Unnatural Habits

Disclaimer- I never grant more than 3 stars to a cozy mystery. For me, a 3-star rating means that this is an excellent example of the genre.

When I want to try my luck on a new -to me- cozy mystery series, I have a weird habit. I choose an installment at random and begin. It may be the 2nd in the series or the last, but never the first. I feel I am getting a better grasp of the writing and the characters and the introduction to the plot is quicker. It paid off in the Mary Russell mysteries, it was a disaster in the case of Maisie Dobbs, but here, my acquaintance with Phryne Fisher was interesting.

Without giving too much away, we find ourselves in Australia during the 1920s, where Phryne starts investigating a strange and disturbing case of missing girls. The Church, the social institutions, hospitals, brothels, the Press, everything plays a part in this sensitive case. So, Phryne has to face a number of well - set obstacles from the patriarchal society and the religious convictions in order to discover the truth and the reporter who went missing during the process of her personal investigation.

The novel was a nice deviation from what I have seen lately in the Cozy Mystery genre. Phryne is a charming character, brilliant, considerate, sassy and opinionated in a realistic way, without sounding too abrupt or condescending. She outsmarts her opponents with right arguments and sheer cleverness, not by trying too hard to appear ‘'bad-ass'' or however else they call it nowadays. (Honest to God, I do hate this expression...) Her minions, the young people who act as her ‘'Network'' -yes, too much ‘'Sherlock'', I know- are very entertaining. Each one represents a different ‘'type'' and provides a healthy kind of humour without trying to sound smart or inappropriate given the subject matter of the story.

What I really appreciated was the inclusion of many themes worthy of discussion in the novel. There is the tyranny of patriarchy that causes young people to rebel and react without thinking, trying to find an escape. There is the intense presence of the political conflict of the time, with the battle between Capitalism and Communism, the strengthening of the Women's Movement, and the emergence of the theory of Eugenics that caused disaster, mayhem and misery during the following decades. The fact that Kerry Greenwood didn't hesitate to deal with such a disturbing subject in a delicate, realistic and brave manner was a very pleasant surprise.

So, is this mystery something groundbreaking or innovative? No, it isn't, it doesn't have to be. All it needs to be is well-written, faithful in the depiction of the era and respectful towards the reader. And this installment succeeds in all these and becomes an entertaining ‘'quality'' light read.

ARC kindly provided by Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.