The Green Mill Murder

A Phryne Fisher Mystery

By: Kerry Greenwood

Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel

Phryne Fisher is doing one of her favorite things -dancing at the Green Mill (Melbourne's premier dance hall) to the music of Tintagel Stone's Jazzmakers, the band who taught St Vitus how to dance. And she's wearing a sparkling lobelia-coloured georgette dress. Nothing can flap the unflappable Phryne -especially on a dance floor with so many delectable partners. Nothing except death, that is.

The dance competition is trailing into its last hours when suddenly, in the middle of "Bye Bye Blackbird" a figure slumps to the ground. No shot was heard. Phryne, conscious of how narrowly the missile missed her own bare shoulder, back, and dress, investigates. This leads her into the dark smoky jazz clubs of Fitzroy, into the arms of eloquent strangers, and finally into the sky, as she follows a complicated family tragedy of the great War and the damaged men who came back from ANZAC cove. Phryne flies her Gypsy Moth Rigel into the Autralian Alps, where she meets a hermit with a dog called Lucky and a wombat living under his bunk.... and risks her life on the love between brothers.

©1993 Kerry Greenwood (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"Australian crime fiction is becoming increasingly popular in North America, but Greenwood's series, thanks to its sparkling evocation of how the 1920s roared Down Under, manages to stand apart from the crowd. Anyone who hasn't discovered Phryne Fisher by now should start making up for lost time." ( Booklist)

Another winner from Kerry Greenwood

Carrie Greenwood has such great knowledge of not only Australia but history after world war I. She does such an exquisite job of describing in detail the Unique Australian outback one moment, then all the gear a early Aviator would need in the next moment. Yes, the plots are tidy in her story but sometimes that can be a refreshing break after reading books of the worlds uglyness and war as I’m often reading.

Too Complicated

I usually prefer the book to the movie. Not in this case. The Every Cloud production was cleaner, more exciting, and made more sense.

Wonderful Miss Fisher

As with all the stories, it is beautifully written and wonderfully narrated! There are distinct voices and great descriptions.

Very solid and enjoyable story!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Green Mill Murder to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but I do think that the narrator has a good range of voices and variety. The only issue I had was the Southern American accent. That's probably because I'm a Southerner, so the accent was quite off to me. Other than that, the reading is excellent.

I wish the books weren't so short though!

Which scene was your favorite?

I really liked the description of flying and the plane-- I knew nothing about a Gypsy Moth plane, so I had to look it up.

Any additional comments?

There are very nice moments with the author at the end of the book too, so you can hear about her inspirations, and find out about details in the story. I like that the recording studio included those.

Best story so far

Another great book in the Phryne Fisher series. I have liked all of them but this is probably my favorite. It's a great storyline and is definitely worth the read.

Kerry Greenwood and Stephanie Daniel - unbeatable!

What made the experience of listening to The Green Mill Murder the most enjoyable?

Stephanie Daniel's performance brings the characters to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Phryne Fisher has become one of my favorite fictional characters. Kerry Greenwood has written her with sympathy, panache, and lots of tongue-in-cheek. I confess, however, that my second favorite character is Mr. Butler, the butler.

What about Stephanie Daniel???s performance did you like?

Her performance is exceptional. She does not narrate, she performs. I sometimes need to remind myself that there is only one actor and not a whole cast. Her timing is excellent, and her portrayals are superb. I can't imagine anyone else performing Phryne. And she has a way with accents. They are natural and unaffected, adding to the realism of the performance.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Her sympathetic portrayal of shell-shocked soldiers is moving.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to many of Stephanie Daniel's performances of the Phryne Fisher books, and while I think Death by Water is my favorite, this ranks right up there with the best.

Green Mill Murder is as fun as the previous books

What did you love best about The Green Mill Murder?

I love Phryne's attitude and the way she handles people. The description as usual are always enchanting.

Delightful

Really enjoyed this superbly read and written story. Actually checked some to the historical facts and couldn't fault them. Highly recommended

First time reader

Where does The Green Mill Murder rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book ranks in about the middle of my reading list. I have listened to over 200 books and many different readers.

What other book might you compare The Green Mill Murder to and why?

Because it takes place in Australia and makes reference to many local areas and establishments, I would liken it to Alexander McCall Smith's series The No. 1 Ladies
Detection Agency. Both series are interesting to listen, informative and well read.

Which scene was your favorite?

I thought the description of Phryne flying over the Australian Alps was very good. There were many scenes, that for different reasons, were delightful to hear about. I could feel Victor's need for silence and the pain of the last dancers.

Any additional comments?

It took me a while to get into the reader Stephanie Daniel. It seemed that while I was getting use to the accent many characters were introduced. At first, I wasn't sure that I would like this book. However, I am glad that I finished it.

Fantastic performance

The book was great, but it was the narration by Stephanie Daniel that made this truly memorable. Perhaps the best narration of any audio book I have listened to.