Miss Phryne Fisher is going on a well-deserved vacation, along with her two adopted daughters, Jane and Ruth, her faithful companion Dot, and her dog Molly. Driving at breakneck speed, everyone is relieved to arrive in one piece, but to an empty house. The caretakers are notably absent, the kitchen has been emptied, and the artwork has been moved in the cellar; what gives? Is this the way to start a holiday? Queenscliff's constable Dawson is useless, there's a phantom snipper after girls' braids, troublesome schoolboys are up to mischief, the help is undependable, a crew filming a movie on a presumed sunken treasure in the area, and Dot's policeman boyfriend who is expected. At least, nobody is dead...Yet.

I had loved the previous book, QUEEN OF THE FLOWERS, but I adored DEAD MAN'S CHEST! Be still my heart, the writing is stupendous! Ms. Greenwood has such a remarkable way with words that I can hear Phryne's heels clacking, her tone of voice, a lifted eyebrow, and all this without the author ever mentioning the gesture; amazing! It takes some real talent to make a reader nostalgic for the Paris she has never known, that of the early Twentieth Century. And the wit is delicious, and the images arresting: how can you resist a gem such as a woman being "suicidally blonde"? DEAD MAN'S CHEST is the sort of mystery that creeps on you: while it seems that Phryne and her household are settling in, several little occurrences and people, in the end, have to do with the suspense, and you just never see it coming. Kerry Greenwood's research and knowledge of the 1920s is astonishing, and the bit about neighboring surrealists is as wild as the movement itself; this is one passage I will never forget! And a new character is introduced: the wonderful Tinker; I hope he is there to stay. There are too many wonderful things to say about this book; every page is a literary treasure.

DEAD MAN'S CHEST is a marvel of creativity and ingenuity: the author knows precisely where she is going, and without any red herrings, comes up with incredible, and entirely believable, plot twists. Phryne Fisher is beguiling and redoubtable, and to watch her is an inspiration; who needs James Bond when you have a heroine such as Miss Phryne Fisher? She is an enchanting menace! DEAD MAN'S CHEST is a classic to be savored and cherished; fabulous!

Book Summary

It's high summer in Melbourne—the ideal time, Phryne Fisher thinks, to pack up the Hispano-Suiza and withdraw to the quiet vacation town of Queenscliff, at the mouth of the Bay. And yet, there is mystery and intrigue almost from the moment of her arrival. The Johnsons, who staff the holiday house, are nowhere to be found… along with much of the home's contents. When their bedraggled dog shows up days later, the Johnsons’ absence begins to look like something more sinister. Between the missing staff, coastal smugglers, daft surrealists and a pigtail thief, Phryne’s vacation is proving to be anything but.

Dead Man’s Chest, set in the Australia of 1929, is the 18th of Kerry Greenwoods much-loved Phryne Fisher mysteries.