly picture Phryne walking along the streets of Montparnasse and the Quartier Latin, losing herself in the world of post-war Paris.

I was a bit afraid that the only reason I loved Phryne so much was because of Essie Davis' brilliant performance, but she is an amazing character in her own right, too. Strong, but at the same time vulnerable, eccentric, charming, resourceful, and always helping those in need, she was a delight to read about. Her sad story revealed in this book about her time as an ambulance driver during the war and subsequent life as an artist's muse in Paris were as interesting as the murders and kidnapping she investigates. The only small quibble I had was that there were quite a lot of other things Phryne investigates while searching for the killer, and it took away the focus from the main story line a bit too much for my taste.

As for the cases: Phryne is hired by her friends Cec and Bert to investigate the murders of two of their friends. It quickly becomes evident that they witnessed a murder in Paris after the war and that someone is now hunting down witnesses. Phryne is forced to one and for all confront her own demons from those days, realizing that she can only truly move on if she lets go of some of the most painful memories of her life. At the same time, she is is also searching for a missing girl. This was a bit less interesting to me as I felt it distracted a bit from the other case and Phryne's memories, but maybe that was the point and she chose this additional adventure to distract herself from those painful reminiscences. And then there's the small matter of finding a replacement for Mr. Butler (the butler) who threatens to quit if Phryne resumes her affair with the handsome, but about to be married, Mr. Lin...

All in all, it was a wonderfully entertaining book! Having started the series, I will now definitely read all of it!

4 stars

As Phryne is walking down the street toward an appointment, a man flies through the plate glass window in front of her. As she enters the establishment, an upscale French restaurant, the chef tells her about of friend of his that has gone missing. He wants Phryne to find her.

So begins another Hon. Phryne Fisher adventure! Bert and Cec’s old comrades in arms are being mysteriously killed off. They ask Phryne for help and they fear for their own lives as well as the lives of their surviving friends, three additional men. Bert and Cec are sometimes cabbies, but mostly jacks of all trades.

At the same time, Phryne’s beloved is all set to marry a woman from China whom he has never met – and that his mother and the bride’s mother picked out for him.

And Mr. Butler is threatening to quit!

Oh my, whatever in the world is she to do?

This is another great Phryne novel and I love them all! Melbourne, Australia in the 1920’s is an exciting and vibrant place. Ms. Greenwood does her research for the descriptions of the culture and the people are very apt. They are an easy, quick read and quite enjoyable. This is a very busy novel; there is quite a bit going on.

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

Though Murder in Montparnasse is the 12th book in the series, it was my introduction to Phryne Fisher. Luckily it read perfectly well as a standalone. There were lots of characters that clearly came from previous books in the series, but I never felt as if I’d missed some relevant information.
I liked the character of Phryne, as well as the other characters. I also liked the setting (even if I was a little disappointed St Kilda referred to Australia and not the abandoned island in Scotland). The mysteries unfolded nicely. There weren’t any big surprises but it wasn’t predictable either. I loved the quirkiness of it all, and how it never crossed the line into ridiculousness.
This is not my usual genre but I’ll definitely read more if I come across it.