Urn Burial

A Phryne Fisher Mystery

By: Kerry Greenwood

Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Phryne Fisher, scented and surprisingly ruthless, is not one to let sleuthing a horrific crime get in the way of an elegant dalliance.

The redoubtable Phryne Fisher is holidaying at Cave House, a Gothic mansion in the heart of the Victorian mountain country.

But the peaceful country surroundings mask danger. Her host is receiving death threats, lethal traps are set without explanation around the house and the parlour maid is found strangled to death.

What with the reappearance of the mysterious funerary urns, apair of young lovers, an extremely eccentric swagman, an angry outcast heir, and the luscious Lin Chung, Phryne’s attention has definitely been caught.

Phryne’s search for answers takes her deep into the dungeons of the house and of the limestone Buchan caves. But what will she find this time?

Solve another case with Phryne Fisher.

©1996 Kerry Greenwood (P)2011 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Will keep you spellbound

This Ms. Fisher book is written asan Agatha Christie style. Or rather a spoof on her style. It is really delightful! This series is one that I have trouble putting down. The characters are so rich; as are the descriptions. The story is believable and Ms. Fisher is my hero. Don't miss this one if you want an entertaining listen.

Excellent story well performed.

What made the experience of listening to Urn Burial the most enjoyable?

The author winds an excellent plot through a cast of interesting and varied charachters in a period piece that takes us back to early Australia.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Phryne is my favourite charachter. What's not to like about an extremly accomplished, clever woman who is very much in control of herself and who copes well with surprises and difficulties.

What does Stephanie Daniel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The reader brings the story alive with excellent charachter portrayals. The audio book is a favourite of mine as I can listen while I do other things. The performance of the reader raises it to entertainment.

Any additional comments?

Excellent story, very well read.

Another Fun Story

Urn Burial
By Kerry Greenwood
Narrated by Stephanie Daniel
An interesting take on the old house party mysteries. The book even has a cast lists like in some Agatha Christie books. Set at Gothic country house, where all the occupants have secrets and the bad guy uses those secrets against them. Kerry Greenwood hit on all the tropes, but gives each one her own twist. Pay close attention to the names of characters, there are jokes hidden there. The book is a fun read. If listening to the audio book Stephanie Daniel does a great job reading.

Dangerous jokes lead to trouble!

Just enjoy the quirks and the twists of these stories. They are funny, Yet as a "Good mystery" keeps you on your toes till the end!

Great mystery!

Loved story, but found several of the voices sounding the same making it difficult to always tell who was talking!
But do plan on buying and listening to more cause the story was so intriguing!

Headline

Forcing us to type 15 words to leave any sort of reviews will hurt authors because less people will review now.

Homage to the Golden Age Mysteries and Christie!

This Phryne Fisher adventure is a bit different from earlier Greenwood books. In "Urn Burial," the author has decided to play a game as many earlier mystery writers did in the 1920s and 1930s, sometimes including Agatha Christie. The game involved following the Rules of Murder which had developed over the early years of the genre, and which were "codified" by mystery writer Ronald Knox in 1929.

Knox set forth 10 rules, which he followed in his books (several of those books are available on Audible), including things such as there must be a large party at a country house, no magic or similar gimmicks can be used to solve the crime, there may be no Chinamen introduced into the story, and other matters. (You can find Knox's Rules set forth in the Wikipedia article on The Golden Age of Detection Fiction.) In addition to following those rules, Greenwood also pays homage to Agatha Christie in several details, including naming one of her characters Miss Mary Mead.

I found the story quite engaging, although in a different manner than the previous Phryne adventures. Despite the different structure, however, Phryne is still Phryne, stylish, passionate, self confident, and very much her own woman. As is usual with Phryne books on Audible, there is at the end an interview between the author and Stephanie Daniel, the voice of Phryne, and in these conversations you always pick up a little information about Australia in the 1920s or about Australian history or grography.

I have yet to find a Phryne book on Audible which wasn't fascinating, entertaining, and great fun. They all give you hours of lighthearted adventure, and I love them!

Great story

Loads of fun, red herrings, mysterious characters, adventures, and lovely cocktails. Perfect story to take you away to a wonderful world.

My favorite Phryne Fisher!

This book is just great fun! Greenwood takes the typical tropes of mysteries from the Golden Age and turns them on their heels for a delightfully fun read. The audiobook narrator does a spectacular job of bringing all the characters to life.

Always a pleasure

Light hearted and way more fun than Agatha! Pure fantasy and much needed escapism. Such a delightful character to spend time with!