Murder in Williamstown is the 22nd mystery featuring expat British aristocrat Phryne Fisher and her entourage written by Kerry Greenwood. First released in late 2022, this reformat and new release 7th Nov 2023 by Sourcebooks on their Poisoned Pen Press imprint is 288 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in this most excellent long running series are also currently available on KU.

This is such a well written romp, full of action, eccentric characters, skullduggery, and the returning cast of regulars doing what they do best. This installment provides an intricate interlocking set of puzzles including murder, embezzlement, poison pen letters, and the disappearance of a young family member of Phryne's lover Lin Chung. Hugh, Dot, Cec, Burt & Tinker, and Phryne's adopted daughters are along for the adventure as always.

Although it's the 22nd book in the series, it works quite well as a standalone. I heartily recommend the entire series, but caveats apply - they're variable in pacing and writing (all worth reading, but uneven). For readers unfamiliar with Phryne & co., she's redoubtable, fiercely independent, intelligent, and outspoken. She and her companion Dorothy investigate crimes and thwart criminals great and small. There's always a lot of wit and some light comedy in the books, but they're also very intelligent with unexpected twists and turns. The denouement and resolution here are satisfying, the clues are fair play, and Phryne is (as always) unflappable and resilient.

It's a well researched historical diverting read, full of Antipodean charm, dependable fun characters, and a good ending. The language is mostly clean (a few damns and bloodies, nothing worse). There is some strongly suggestive light erotic content (completely consensual) between Phryne and a lover, but nothing explicit. I love her pragmatic view of sex and food and her hedonistic honesty. It's pure wish fulfillment and fantasy of course, but it's an awful lot of fun to read.

Four stars. Phryne's a delight.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Awakening unusually early one morning, Phryne Fisher finds herself with a rare stretch of free time to fill. After dropping her daughters off for their school-sponsored charity work at the Blind Institute, she visits a university professor whose acquaintance she'd made--and admired--on a prior case. At lunch, the smitten professor invites Phryne to dine at his home in Williamstown later that week. Bookending her pleasant dinner with her new friend Jeoffrey, Phryne makes two disturbing discoveries: first, a discarded opium pipe in the park, and later the body of a Chinese man on the beach--cause of death not apparent, yet ultimately ruled a homicide. Shortly thereafter, the teenaged sister-in-law of Phryne's longtime lover Lin Chung disappears from her home. But when one of Jeoffrey's colleagues is murdered in front of a houseful of guests at a Chinese-themed party he is hosting, Phryne can't help but wonder--are the incidents all related somehow? And who on earth has been leaving notes in her letterbox, warning her to "REPENT" and that "THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH"--? In addition to the formidable and fashionable Phryne, this clever mystery once again features Phryne's three wards with their own mysteries to solve: Ruth and Jane, tracking an embezzler at the Institute, and Tinker, whose help Phryne enlists to uncover the author of the threatening missives. I’m pretty sure Phryne is my favorite female detective! She really shines in this outing and the mystery is top notch. Highly recommend!

Starting off I should say that I read most of the characters’ voices in the voice of the actors from the tv show, which is very fun for me. But I’m sure some people like the books but not the tv show which is fine. This is the 2nd of the miss fisher books I’ve read, but I’ve watched all of the tv show. Whichever fan camp you are in I think you will still enjoy this book. From watching the tv show I felt all caught up on the series, I don’t think I was missing context.

This was not my favorite Phryne adventure, but it was still a Phyrne adventure which means it was unique and enjoyable as only Phyrne Fisher can be. I like Jane and all, but I wanted more Phyrne than Jane for this story. Nevertheless, this mystery is fun and twisty and complex. I’d recommend this to all Phryne Fisher fans

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Kerry Greenwood writes a highly entertaining book filled with mystery and mayhem, a delightful read.
The story follows the main character’s journey, Phryne’s investigating strange events and a murder.
I particularly love Phryne’s independence and colourful lifestyle, no conventional ways for her!
An independent woman with two adopted children, a lover and an extremely busy life.
The storyline is filled with suspense, flowing well
to show the depth and understanding of life’s choices and history. A wonderful character , bringing warmth and wisdom to the pages.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Phryne Fisher continues to be on top of her game in this 22nd mystery. Kerry Greenwood has consistently made the Honorable Phryne Fisher an upstander in the St Kilda community, while not shying away from her roots with the common folk nor from her liberal sexual mores.

Very readable and enjoyable to watch Phryne always get her man, in more ways than one. Her family and friends are well-rounded, clever, and fill out these books. From the Communists and smugglers to the Church and the Institute for the Blind, Phryne and her crew stop malfeasance and murders alongside Phryne. I love it!

Kerry Greenwood hits the mark with another Phrynne Fisher mystery down under. The melding of crime, romance, suspense and history bring the reader back to a time of mystery with familiar. Lovable characters.

