Thanks to @netgalley and @posionedpenpress for the ARC of Just Murdered
by Katherine Kovacic. I finished this one in the pick up lane at school and was so engrossed in it, I almost missed my chance to pull forward!

Just Murdered features Peregrine Fisher, long-lost niece of Phryne Fisher. Phryne has not returned from a far-off adventure and per her instructions, her next of kin must be notified and informed of her inheritance. As a result, Peregrine is unexpectedly summoned to a meeting of the Adventuresses' Club of the Antipodes, where she learns about her aunt and her inheritance. Determined to be accepted into the Adventuresses’ Club, Peregrine dives head first into not one but two connected murderers that threaten the Club and its members.

Wonderful setting and characters and just a great sense of time-period (1960s). I do hope this is a series and now I need to find the show about Phryne that is on Acorn TV.

I was excited for this, as I love the TV series, but I struggled with this book. I found it hard to stay engaged, and I just didn't feel much of a connection with any of the characters. I may try picking it up again at a later date, and I'd consider checking out future books, should there be any.

Kovacic has written a series featuring an art dealer who solves crimes, but Just Murdered isn't a Kovacic original. It's based on a script by Deb Cox for the first episode of the television series, Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, which is a spin-off from Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, the television series based on Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher novels.

Just Murdered is set in Melbourne in 1963. Peregrine Fisher, the long-lost niece of Phryne Fisher, has led an unsettled life with her mother, who moved from town to town as debts caught up with her. Since her mother died, Peregrine has been living in a caravan in a Queensland country town, working as a hairdresser, but she's just lost her job, so when she receives a letter from The Adventuresses' Club of the Antipodes asking her to attend a meeting about an inheritance, she sets off to hitch-hike to Melbourne. At the Adventuresses' Club Peregrine finds that the aunt she'd never heard of has left everything to her niece.

The Adventuresses are a group of unusually accomplished women, so Peregrine has no qualifications for membership. When her house is burgled, she decides to prove herself by taking over her aunt's role as a detective. Her investigation leads her to Blair's Emporium (for Melbourne locals, this is very much like Myer's), a fashion parade, a murder investigation and a corrupt policeman. The plot is utterly unrealistic, but the descriptions of sixties Melbourne are entertaining. Kovacic lovingly describes the clothes, the decor, and the roles of working women, and it's these details that make the book interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I'm a huge fan of Phryne Fisher and I was a bit wary about this book as it could have been easy to compare, have high expectations and then being disappointed.
I was wrong as this is a highly entertaining and solid mystery that kept me hooked and turning pages as fast as I could.
The Adventuress Club and Peregrine are great and I can't wait to read the next book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Just Murdered
by Katherine Kovacic
3.5 stars

Peregrine Fisher has a hard time keeping a job she tends to hop around trying to find the perfect fit. One day a letter shows up and brings her to the Adventuresses club, where she finds out she had an aunt that left her an inheritance.
After finding out about the inheritance and what came with it, Peregrine starts to learn more, and soon one of her new friends is accused of murder Peregrine being the spunky person jumped on the chance to help.

Peregrine is very feisty and has this excellent take-no-shit attitude. She's very determined to find out who the murderer is and clear her friend. I enjoyed the relationship between detective Steed and Peregrine. You can feel a little love interest building which makes it nice. While reading this as much as I enjoyed Peregrine, she is described as almost thirty but seems younger, that was the only real downside for me was how she acted at times.
I am very eager to read the next book in the series. ill be keeping a lookout for it to come.

If your looking for a cozy mystery should definitely give this one a try. Comes out January 10th.

Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press, Net Galley, and Katherine Kovacic for the eARC for an honest review.

Make way for Phyrne’s niece Peregrine!

