Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher Mysteries

Kerry Greenwood writes mysteries set in 1920s Australian high society featuring a chic upper-class sleuth, the Honourable Phryne Fisher. Just tried one - Cocaine Blues - and thought it was extremely lightweight fare, readable but nothing special.

In fact the only remarkable thing about it was the way the author likes to beat the reader over the head with how special the heroine is - for example, a shopkeeper tells her that she's the ONLY woman in Melbourne with enough panache to wear an Erte gown. (THE. ONLY. WOMAN.) The last time I got this crawly feeling on my skin about the author's obvious love for their central character, it was when reading Carole Nelson Douglas's Chapel Noir and noticing that EVERY SINGLE MAN Irene Adler meets instantly becomes her admirer...

Hi, I haven't read Greenwood, but I do like Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs Mysteries (first book -- Maisie Dobbs). It's set in post-WWII London and everyone is trying to put their lives back together after the war. I found it very good reading throughout the series, as Maisie tries to find missing persons, or find out what happened to soldiers who went missing in Europe. The books touch on some ethical issues, such as groups who passed out White Feathers (denoting cowardice) to able-bodied men who remained at home, and difficult issues such as veterans who were severely or wholly disabled. Nothing light-weight here.

Welcome redthaws! We've been discussing Maisie Dobbs on the thread entitled "Gillian Linscott - Nell Bray Mysteries", check it out! Jacqueline Winspear has fans on here, though I have to admit I'm not one of them (although I like the inter-war period the books are set in, Maisie Dobbs herself employs too much "intuition" for my taste.)