Kerry Greenwood has Phryne Fisher investigating Murder in Williamstown. a Chinese corpse, and her adopted daughters embezzlement at the School for the Blind. Throw in opium smuggling, the disappearance Phryne's lover Lin's sister in law and another murder. Never a dull moment with Phryne the detective who is comfortable with all levels of society. Enjoy this wickedly amusing mystery.

Not as strong as the first Phryne Fisher books, but that can be said of the last five or so. Phryne is still a force to be reckoned with, but the mystery felt weak, and the brief excerpts from the background characters at the start/end of each chapter felt out of place.

Williamstown (suburb of Melbourne), Australia, mid to late 1920’s: Phryne’s at it again - between receiving poison pen letters, finding an opium pipe in the park, discovering a dead body on the beach, and helping her adopted daughters with their case, she’s got her hands full. But as always, she solves it all with her usual elegance and flair.

While this is the 22nd book in the Honorable Phryne Fisher series and some of the relationships would be more understandable having read previous books, they’re not required. Phyrne’s a bit of a goddess - wealthy, modern, independent, almost perfect. She not interested in marriage – the wife of her longtime paramour is expecting their first child – although always has someone on the side (in addition to Lin Chung). She grew up poor, so has a deep understanding of what it means to struggle. She also has perfect taste, knowing what exactly to wear to a party, for example or how to interact with a bunch of dock hands at a dive bar, charming both groups easily. Likewise, her adopted children seem to have similar abilities – Tinker has studied the local papers, so can identify which paper the poison pen letters are cut from, while Jane and Ruth know how to dress for a party.

This may make the series sound a bit boring, they’re not. Phryne’s delightful. Reading about how she manages everything is always fun.

Highly recommended! Phryne’s always entertaining!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. Com that I voluntarily chose to review.

Kerry Greenwood flies you away to a lovely world. Leave the murders and mysteries that follow our heroine Phrynne Fisher, the world that is depicted is a lovely one. The closest one would get to an aristocratic set up (Phrynne is a Honourable), but Phrynne is deeply compassionate and very kind (rare), never condescending (rarer) and very earthy and passionate (still rarer)

This story involves the opium trade in Sydney, a dead Chinese, the closing of ranks against the police by the Chinese and Phyrnne solving a murder, aiding a reconciliation, finding out who is swindling the Blind Institute - generally bringing justice to many.

Such descriptive writing, so many snippets to give background to Sydney life, especially from the perspective of Phrynne and her unusual household.

Phyrne Fisher is off on another adventure. After dropping her daughters off at their school-sponsored volunteer work at the Institute for the Blind, Phyrne goes to visit a university professor. While strolling in a nearby park, she finds an opium pipe that she turns into the police. She ends up having dinner with the professor at his house in Williamstown, a suburb of Melbourne. After dinner, they are walking on the beach and discover the body of a Chinese man. In the meantime, Phryne's Chinese lover's sister-in-law goes missing. As the case develops, it appears opium is making a big push into Melbourne. Phyrne's lover, Lin Chung, wants nothing to do with it and he is working behind the scene to find who is responsible. Lots of plotlines all come together in a very satisfactory way. Greenwood has a deft hand in moving all the characters in the right direction. I always enjoy reading a new entry in this long-running series.

The honourable Phryne Fisher strikes again in a book that will pull you out of the deepest of funks.

Visiting a professor friend in Williamstown, Phryne steps straight into the middle of a mystery when she discovers the body of a Chinese man on the beach.

Meanwhile her long time lover Lin is also being distant and mysterious.

But strange happenings are also afoot at home.
An intruder and threatening letters is testing Phryne’s patience.

Dot is dismayed by the sudden lack of contact from her paramour.

And Ruth and Jane get tied up in an investigation of fraudulent funds when they visit the Blind Institute to do good works.

As always the impressive Kerry Greenwood tangles together intricate and historically fascinating tales for a story that leaves you guessing right until she ties it all up neatly in a bow.

I always love a new Phryne story and this did not disappoint.

This book will keep you captivated and put a smile on your face.

I always love catching up with Phryne and her family (who have finally gotten more space to do their own bit of excellent sleuthing). I could do without her affair with Lin as his wife is expecting now but. Oh well.

As always, this is an expert blending of research and fiction. Ruth and Jane go off investing rumors of fraud at an institute for the blind, while Phryne uncovers opium smuggling and of course a few murders. I love the unique way Greenwood has of making this period come alive, and will always look forward to more adventures of the Fisher household!

Phryne Fisher is back, but this time she is investigating an unknown harasser...and she is the target! Phyrne must keep herself and her lover safe while locating a young couple after a party gone tragically wrong.

While this is book 22 in the series, this was my first Phyrne Fisher novel. I appreciate that the author made it easy to jump in and read this as a standalone. Phyrne, along with her daughters Ruth and Jane, are wonderfully smart characters that I greatly enjoyed. I really didn't care for Phryne's lover Lin, he just seemed wishy washy and not a good match for her. I loved how even though the book had some potentially dark crimes considering murder and the opium trade, it still maintained a cozy mystery feel. The novel was fast paced and easy to follow. The mystery itself was well thought out and kept me guessing. I also loved the attention to detail concerning both attire and scenery as it really helped me visualize what was going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

Phrynne Fisher and Lin Chung never fail to delight. These books are such a treat and it is to the author’s credit that she has maintained such a gripping set of plot lines and continues to build such clear and evocative contexts.

