Blood and Circuses

A Phryne Fisher Mystery

By: Kerry Greenwood

Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher is feeling dull. But is shebored enough to leave her identity, her home and family behind and join Farrell’s Circus and Wild Beast Show? There have beenstrange things happening at the circus. And when Phryne is asked by her friends – Samson the Strong Man, Alan the carousel operator and Doreen the Snake Woman – to help them, curiosity gets the better of her. Peeling off her wealth and privilege, Phryne takes a job as a trickhorse-rider, wearing hand-me-down clothes and a new name. Someone seems determined to see the circus fail and Phryne must find out who that might be and why they want it badly enough to resort to poison, assault and murder. Diving into the dangerous underworld of 1920s Melbourne and the wild, eccentric life under the big top, Phryne proves her courage and ingenuity yet again, aided only by her quick intelligence, an oddly attractive clown, and a stout and helpful bear.

Solve another case with Phryne Fisher.

©1994 Kerry Greenwood (P)2011 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Danger and Joys in the Circus

Overcome by boredom, Phryne allows herself to be convinced by some circus friends to join a travelling circus in order to discover who is behind a string of "accidents" which threaten to shut the circus down. She gets hired as a rider in the trained horse act by learning and then demonstrating her ability to stand and stay standing on a cantering horse.

This balancing act is explained in terms that allow me to understand how it can possibly be done. That's one of the side benefits that I enjoy about reading Phryne Fisher books -- Kerry Greenwood always gives the reader some tidbit of knowledge, whether it is some bit of Australian geography or history, cultural history, or how to balance on a moving horse.

This is the first tale of Phryne working independently, with none of her ordinary backup team. Thus she is in more danger and less sure of herself. That makes this 6th Phryne Book a bit more serious than the others. And it also involves a sexual liaison which is more serious than in other books. But, of course, Phryne discovers and exposes the villain with her usual style and grace.

This book was very enjoyable for me, even though it is not as lighthearted as previous books in the series. As usual, Stephanie Daniel does a top notch job of narration. I especially enjoyed the conversation at the end between author and narrator, including the author's story of learning how to stand on a moving horse when she was a child.

Well worth you time.

Entertaining, but not really a mystery/thriller

STORY (fiction) - This is Book 6 is the series, but it's my first Phryne Fisher book. It's set in Australia sometime in the 1920's. In this story Phryne (pronounced "Frynie"), who is a young lady of privilege, joins a traveling circus to try to learn why so many strange accidents have been occurring. IMHO, the story is really all about Phryne's experience posing as a trick rider in the circus and the characters she meets -- not a lot of mystery or detective work.

The circus characters are interesting and endearing, and I enjoyed the glimpse of circus life. Phryne is promiscuous and "romps" with a couple circus characters, which I was totally not expecting from this book or from her character. The story is a fresh, easy listen.

PERFORMANCE - Great job. She has a pleasant voice and performs multiple European accents. I totally LOVED her performance of the character Lizard Elsie.

OVERALL - Recommended primarily for adult females. There are a couple sexual encounters which are moderately explicit. Very little violence. The character Lizard Elsie is an old woman who curses like a sailor so be prepared for her frequent bursts of F this and F that, but she's a hoot! The story stands alone.

Another Great Adventure with Phryne!

This series is wonderful and a fun listen. I love Phryne's adventures. Kerry Greenwood is an excellent author and Stephanie Daniel's voice superb. Don't worry if you start with this book, all is explained, so you won't be lost wondering who is who.

Phryne goes to the circus

Where does Blood and Circuses rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

All the Phryne Fisher books rank near the top of my favorites. I love Phryne Fisher

Who was your favorite character and why?

Phryne is my favorite character because I was very much like her in my youth.

Have you listened to any of Stephanie Daniel???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to other Phryne Fisher books and Ms. Daniel's reading is always wonderful. I love her different voices but her reading style doesn't distract from the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Phryne heads for the Big Top.

Any additional comments?

A lovely window on '20's Australia. Not to be missed!

