MURDER IN WILLIAMSTOWN By Kerry Greenwood (Allen & Unwin)
After a long absence, Kerry Greenwood’s effervescent Phryne Fisher made a sparkling reappearance in 2020’s Death In Daylesford. Now she is back again with a new adventure and a new location: Murder In Williamstown (Allen & Unwin,
1 November 2022).
The first Phryne Fisher novel, Cocaine Blues, appeared in 1989 and set the tone for the twenty one novels, all set in the late 1920s, that followed it. Now some thirty years later, helped along by the popular television series and the regrettable movie, the elegant Miss Fisher has become a mainstay of the Australian crime fiction scene.
Murder In Williamstown finds the redoubtable Miss Fisher caught up in her usual array of puzzles and problems, including possible fraud at the Blind Institute, racial prejudice, murder, opium dealing and a series of threatening letters. Phryne is not too troubled by the letters and enlists the help of her unflappable apprentice, Tinker, to determine their source. Things, however, quickly spiral out of control and when her lover, Lin Chung, is also threatened, Phryne has to step in and sort things out, as well as solving another crime or two.
Regular readers of the series will know what to expect and Kerry delivers her usual mixture of light mystery, amusing banter, interesting characters and an abundance of historical detail. The story moves along at a brisk pace and Phryne is her usual charming and capable self. Kerry’s touch is light, but there is still some substance in her telling and the book addresses a range of issues that are still relevant today.
An enjoyable romp that also includes a moving and interesting Afterword.
Murder In Williamstown, with its stunning cover, will be released in Australia in paperback on 1 November 2022. It will be available in the United Kingdom on 1 November as an Audible release and on Kindle in United States also on
1 November 2022. Paperback release dates for both the United States and the United Kingdom are not clear.
Thanks to the publisher for an early copy of the book for review.