A spin off from the Phyrne Fisher mysteries that has Phyrne’s niece Peregrine front and center
Phyrne is missing. Last seen sic months ago in Papua New Guinea. As per her legal instructions her heir is notified. Peregrine has inherited Phyrne’s fortune, including the use of Phyrne’s house and car, and a seat in the Adventuresses’ Club,
Which is rather useful as Peregrine has been moonlighting various jobs including hairdressing (not her finest hour!) up in Queensland, and living on the edge in a run down caravan park.
Her efforts to claim her inheritance end up with Peregrine scaling walls and landing with a crash in the halls of the select Adventuresses’ Club, of the top end of Collins Street, Melbourne.
Some controlling members of the club want nothing to do with her. Peregrine has other ideas, particularly when she ends up in a murder investigation.
Because not far away at a bridal extravaganza fashion show, the main bridal model, Barbie Jones has just made news, not for the dress she’s wearing, but by ending up dead on the runway in a giant wedding cake. Oh, and a fellow member of the Club has been accused of the murder.
Peregrine seems to have taken after Phyrne, or at least shows detecting is part of the family genome.
A well thought out and highly amusing romp.

A Poisoned Pen ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

A nice start to a new series! Peregrine, niece of the famous Phyrne, discovers that she too has a talent for solving crime when Phryne disappears and she inherits the business, Fans of the tv series (and the novels as well) will enjoy this for the lively attitude and the delightful Melbourne setting. The mystery is not too difficult so focus on the world and character building. Thanks to netgalley for the ArC,. Looking forward to the next one.

I received copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review.

Just Murdered starts off with a bang and keeps the plot rolling until the very end. I was thoroughly entranced by this book and am so happy I was able to get an advanced copy as it's probably one of my favorite cozy mysteries I've read in a while. Peregrine is the perfect mix of messy, but productive enough to get the job done and her tension with Steed is palpable. I need the second in the series pronto!

With all that said, I do think the plot was a little predictable, especially once the "what happens" start rolling in and are uncovered. I called it from nearly the beginning on who the murderer was (well I had a few suspects but the person who does it was there), but it wasn't so predictable that I didn't want to finish the book. I would definitely re-read.

In 1964, somewhat rootless and aimless Peregrine Fisher discovers she has an inheritance waiting for her to claim in Melbourne. Which is good, since she just got fired from her latest attempt to find something meaningful to do.

She arrives at the Adventuress' Club, is both rebuffed and welcomed, and finds out that she had an aunt, Phryne Fisher, also an Adventuress, who has been missing for six months. Phyrne had left instructions that her sister be contacted in the event of Phryne's disappearance or death, which is why Peregrine (her mother is dead) was sought out to claim Phyrne's things (and legacy).

Almost immediately, Peregrine also finds out that one of the Adventuresses, Florence Astor, a well known designer, is accused of murdering her star model prior to Florence's latest fashion show. As a way to build the trust of the other members of the club, Peregine offers to dig into the mystery and clear Florence's name. She quickly runs up against a corrupt Police Chief, Sparrow, who had many run-ins with Phryne, and the detective assigned to the case, James Steed.

Peregrine quickly inserts herself into Steed's investigation, which is rushed by Sparrow who wants nothing more than to discredit the members of the club by arresting Florence, and also locate some dirt Phyrne had on him. Steed is clearly out of his depth investigating a crime with fashion implications, where Peregrine, with her wide experience working many other jobs in the past, can easily find clues and ingratiate herself with the various suspects. She's also quick-thinking, bold, and just better at getting into places, gaining people's trust, and detecting than the he is.

This is a good start to Peregine's adventures in detecting. I have not see the show, but was interested to read this book because I've read a number of Kerrie Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries.

I liked the pacing of "Just Murdered", and liked Peregrine, who's got the same sort of daring and intrepid character as her aunt. I wish the obvious future love interest James Steed were more interesting, however, as I found him incredibly dull. I liked Constable Fleur Connor, whom I would love to see more of, as she struck me as intelligent and woefully underused by the misogynistic police department.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Peregrine Fisher, the niece of Miss Phryne Fisher, headed for the address of the Adventuresses Club, to which she'd been summoned. It seemed the aunt she'd never met had disappeared and no one had seen or heard of her for a long while. Peregrine found herself in Phryne's house, driving Phryne's car - and once indoctrinated, a member of the Adventuresses Club. But it was the mysterious death of a model at the Blair's fashion show which stirred her interest. Peregrine was determined to discover who had killed the model, with the odious Inspector Sparrow declaring it was Florence, Peregrine's friend and owner of the fashions being modeled. But she and her new friends at the club, along with Detective Steed, knew Florence wasn't the killer.