Miss Fisher joins the circus

A bit darker than her usual books, I think, but a great adventure drawing Miss Fisher out of her comfort zone. Investigating murder and sabotage in a traveling circus, she learns trick riding as her cover. Helped by some of the circus people and their bear, Miss Fisher and her friendly policeman, Jack, bring the culprits to justice.

clowing around

We find our heroin ,under the big top of a struggling circus,board with her mundane life she gives up the maids and a soft bed for the rugged and harsh circus grounds ,were she is tested socially and psychically finding solace in the arms of a sad clown. There is a lot of swearing in this thanks to the very lovable lizard Elsy ,I only mention in case this turns you away from the ever entertaining Miss Fisher,which would be a great pity.

Maybe it needs an R rating

If you don't like sex scenes then read the book. Hard to know how much of the Audible story I missed because I'm not interested in explicit sex scene and skipped ahead to avoid them.. Great story except for the soft porn. Excellent performance, though, and the actual story about the circus was great.

Circus Mystery

Would you listen to Blood and Circuses again? Why?

maybe. It was really good.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Mostly yes. Well written, good story.
Sympathy immediately drawn to Miss Parkes. She is much like Phryne, so controlled and calm. Turns out this is because she was in prison for years for killing an extremely abusive husband. If you've killed once... So when a fellow border is slain, police suspect her, especially because her circus background makes her the only one likely to have gotten into a locked room through a window 30' up.
The Phryne part of the story didn't intrigue me nearly as much as Miss Parkes and probably one of the best characters I've ever met: four-letter spouting Lizard Elsie, a 50-ish alcoholic who lives on the street and will take on multiple men in a brawl but who basically serves as a life-saving fairy godmother to those who fall into her orbit.

Have you listened to any of Stephanie Daniel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Listened to two other Kerry Greenwood Phryne Fisher novels but narrator outdoes herself in this one because of the voice of Lizard Elsie. Sort of like the Cockney Audrey Hepburn flower-seller in My Fair Lady.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not possible but would have loved to.

Any additional comments?

Bring back Lizard Elsie!!! I LOVE this character!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Winner for Phryne

Where does Blood and Circuses rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book ranks well in the Phryne series. Interesting plot and sub-plots and excellent reader - Kerry Greenwood writes a wonderful yarn and Stephanie Daniel brings it all to life.

Which scene was your favorite?

The detail of circus life and the training required by the horse folk.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I've seen the ABC1 version and truthfully unless you take all of the book and are true to the Kerry Greenwood Phryne I'm not certain it would be a good move separate from the series.

The Circus is in Town!

I wasn't sure I was going to like this one but the experienced reading by Stephanie Daniel keep me interested. It is a rare artist who can perform male and female voices without irritation. Phryne however irritates me just a little more than she entertains me - and I'm not sure why her social standing allows her not to be called a tramp given her penchant for bedding any male she comes across. I enjoyed my trip back to the country circuses and the insight into the moral world of circus folk.

Not my favourite

Not my favourite of the Phryne Fisher stories but still good. As always the interview with the author at the end is interesting.

Blood and Circuses

This colourful story, Miss Fisher is taken out of her comfort zone and heads off to a Circus, where she needs more than her horse riding skills to keep her in her feet. This is the first book when her detective skill need to be sharper than ever, and she finds it not all fun and games as she struggles to find friends. Read brilliantly again by Stephanie Daniel.

Another delightful Miss Fisher mystery

My previous experience with this series has been reading paperbacks. The narrator wasn't quite as good as the TV series (which I adore), but expressive enough to maintain my interest and keep me listening. The story was well plotted and Phryne was a delight as ever. Recommended.

exceptionally good story

Our heroine is completely alone this time, just her wits and strength of will to guide and protect her.
Usually not a fan of circus episodes (seems every series has one) but this one got close and personal. which made it a great book and showed us another side of Phryne.
Totally recommend

Better than I expected

I really love the Phryne Fisher series and I put off getting this one because the world of circuses seemed too far removed from Phryne’s usual life of luxury and society. But actually this book is less about a mystery and a murder being solved than Phryne discovering what it’s like finding yourself in another world. The social order, the norms and way of life are more different inside a travelling circus than she could have expected, and it’s up to her how she deals with it. Along the way there is a murder of a circus performer at a boarding house, a gang battle and a series of bad luck. I’m pleased to have heard this one as I feel like I know Phryne deeper, but it’s not my favourite like Murder on the Ballarat Train or Death at Victoria Docks.

ENTERTAINING STORY SET IN A CIRCUS !

This is a riveting tale which takes us into a different world for
Phryne Fisher