2021 historical detection short stories, in Greenwood's Phryne Fisher
series (1920s flapper detective in Australia).
But not a new collection; the greater part of this book is
identical with the 2007 collection A Question of Death, with only
four new stories. I've already reviewed that collection, so I refer
you there for that one. This is subtitled "the ultimate Miss Phryne
Fisher story collection" and I must assume that Greenwood, already
quite ill by this point, had decided that she wouldn't be writing
enough short stories to fill a whole new book. But in any case, if you
like this stuff, buy this collection rather than seeking out that one.
"The Boxer" has a child going missing and a curiously unconcerned
custodial grandparent.
Mrs Ragnell had lost a granddaughter, declined to report it to the
police and waited a whole fortnight before reporting the child
missing. On top of this, she casually volunteered the information
that she had lost a daughter as well. She seemed uncommonly
careless.
Where has the girl gone? What happened to her mother? And how will
Phryne arrange for all to get their deserts?
"A Matter of Style" is set in a hair salon, where an
already-argumentative customer is accusing the staff of theft. Some of
that is easy to solve, some rather more tricky.
"The Chocolate Factory" opens with Phryne posing for the cover of a
chocolate assortment. But when the complimentary box arrives and
something's wrong with it, she has to dig in and work out how it happened.
"The Bells of St Paul's" has Phryne hearing an oddity in a
bell-ringing session, and working out what must be going on. Other
people have worked it out too, and it all ends rather charmingly.
(Which Greenwood can do, without going saccharine.)
Nothing earth-shaking here of course but one wouldn't expect it; and
"Bells" was a fine piece to end on. As inevitably in short detective
fiction, this isn't the Good Stuff, but it's still Phryne on form.