Murder on the Ballarat Train

 Murder on the Ballarat Train (1991) by Kerry Greenwood

The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher and her devoted companion Dot are on their way to Ballarat for a week. For once, Phryne has decided to leave her red Hispano-Suiza behind--much to Dot's relief (Miss Fisher drives like a demon)--and take a slow trip on the Ballarat train. But even though they aren't negotiating hairpin turns or barreling along like race car drivers, danger is never far away when Phryne Fisher is around. 

Fortunately, Phryne was sleeping lightly when their train car was flooded with chloroform. She quickly shot out the window with her little Beretta .32 bringing fresh air into the compartment and her efforts managed to save everyone aboard...except the bossy old woman who had harassed her daughter for the entire journey. Mrs. Henderson has disappeared from the train. There's evidence that the old woman was dragged out the compartment window and later her body is found along the train tracks. Miss Henderson asks Phryne to find out who killed her mother.

Also on the train is a young girl who can't remember anything and the police ask Phryne if she will take care of the girl...unless she'd rather they turn the girl over to Welfare. Which Phryne very definitely does not want to do. And after they arrive home, Dr. MacMillan examines her, and it's discovered that she has been molested, Phryne decides that she will keep the girl for her own rather than send her to Welfare or back to whomever abused her. But she does want to find out where the girl came from so she can repay the abuser in spades.

So...Phryne has two mysteries to solve. Mysteries that will lead her to the university rowing team where Miss Henderson's fiancé can be found (motive--to speed Miss Henderson's anticipated inheritance) and on to a rather disreputable boarding house where a once-great hypnotists lives and another young girl in desperate circumstances waits to be rescued. Do the two mysteries connect? And if so, how? 

I enjoyed this one more than the Green Mill, possibly because it starts on a train and I do like a mystery on a train. It would have been even nicer if the train journey had lasted longer, but you can't have everything. This is also a good entry into the series because it tells us how Jane and Ruth come into Phryne's household. Still a good story, but I have noticed as I reread these how obvious the suspects are. The mysteries read more like police procedurals or inverted mysteries where we know who the bad guys are we just need to see how the good guys are going to track them down and nail them for their crimes. I'm not complaining. I love the Phryne Fisher books. But my memory from reading these pre-blog was that there was more detecting going on. ★★★★

First line: Fortunately, the Hon. Phryne Fisher was a light sleeper.

Last line: There must be a reason in it all, thought Dot, and fell asleep trying to think of one.

*****************

Deaths = two strangled