Quirky and enjoyable

Not quite in the league of Agatha Christie but definitely arousing and clever. nice work.

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Weirdly long gaps mid sentence in reading

The story is great, different enough from TV show to be interesting, and the narrator is fine, but the editing is dreadful. Gaps of several seconds occur mid-sentence, so much so you think playback has stopped

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fun mystery

loved every minute of this book. its read with clarity and enthusiasm. I'll be reading more of this series

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Phryne flies off the page

As a general Rule of Thumb always read the original book before watching the TV or Film adaptation. In this case that wasn't possible for me. I had already watched The Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries TV series - twice.

So when given the opportunity to get the first book on Audible for free, I thought why not give the original source material a try. Just a little case of double vision. This was worse than the Perry Mason schizophrenia – that was decades in the past, Miss Fisher only a couple of years. Obviously I will be comparing and contrasting the two mediums but one should always defer to literature.

The first difference is that we first meet Phryne in her country pile in England, where she solves a very amateurish heist and soon finds herself on her way to Australia to investigate on behalf of family acquaintances Soon she is onboard a steamer sailing towards Melbourne Australia. As she reflects on the circumstances of her journey we get a quick run down of how her family's circumstances dramatically changed. On her voyage she is accompanied by Doctor “Mac” who is moving to Australia to escape the stuffy, sexist British medical establishment.

Soon we are introduced to other characters both familiar and yet different Ces and Bert, are more or less the same in both media versions. Dot is significantly different in the book over her TV counterpart – I think for the better.

Phryne (she was supposed to be Christened Psyche but a “tired and emotional” father got his classical Greek characters mixed up t her Christening.) Which when it is explained why this is amusing to Miss Fisher also brings a smile to the reader. It also informs Phryne's deeper character traits.

Phryne's investigation leads along the way to acquiring a lady's maid (Dot), and a couple of taxi drivers, she and Mac along with Ces and Bert also track down a murderous rapist/abortionist. Inspector Robinson only makes a peripheral appearance in the first book.

Phryne is sexy, sassy, resourceful and canny. Her seemingly trivial investigation soon turns into something darker and deadly.

Have to say the book didn't disappoint, the TV series is still good (and in my mind Phryne in the book still looks like Essie Davis.) But the book is meatier, more logical and a delightful read.

Just a little aside, The Fisher books are set in the 20s/30s, the time of the Who-Dunnit's golden era. So one could postulate a shared universe. For example as the Fishers are minor aristocracy it is entirely possible that Phryne could know Lord Peter Wimsey. In fact they might have been “jolly good friends” until Miss Vane comes along. This was also the time of Poirot and Marple. Plus Roderic Alleyn. In America there was Perry Mason and Nero Wolfe.. If only I was clever enough to write that scenario.

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light, joyful mystery

I thought the TV series was good but the books are 100 times better. Phryne's character is so skillfully created I wish she were my friend! Like Agatha Christie but oozing class, grand ure and a distinctive sense of style.

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Very enjoyable

Any additional comments?

This is a beautifully narrated book and narration is one of the most important features in an audiobook. I've had perfectly good books which I've enjoyed reading completely ruined because the reader's voice/accent is jarring. Phyrne, the heroine, is very engaging and the story moves along at a good pace. All the other characters are well-rounded. Heartily recommended and I've just downloaded two more Phryne Fisher audiobooks.

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1 person found this helpful

Miss Fisher

Excellent story and performance. Weird pauses throughout though. I've ordered the first five books.

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Pleasant but potentially costly surprise

I bought this in a sale because I enjoy the tv programme. Turns out I think I enjoyed this even more. Looks like I’ll be getting them all!!

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3 people found this helpful

A little monotone but a good story

What did you like most about Cocaine Blues?

The Miss Fisher character was well developed.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cocaine Blues?

Using sex to save the day.

Have you listened to any of Stephanie Daniel’s other performances? How does this one compare?

The narrator was the downside with this recording. I found her voices a bit hard to stomach and suspect this is a case of just not liking her voice. But if you listen to the sample and don't mind it you'll enjoy the story.

Any additional comments?

I came to these books the wrong way round - having watched the Miss Fisher TV series from Australia first. I couldn't help comparing the characters with those I'd seen on TV. The book comes off really well with lots of touches that would not have worked on tv but which you can do in a book without seeming silly. Well, not too silly.

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1 person found this helpful

Fabulous ...

Having watched the TV series I looked forward to listening to the original material. The books are different enough to give lots more entertainment.

I really enjoyed this book & look forward to listening to the rest.

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