Murder in Williamstown

 Murder in Williamstown (2022) by Kerry Greenwood

Phryne Fisher and her household are back in action. There are strange goings-on in Williamstown and Phryne is drawn in when she makes a short trip to the city. While strolling through the local park she discovers a discarded opium pipe. So far Australia has been spared the evils of opium smuggling, but perhaps that's changing. Especially since a police raid (searching for smuggled items) targets her long-time paramour Lin Chung. Since Lin is an honest man, there's nothing to find and the over-eager sergeant who led the raid receives a dressing down. Then when Phryne and her latest young man, Jeoffrey Bisset, are taking a walk along the beach they discover the body of a Chinese man who has been stabbed to death. Are all of these incidents connected? And if so, how? And why are her friendly policemen Jack Robinson and Hugh Collins, as well as Lin Chung warning her off?

Her interest in events is increased when she and Jeoffrey attend a party hosted by Hong, a white man born Thomas Browning who has a great affinity for all things Chinese. There's a definite tension in the air of the party. The girls of the dancing troupe brought in for entertainment most definitely don't want to be there. And then a figure dressed all in black rushes towards Hong, stabs him in full view of the party guests, and rushes out into the night. When Phryne tries to follow, a group of five men bearing weapons block her path and suggest (in Chinese) that she go back and "say nothing."

Meanwhile...Phryne's adopted daughters have, as part of their school assignments, been spending time at the Blind Institute. Ruth, with her love of cooking, is assigned to help out in the kitchen, but Jane, a math whiz, not only assists in the math lessons but is asked by Miss Thomas to give a hand in the business office. Miss Thomas believes that something is very wrong with the accounting, but isn't sure if Mr. Blake (the bookkeeper) is to blame or is being hoodwinked. She'd like Jane to see if she can get to the bottom of it without attracting the attention that a full audit would bring.

And...someone has taken exception to Phryne's lifestyle. She begins receiving anonymous notes mad up of words cut from newspapers labeling her the "Whore of Babylon" and indicating the fate of sinners such of herself. She's not too concerned until one evening she chases off a man who climbs up to her window. So she decides that some investigation is in order. She assigns Tinker the task of finding out as much as he can about the notes and their author.

It was great fun to step back into Phryne's world. I always enjoy visiting with the grown-up's Nancy Drew (as I think of her). I really like watching her adopted children (Ruth, Jane, & Tinker) take on the investigations in the side stories. They are turning into quite the sleuthing team and I can't wait to see where Greenwood takes them next. One small complaint, however--why are all the men (Jack, Hugh, & Lin) all freezing Phryne out? You'd think this was the first time they'd encountered her in a mystery and they didn't know how good she is at detecting. But they've all known her for quite a few years. I understand that the official investigation needs to be kept under wraps, but Jack and Hugh both know that Phryne can be trusted. They could at least be a little warmer in their "Sorry, Miss Fisher, but we just can't tell you anything this time" responses. The tone just seems really off for people who know each other well.

The mysteries are fairly straightforward--not much in the way of suspects and red herrings, so the reader should spot the villains in each case fairly easily. If I weren't so enthusiastic about the cast of characters and Greenwood's writing, I'd probably give this a flat three stars or possibly less if I were rating the mystery factor alone. ★★★ and 1/2

First line (Prologue): Little Bourke Street was silent.
First line (1st Chapter): The Honourable Phryne Fisher sat at her Bechstein grand piano, a frown marring her Dutch-doll features.

I know. Everyone thinks we scholars hatch out of magic toadstools. But I've had a satisfyingly chequered life. (Jeoffrey Bisset, p. 194)

Last line: Life could indeed be a lot worse than this.
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Deaths = two stabbed