Murder on the Ballarat Train: A Phryne Fisher Mystery

The book opens with an entire train-car being drugged, and things just keep getting better - or worse if you're the victim. Phryne is fun & sophisticated as usual, and the story is never boring - I love this series! Plus, this is the book in which we meet Jane & Ruth & Ember the cat!!! If you've never met Phryne Fisher before, imagine James Bond & the Saint mixed together, and then make that person into a beautiful woman in 1920's Melbourne, Australia. Add to that mix Stephanie Daniel, a fabulous reader who makes a great book even better. This book is definitely credit-worthy, and so is the entire series. I just wish that Audible would get the few that it does not have yet.

The Phryne Fisher series is great fun, featuring a heroine who is beautiful, smart, sophisticated, wealthy, independent, courageous and funny. As indicated by the title, this installment features a murder committed on a train under mysterious circumstances. Phryne, of course, takes the lead in solving the murder with great panache. She is assisted in various ways by her maid Pat, her friend Inspector Robinson, and her pet taxi drivers and investigators Bert and Cec. Along the way, she acquires two adopted daghters (Jane and Ruth), a cat (Embers), and the obligatory new lover (this one a young law student).

These books are lighthearted and filled with atmosphere. However, each book does deal with a serious subject. In this case, it is sex trafficking of young girls.

Phryne is the epitome of the independent woman of the 1920s, displaying great elan, living life on her own terms, and breezing through all challenges and difficulties. The very essence of Phryne is enhanced by the wonderful performances of Stephanie Daniel, who depicts Phryne's character exactly with a breezy, self-assured voice that is perfect for these books.

Highly recommended for a lighthearted break from all those dark mysteries and thrillers.

This series came to me out of left field. I got Book 2 on a Sale and now I'm hooked. These are excellent mysteries, great characters, and just enough "Cozy" to be satisfying. Don't get me wrong, the main character is edgy, more than modern. These are well crafted, and deal with some very seamy stuff. Rather than taking a formula list of items and forcing them into an outline, these plots are CRAFTED seamlessly into a fine, smooth story. This is NOT your "Grocery Store Checkout Line Romance." These are BOOKS. Very entertaining, and well written.
That said, the mysterious death on a train at night and you are off on an amazing and dangerous adventure. How was it done? Who did it? Why? I couldn't out guess it.

I am a huge fan of the Phryne Fisher mysteries, both in print and in audio, and this is one of the best. Stephanie Daniel is an excellent narrator, and I cannot say enough about how well she does voices and background, timing and emphasis.

I've recently listened to a couple of new audio versions of long-time sci-fi/fantasy favorites, and I wish the narrators had listened to Ms Daniel as a training exercise.

Very highly recommended.

A tale of murder most fowl ,lucky Miss Fisher outstanding lady detective is on the
case ,never rattled by the horror of a found battered body Miss fisher takes all in stride. I enjoy the humor and and the care and detail to the world and the foke that inhabit these pages ,Stephanie Daniel dose an absolutely superb job at giving each and everyone a personally, I hope you get as much joy out of this as I did.

top 20%

when murderer is unmasked

yes; always good

don't know what a tag line is

love Phryne Fisher books!