Tag: Stephanie Daniel

The Green Mill Murder

The Green Mill Murder

by Kerry Greenwood (McPhee Gribble, 1993)

audiobook read by Stephanie Daniel (ABC Audio, 2012)

Book cover: “The Green Mill Murder” by Kerry Greenwood (McPhee Gribble, 1993); audiobook read by Stephanie Daniel (ABC Audio, 2012)

While the mystery in this instance is nigh on non-existent, Phryne and the murderer make their dual entrance on page one and the book proceeds apace, endearing itself to aficionados of early 20th-century Australian culture and showcasing Greenwood’s research of the period.

Death at Victoria Dock

Death at Victoria Dock

by Kerry Greenwood (Poisoned Pen Press, 1992)

audiobook read by Stephanie Daniel (ABC, 2011)

Book cover: “Death at Victoria Dock” by Kerry Greenwood (Poisoned Pen Press, 1992); audiobook read by Stephanie Daniel (ABC, 2011)

Stephanie Daniel’s audiobook reading lends vivid personality to all the characters; Greenwood’s depiction of interbellum Melbourne society suggests considerable research; yet Phryne herself has become more goddess than investigator. She is adored and feared to the extent of encountering too little resistance.

Flying too High

Flying too High

by Kerry Greenwood (Penguin, 1990); audiobook read by Stephanie Daniel (Bolinda, 2011)

Flying Too High by Kerry Greenwood (book cover)

Two fairly straightforward cases (not investigations as such) brought concurrently to heel by the redoubtable Miss Fisher. In prose and plot, this is a simpler novel than Cocaine Blues. Nonetheless it sails along nicely on the strength of its characters and setting.

Spindle’s End

Spindle’s End

by Robin McKinley (Putnam, 2000); audiobook read by Stephanie Daniel (Bolinda, 2010)

McKinley_Spindle's End

Though Spindle’s End is marketed as a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, what binds the two works is not so much the plot—which bears precious few points in common—but the broader essence of fairy tale, which McKinley maintains throughout her narrative.

 

 

Cocaine Blues

Cocaine Blues

by Kerry Greenwood (McPhee Gribble, 1989); audiobook read by Stephanie Daniel (Bolinda, 2010)

Greenwood_Cocaine Blues

Greenwood evinces as no-nonsense an approach to plotting as does the irrepressible Phryne Fisher to solving mysteries and bucking societal norms. The result is a fast-moving romp through 1920s Melbourne, more worldly than Wodehouse but with a similarly delightful turn of phrase.

 

 

Derelict Space Sheep