Cocaine Blues

Fun detective story. I really like Phryne and Dot. I've seen the first season of the TV-show, which is also great.

DNF - PG 15

Why?

Because of the writing style. Look, I'll admit, I started this book with some trepidation. I came into this series loving the tv show. (Absolutely adoring it and Essie Davis.) I knew a lot of things changed for the adaption, but, I liked the show enough to want to try.

I found the first fifteen pages kind of terrible. It may get better, it may not - but I found the writing absolutely devoid of place and time. This book is supposed to take place in 1920's Melbourne. I love the 20's and 30's and I thought it would be great fun to see Melbourne.

Unfortunately, this could be any place and any time - as long as the society was high enough.

So, Phryne arrives at Melbourne's Windsor Hotel. I was getting ready for a nice couple of paragraphs to set the place and kick my terribly lagging interest into something resembling interest.

‘Phryne surrendered herself, [to the doorman] and stepped up into the quiet, well-ordered, opulent world of the Windsor.'

Perfect place for a few punchy descriptors while Phryne checks in, yes?

The very next sentence is (without anything indicating a time skip, I might add):

‘Bathed, re-clothed, and hungry, Phryne came down into the hotel dining room for luncheon.'

Is the book short? Yes. Is it still a hundred and seventy pages more than I want to spend with this void writing? Yes. (Maybe the whole series improves, that's what happens often to mystery authors, but I just find this writing style impossible to enjoy.)

Such a fun book! I loved the TV show so this was like visiting old friends!

Well...

The clothes are all wrong. It started nicely, I got excited, but at the third pair of trousers... :-( And the streetwalker costume... that was the last straw. :-(

I was very impressed by the descriptions of food in the beginning of the book, but that, too, fizzled.

I was not at all impressed by the judgmental descriptions of women.

I believe I would not have liked Phryne if I hadn't learned to know her through the tv show. That's wonderful.

The mystery was good enough, interesting, exciting, well written, but... as said. I don't think I'll be continuing reading the rest of this series, at least now. Maybe one day when I need a quick read. It's harmless enough.

I admit I only wanted to read this because I enjoyed the TV show. TV Phryne was great, and she's great in the book too. She's glamorous and adventurous and sexy. She's so much fun. The TV episode was different from the book, but I like them both so much it doesn't matter. I'd like to read the rest of the books. Phryne's a great character.