A second body appeared in Blair's department store and it meant the clock was ticking for both Peregrine and Detective Steed. But could Peregrine uncover the culprit before it was too late?

Just Murdered is the 1st in the Miss Fisher Modern Murder Mysteries by Aussie author Katherine Kovacic and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Light, entertaining, with shades of Phryne hovering, I'm very much looking forward to the second in the series. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read any of the Phyrine Fisher mysteries but I have heard positive reviews that made me curious. When I saw there was a new series featuring her niece Pergrine Fisher set during the 1960s I couldn’t resist requesting it. Thank you poison pen books in NetGalley for my DRC in exchange, for my honest opinion.

The book started slow for me, but I believe this was due to it being the first of a new series. Once the mystery was revealed and Peregrine began her work to solve, while also learning more about her aunt in the Adventuress club, the story really picked up. I was certainly curious about who was behind the murder and loved watching the building of a relationship between Peregrine and detective Steed.

The 1960s Australian setting added an intriguing backdrop and demonstrated how women were treated and the steps they needed to accomplish their work. This was a good start to a new series and one I will look forward to seeing more of.

Just Murdered by Katherine Kovacic is an entertaining and captivating mystery novel that will keep readers guessing to the very end. The story follows Peregrine Fisher as she inherits her aunt’s house, joins the Adventuresses' Club, and finds herself at the center of a murder investigation.

Kovacic's writing style is fast-paced and full of wit while still managing to pay homage to the classic whodunit. The story takes place in 1960s Melbourne, Australia, and Kovacic does an excellent job of making readers feel like they are right there with Peregrine as she solves her case. The characters are well-crafted and full of life. Peregrine is a strong, independent woman who bucks the traditional gender roles. The other characters are equally well-done, each with their own quirks and traits that help bring the story to life. Fans of Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher should definitely check out this one!

Do you like cozy mystery?! Then read this one! I love a good, cozy mystery and this fun novel did not disappoint. I thought the pacing of this story was perfect, and I loved the characters as well. Especially the club! Our heroine was likable, determined and smart and I enjoyed her

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
• detectives
• mysteries
• the 1960s
• fast paced

Thank you Poised Penn Press for this gifted copy! Now I need to watch the show.

𝙋𝙪𝙗 𝘿𝙖𝙮: January 30th!

I've written a number of times here about my love for Miss Phryne Fisher - 1920s icon, lady detective and adventuress. I wasn’t aware of the delightful character who’s (now) featured in over twenty Kerry Greenwood books before discovering her almost a decade ago via the ABCTV show, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

It meant I was excited by the 2019 small screen arrival of Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, featuring Phryne’s niece Peregrine.

Set in the 1960s, the show picks up a couple of decades after we last see Phryne but her namesake continues to defy societal expectations in outlandish style as she pursues investigations that tend to stump (or be ignored by) the local police.

I enjoyed the first series when it aired a couple of years ago and was disappointed when I wasn't going to have access to the service broadcasting the latest series.

However I was even more excited to discover to see there were going to be books!!! And, by none other than the knower-of-all-things art and history, AND creator of her own lady detective (art dealer Alex Clayton), Katherine Kovacic.

It sounded like (and indeed is) a marriage made in heaven. Kovacic's smart and sassy prose brings the characters to life on the page, and she has a meticulous (but at the same time casually-cool) attention to detail.

"At one end of the hall, a pair of staircases swept down from opposite sides of the room, the perfect setting for Florence Astor's show. The landing where they converged was a few steps above the parquetry of the main floor, and today it had been extended out to create a catwalk where, one by one, the house models paraded. Just in front of the landing and suspended from the ceiling above, a ruched amethyst curtain hung in a perfect circle. It formed a dramatic backdrop for the cream, white and ivory tones of the gowns and, just as importantly, concealed behind its folds the breathtaking piece de resistance of Florence's show." p 21

I loved both shows and though Geraldine Hakewill's Peregrine doesn't quite have the droll eccentric gravitas of Essie Davis's Phryne both are slick and stylish productions.