Phryne Fisher returns in another mystery. Her three charges, 2 daughters and a boy who lives in the back shed as the house is too much for him are doing well. Dot is upset as her beau is absent. Phryne becomes involved in finding who is leaving her threatening messages. Well, the messages weren’t too bad but peeping in her bedroom window is going too far. Phryne has found a new beau for the moment, a professor with a home in Williamstown. He lives in a nice neighborhood, but something in going on that isn’t so nice. That’s enough it’s time for you to pick up and enjoy another Phryne Fisher mystery. Such a treat.

I liked that this book followed in the footsteps of the previous installment, Death in Daylesford, by showing how the wards of the wonderful Ms. Fisher are developing as talented investigators themselves. However it worked slightly less for me than that one, being much less cohesive, with less tying any of the mysteries together, so in the end it was a little more disjointed and less satisfying than having the mysteries (and the Fisher household) intertwined.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Phryne Fisher is one thoroughly modern, highly capable lady. Not the slightest bit shy to create a scandal or raise an eyebrow, she is a force with which to be reckoned in Melbourne. In fact she is on her way to visit a paramour in Williamstown when she hears a scream and then discovers a body. Thanks to the respect and friendship she shares with members of the constabulary, she is able to help them put the pieces together. It is quite the picture too.

Cultural differences are only one of the factors that include smuggling, sexual abuse and more murder. Somehow Phryne is able to cross ethnic, social and financial barriers and bring together a group of friends and associates who aid her in her investigations. It is quite enjoyable to read as she skims through life, living on her own terms. Five purrs and two paws up.

Murder In Williamstown is the twenty-second book in The Phryne Fisher Mystery series.

I love this series, and it’s always enjoyable to visit with Phryne, Dot, and Phryne’s adopted children.

This book provides the reader with a trifecta of mysteries.

Phryne has received threatening note cards in her letter box condemning her lifestyle. The cards have used letters cut from newspapers. Phryne and her adopted son, Tinker, determine the letters on the note cards were cut from two newspapers. Tinker will set out to learn who is sending the note cards to Phryne.

Ruth and Jane, Phryne’s adopted daughters, will be volunteering at the Blind Institute. Ruth, who is adept with cooking, is assigned to help in the kitchen while Jane is assigned to the music department. When Jane learns that the bookkeeper suspects possible embezzling at the Institute, she volunteers to work in the accounting department. She finds some suspicious entries and discusses them with Phryne, who offers some suggestions to Jane.

Phryne has been invited to dinner at the home of university professor Jeoffrey Bisset. On the way to Bisst’s home, Phryne is walking through a park when she comes across an opium pipe, which she reports to the police. After arriving at Bisset’s home, they decide to walk along the beach when they come upon a dead Chinese man. The police are called, and Phryne’s friend, DI Jack Robertson, arrives to handle the investigation. Robertson and her occasional boyfriend, Lin Chung, tell her not to investigate the death of the man.

A week or so later, Phryne and Jeoffrey attend a party at the home of another lecturer at a university. They are enjoying the other guests, music, and dancing when the host ends up being stabbed to death. Phryne can't help but start searching for the killer.

I found the book well-written and plotted. The characters are well-developed and interesting. I particularly liked that the adoptive children got to solve their own mysteries. Dot is concerned that her fiance might be having second thoughts about marriage.

I’m looking forward to the next book in this wonderful series.

Kerry Greenwood has written the 22nd novel in her Phryne Fisher series called Murder in Williamstown, and while I am not new to the series, I admit there was new information that I might have learned from an earlier novel. That said, there was enough detail to keep me from being lost in the woods. I would say that a cursory explanation of who each character is would be sufficient enough to then make this a standalone novel.

The novel begins with Phryne Fisher receiving unpleasant notes in the post. She enlists Tinker, one of her three adopted children, to assist her in discovering the culprit. Meanwhile Jane and Ruth, the other two adopted children, are tasked by their school to assist at the Institute for the Blind. However, Jane discovers discrepancies in the Institute’s bookkeeping, and informs Miss Fisher. Phryne is also invited to dinner with one of her male acquaintances at his home in Williamstown. She discovers a broken opium pipe in the park, and a body on the shore. She later discovers that the body is Chinese and may have ties to her lover Lin Chung.

I always stay engaged with a Phryne Fisher story, whether it is in novel or television method. While reading I can imagine Essie Davis and the other actors, and that assists the imagination. It is a light-hearted novel with such elegant details that gives the novel a moderate, but steady pace. Phryne is such a strong female character, but I enjoyed seeing her guide the children into being independent and strong as well.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.