The Castlemaine Murders

A review I wrote in 2020:

The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood

Set in Australia, Phryne is an escapee from the constraints of 1920s English upper class society.
Phryne and her sister, Beth, started life in extreme poverty in Melbourne but when a succession of
heirs died out in the First World War, their father inherited an Earldom in England. Phryne, after
escaping school to serve in an ambulance unit during the war and then coming into her own
inheritance and therefore financial freedom, disappeared off to Australia and lives a delightfully
independent lifestyle. By this point in the series she has two adopted daughters, rough and ready
socialist friends, a very sweet maid called Dot, a lavish lifestyle and numerous attractive show more men
friends. She also seems to find herself accidental part-time detective…

In this mystery, the 13th in the series, there is a little too much detail of cadavers for my liking but
glossing over that, it’s good fun. Phryne and her lover Lin Chung find themselves caught up in a
70 year old Australian gold mining mystery when a stuffed dummy at a local fun fair turns out to
be the well-preserved body of a missing man….

Kerry includes quite a comprehensive bibliography at the back for history enthusiasts to read up
about the Australian gold rush and although a light and fun read, it shows how much historical
research she puts into her novels. There’s also a TV series based on the books called Miss
Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. show less

Phryne accidentally uncovers the mummified body of an unknown man disguised as a funfare dummy, an incident that intrigues her enough to search for the identity of this 70-year-old corpse. Meanwhile, Lin Chung has become head of his family and, whilst resolving a longstanding feud, discovers that missing family gold from 70 years earlier was not stolen by the rival family but instead is, well, missing. Both quests take the lovers, separately, to Castlemaine, a town that grew up around the very rich goldfields of 1850s Australia, where there are more secrets than those to be revealed…. I enjoyed the change of scenery and the history provided in this entry in the Phryne Fisher series, although both “mysteries” were relatively easily show more solved. More interesting was the introduction of Phryne’s sister, sometimes known as Beth and sometimes Eliza, and how her story dovetails nicely with the mummified corpse. Plus, we get to see an old friend from the circus once again, always a pleasure! Recommended. show less

Back to a more favored status (really, I just don't like reading about sports), this episode in Miss Fisher's exciting life is right after Lin Chueng has returned from adventures in China - and they do get a touch steamy. It's all so understated though, and she is just a hoot - I'd like to have her as a pal.

Phryne Fisher has had her sister descend on her and treat her badly, now she's trying to entertain everyone, so they go to Luna Park to amusements, during a Ghost Train Phryne finds a corpse, disguised, mummified but with a bullet hole. While she starts poking in it, her life, and the life of her household becomes threatened. This doesn't put her off but makes her more determined to investigate.

Meanwhile her lover, Lin Chung, is investigating a feud between his family and another Chinese family and finding a mystery that he too has to investigate, both mysteries eventually lead to the same place, Castlemaine.

The relationships are interesting and she is so easily smart, but the ending felt anti-climactic. I liked the relationship between show more Lin Chung's wife and Phryne though. show less

A good depiction of life on the Australian gold fields in the 1850s, and the subsequent mystery is well laid out, if hard to believe. Phryne Fisher gets to the bottom of it all with style and grace.

My first Phryne Fisher book will not be my last. Phryne, an adventuress who lives in Australia with a maid, the Butlers (husband and wife), two adopted daughters and her newly arrived sister finds a body when she messes with a carnival exhibit and discovers an actual body. Determined to find out how the man got there and who he was, she goes to the former gold fields, now the lovely town of Castlemaine, to find the answers.There is someone, however, who does not want her to find out who the poor dead man was and will go to great lengths to stop her quest. A fun read with a fearless detective.

This episode of Miss Fisher's story is a little disappointing, at least after two very strong entries in the series -- "Away With the Fairies", and "Murder in Montparnasse". Maybe it's unlucky 13, but I found "The Castlemaine Murders" less involving, and the plot less gripping. The side plot about the Chinese in the mid-19th century Gold Rush is interesting, but the story we run into first (featuring the dessicated corpse of cowbow) was less so, for me at least. Still and all, any Phryne is a good mystery.