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Death By Water

a Phryne Fisher Mystery

First published 2005 · 292 pages

A sparkling, champagne-fueled voyage where high-seas luxury meets sharp-witted sleuthing.

What it feels like

Reading this mystery feels like sipping a perfectly mixed champagne cocktail on the deck of a luxury ocean liner, effervescent, glamorous, and carrying a hidden kick. The narrative glides at a brisk, entertaining pace, wrapping the reader in an atmosphere of vintage elegance and high-society intrigue. Beneath the designer travel suits and shipboard romances lies a sharp, confident tone, driven by a fiercely independent and intelligent protagonist who commands every room she enters. The prose is stylish and seductive, concealing a sharp edge that keeps the mystery engaging without ever losing its breezy, escapist charm. It is an absolute delight for anyone who loves their crime fiction served with a heavy dose of glamour, wit, and unapologetic feminine power.

Mood
  • breezy
  • luxurious
  • intrigue-filled
  • effervescent
Tone
  • wry
  • glamorous
  • seductive
  • confident
Pace
brisk
Themes
high-society deception · feminine independence · the allure of danger · luxurious escapism
The writing
Sharp, elegant, and seductive, with a hidden edge that perfectly balances wit and danger.
The arc
A delightful plunge into high-stakes glamour that glides effortlessly toward a satisfying, triumphant resolution.
Who it's for
Readers who crave stylish, female-led mysteries dripping with vintage glamour, champagne, and sharp-witted confidence.
Content notes
  • attempted murder
  • blackmail
  • drugging

About the book

The divine Phryne Fisher returns in the fifteenth seductive instalment in the classic Phryne Fisher whodunnit series.Who are you?' asked the doctor. You are not the standard cruise passenger, I can tell you that.'Thank you,' said Phryne in a self-possessed manner. You are correct. I am a lot of things, some of which do not concern you, but mostly I am Phryne Fisher.'The nice men at P&O are worried. A succession of jewellery thefts from first class passengers is hardly the best advertisement for their cruise liners, particularly when it is likely that it is a passenger who is doing the stealing.Phryne Fisher, with her Lulu bob, green eyes, Cupid's bow lips and Chanel travelling suits, is exactly the sort of elegant sleuth to take on a ring of jewellery thieves aboard the high seas - or at least, aboard the SS Hinemoa on a luxury cruise to New Zealand. With the Maharani - the Great Queen of Sapphires - as the bait, Phryne rises magnificently to the challenge.There are shipboard romances, champagne cocktails, erotic photographers, jealous husbands, mickey finns, blackmail and attempted murder, all before the thieves find out - as have countless love-smitten men before them - that where the glamorous and intelligent Phryne is involved, resistance is futile.Greenwood's prose has a dagger in its garter.' Graeme Blundell, The Australian

Description from Open Library.

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