Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher, #1) in Around the Year in 52 Books

Apr 12, 2015 Catsalive rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: aww, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2022

The first of Phryne's adventures from Australia's most elegant and irrepressible sleuth.

The London season is in full fling at the end of the 1920s, but the Honourable Phryne Fisher - she of the green-grey eyes, diamante garters and outfits that should not be sprung suddenly on those of nervous dispositions - is rapidly tiring of the tedium of arranging flowers, making polite conversations with retired colonels, and dancing with weak-chinned men. Instead, Phryne decides it might be rather amusing ...more

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Jan 31, 2017 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, around-the-world-challenge, 2017-reading-challenge

This was the most enjoyable book I've read in awhile. It was light-hearted and engaging, yet while dealing with some serious issues. Phryne is a wonderfully confident, uninhibited, strong lead character. I may not want her life choices for myself, but i love her as a character and respect her determination to be herself and do as she wishes. The solution to the mystery was a bit obvious to me, but didn't distract me from enjoying the story. I also enjoyed characters like Dot and Cec and Bert and ...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Ketutar Jensen rated it liked it

Well...

The clothes are all wrong. It started nicely, I got excited, but at the third pair of trousers... :-( And the streetwalker costume... that was the last straw. :-(

I was very impressed by the descriptions of food in the beginning of the book, but that, too, fizzled.

I was not at all impressed by the judgmental descriptions of women.

I believe I would not have liked Phryne if I hadn't learned to know her through the tv show. That's wonderful.

The mystery was good enough, interesting, excitin ...more

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Mar 29, 2010 Trish rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, crime-historical

Took me a little while to get into the main character, but I enjoyed it once I did.

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Jan 04, 2024 Cora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, kindle, series, 1st-in-series, historical-mystery, 1920s, 20th-century, australia, crime, australian-author

This was a fun book that was very different than any others I have read. I like the free-spirited, yet good hearted Phryne and the cast of characters and friends she picks up in her adventures. I hope many of them come back in future books in the series. There were times when I thought the story was going in too many different directions, but in the end most of the trails came together and made sense. While I thought the book was going in a different direction with its resolution of who did it, ...more

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Mar 17, 2014 Missy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, historical, kindle

Phryne's clothes alone are worth 4 stars, but the style was a little jumpy and the book itself was a little short, so I came down to 3. Still, a very, very enjoyable read. ...more

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Mar 02, 2022 Ana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, historical, 2022, 2022-aty, 2022-march

Fun story

I enjoyed the start of this series. I liked the tv show, and I'm glad that it matched up well with the book. I really liked the characters and loved how Phryne solved all of the mysteries. ...more

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