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Kerry Greenwood - Queen of the Flowers: Flat and contrived. And no fair bringing her daughters into the plot. #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )

Detective Phryne Fisher is the queen of the Flowers for the annual St Kilda's Bazaar. One of her four attendants disappears under suspicious circumstances. While trying to locate her, Phryne's adopted daughter Ruth also disappears.
A fun mystery filled with handsome men and elephants.

library book read 5/8/2023 ( )

3.5 stars - enjoyable as always ( )

Phryne has a busy social calendar: there’s a circus and carnival in town, the annual Ladies’ Bazaar is on tap, and a big parade culminating in the float of the Queen of the Flowers and her attendants is looming. Of course, Phryne is the Queen, and as such, she must entertain and groom her four young attendants, one of whom goes missing shortly before the festivities. Not only does Phryne have to juggle all of her commitments, but she must find the young lady while also navigating the adolescent yearnings of her young adopted daughter Ruth, who pines for a father she’s never known…. This entry in the Phryne Fisher series shows us much more of St. Kilda and environs, particularly the more unsavory parts of the town, with some extremely sordid situations and some surprisingly graceful ones. Dealing with such matters as pedophilia is not easy to do within a generally light-hearted series, but Ms. Greenwood carries it off - plus she gives us a few rounds of old folk songs that made me glad to have the Child Ballads on my plate! Recommended. ( )

Better than the tv episode, well rounded story ( )