Death Before Wicket

By: Kerry Greenwood

Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel

Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The sassy Phryne Fisher comes to Sydney! This is the 10th Phryne Fisher mystery.

Phryne Fisher has plans for her Sydney sojourn, but they begin to go awry when Phryne's maid discovers that her respectable sister Joan has left her family for the murky nightlife on the Cross...and then postponed again because Phyrne is definitely not the woman to say 'no' when two delightful young men are on their knees, begging for her help in finding their friend innocent of theft.

It all sounds simple enough as Phryne sets investigations into motion. But when greed and fear are the motivating factors, people become ruthless and Phyrne quickly finds herself enmeshed in blackmail, secrets, lies and the dangerous influences of deep magic.

©2008 Kerry Greenwood (P)2008 Bolinda

Classic Phryne

Death Before Wicket has all the pleasures you expect to get from a Phryne Fisher novel, except this time in a totally new location, Sydney, with new and very different characters. I love how Kerry Greenwood reliable delivers all the right components while keeping each book totally fresh and new.

Delightful!

Phryne and Dot travel to Sydney in this delightful romp. Phryne has promised two college students that she will help their friend who has been accused of theft. Dot wishes to visit her sister, who turns out to be missing, so Phryne sets out to solve both mysteries while enchanting faculty members and undergraduates alike, watching cricket, and dealing with a mesmerist. I love this book, especially the bickering faculty, although it is less action packed than most of her books.

Bowled Over

I really enjoyed this one it had a different flavor some how it wasn't something I could put my finger on ,maybe it was because this particular tale is set in Sydney instead of Melbourne .We find our beautiful flapper helping out two chums and a missing Egyptian artifact ,a tad far fetched but that didn't bother me ,Ancient Egyptian curses and the gentleman's game of cricket some how are seamlessly merged into a fantastic story.
Only Kerry could pull that off.

Another Phryne Winner

Didn't know what to expect -- this one wasn't on the TV show as far as I remember. It was a bit complicated -- a lot of professors to keep track of -- but worth the effort. I love Dot and her sister, although I think Fishbait should have left a much less gentle admonition to Dot's sister's husband... I love Josh's Mom too.

showed the darker side of Phryne Fisher

What did you love best about Death Before Wicket?

The deduction was brilliant and Phryne's knowledge of so many powerful avenues of persuation.

What other book might you compare Death Before Wicket to and why?

Death by Water, because of the similar cast, and Phryne's impulsive sexual behaviour.

What about Stephanie Daniel’s performance did you like?

the interpretaion of so many styles of voice/person.

Any additional comments?

Phryne seems very liberal with her manner for the circa.

A mystery and a game

In this mystery we have again many layers involved as well as a cricket match. Kerry Greenwood describes both beautifully

Pitch Perfect

What did you love best about Death Before Wicket?

I adore all of Phryne's adventures. Kerry Greenwood is an excellent author and Stephanie Daniel's voice superb - in Death Before Wicket Kerry, Stephanie and Phryne manage to do what I thought in the impossible: make the game of Cricket interesting.
Don't be put off by previous reviewer's comments of Stephanie Daniel having an allegedly poncy accent - she perfectly captures Australian accents of the period. If in doubt, I refer the listener to the australian characters in "The King's Speech" movie.
Give the books a go and you'll be well rewarded.

Another Great Miss Fisher story

On a visit to Sydney, Miss Fisher must find Dot’s sister who seemingly left her family for a life on the streets. She is also asked to clear a student who has been accused of stealing an exam, find jewelry and a precious papyrus gone missing from the college safe and locate some prehistoric artifacts seemingly of little.value.

It’s a great story which includes mesmerism and Egyptian mysticism. As always beautifully narrated by Stephanie Daniel. She does so many voices so well. I will always hear her voice as Miss Fisher.

As usual, another delightful Miss Fisher adventure

The narration and expression of accents and characters was at its usually excellent level.
Phryne ventures to Sydney. Dot's sister is missing. The University has experienced a robbery and the goddess Isis may play a part in it. Phryne finds an unexpected lover in an unexpected situation. Good wine and good food. And everyone gets their just desserts! It was so good, I started in the morning and listened straight through till it was done! Highly recommended, though listening in order makes these books more enjoyable.

A visit to the big city

I am a big fan of this series and even though the stories are implausible, I find the telling and the narration delightful. Fortunately in this installment, the magic is all artifice and Phryne's insights into human nature are the tricks that win in the end.

I do not like it when authors insert paragraphs in foreign languages without a translation (although that may have been in a footnote). I think it is arrogant to assume that every reader knows the same modern and extinct languages as the writer. There are probably half a dozen of those inserts here - more than any others of this series, but that is probably due to the academic setting. Not enough to make me dislike the book, but plenty to bother me a little.

I missed Lin Chung - he is mentioned but does not appear in this volume. There is a hint about his future without Phryne; that would be a loss to both the heroine and the readers. We will see in the next installment.