Of course sometimes I felt the plots of both seem overly contrived and characters larger-than-life, but that's really a prerequisite of the cozy crime genre isn't it? Everything needs to be slightly exaggerated. A tad outlandish but mostly feasible.

I was surprised however to find Just Murdered featured the first episode in the first series (written and created by Australian TV legend Deb Cox). I realise of course the show and books can't run in different directions in parallel (cos then they wouldn't be in parallel... *shakes head in confusion*) and pondered how much of a challenge that was for Kovacic. Getting her hands on this great creation though given directions on how to use it/her. Like bumpers when ten-pin bowling. Or something.

Although of course, it does mean Kovacic has been able to focus on complementing the detail missing from the small screen and interpreting the original material. She gets to describe the visual audacity of 1960s architecture, decor and fashion to readers; develop a narrative resplendent with witty observations and wry insinuations; and complement the proffered dialogue with clever context. All of which she does with aplomb.

Engaging and entertaining mystery. This takes place in Australia during the 1960s. I was not at all familiar with the television program or previous books. The story is quite enjoyable on its own. Capable protagonist with a hint of romance. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

First off, I was drawn to this book by its appealing cover. I then discovered that this is a novel based on the TV series Miss Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries. That was an enjoyable spin off of the Phryne Fisher mysteries, written by Kerry Greenwood and also a TV series. So, I was primed to enjoy this title and I did. However, you could know nothing about Phryne of Peregrine and still come away from this read having been entertained.

As the book opens, an Australian Department Store has had a bridal fashion show and one with a fatal result, at that. What happened? Who did it? Trust that the case will be resolved in part thanks to Peregrine.

Who is she? Peregrine is the niece of Phryne Fisher of the Adventuresses fame. She has disappeared leaving her closest, and down on her luck relative, to move into her home, her car and to share some sleuthing talents.

All in all, this is a delightful light read. Hopefully more books will be published in due course.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Just Murdered is a cozy Murder mystery. This is an easy read with a strong female character. Just Murdered is the first book in Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries series, by Australian author, Katherine Kovacic. It is based on the first episode of the TV series written by Deb Cox. The story contains more depth and detail than the tv shows.
This story is set in one of my favorite decades, the 1960s. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the fashion and characters. These have to be some of the most stylish characters to ever grace the literary world.
Mrs. Peregrine Fisher is due to receive a large inheritance, but her aunt has gone missing while in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. Ms. Fisher must prove herself as a new member of The Adventuress's Club of Antipodes by solving murders.

Overall this was a fun and easy Clue like adventure that I would rate 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Even though I haven’t really been a fan of the Phryne Fisher mysteries. I loved this one and I got to say the 1960s setting with Phyrne’s niece Peregrine just drew me in. And I loved it. I couldn’t get enough. I hope there’s more books inside.

Just Murdered
by Katherine Kovacic
Pub Date 10 Jan 2023 | Archive Date 11 Jan 2023
Poisoned Pen Press
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers


I am reviewing a copy of Just Murdered through Poisoned Pen and Press and Netgalley:


This book takes us back to 1960 where we meet Peregrine Fisher, Phyrne's long lost niece, is about to get the news of her life.


In the jungles of Papua New Guinea Phryne's gone missing. Only her pearl handled gun and a note arrive back home. She's left instruction that say, that should not turn up in six months' time, a letter must be sent to next of kin.


With Summons in hand Peregrine arrives in Melbourne at the Greenwood Mansion where she will inherit her aunt's wealth. Phryne's seat in the Adventuresses' Club, on the other hand, must be earned. When two dead bodies turn up at the Astor bridal show, Peregrine gets her chance.



In pure Fisher fashion, she'll defy social expectation with outlandish style, discover a penchant for investigating, all while running circles around the police.

I give Just Murdered five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

It is always the best feeling in the world when you discover that the tv show you have been bingeing also has a book! This was so good and stayed true to the Miss Fisher world! I highly enjoyed it! I hope that this continues to be as prolific a series as the original Miss Fishers are!