Unnatural Habits

By: Kerry Greenwood

Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

1929: Girls are going missing in Melbourne. Little, pretty golden-haired girls. And not just pretty. Three of them are pregnant, poor girls from the harsh confines of the Magdalene Laundry. People are getting nervous. Polly Kettle, a pushy, self-important Girl Reporter with ambition and no sense of self-preservation, decides to investigate - and promptly goes missing herself. It's time for Phryne and Dot to put a stop to this and find Polly Kettle before something quite irreparable happens to all of them. It's all piracy and dark cellars, convents and plots, murder and mystery...and Phryne finally finds out if it's true that blondes have more fun.

©2012 Kerry Greenwood 2012. (P)2012 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Nothing Unnatural about Phryne

All good books should have a little of everything - humour, fear, grief, relaxation and exhilaration. And this book has all those in spades.

I have to say, I've got a bit of a lady-crush on Phryne. She's the kind of gal you love to love. Wild and chic, tough and compassionate, feisty and laid back. She has a wardrobe I'd love to own; a collection of lovers I doubt I could say no to, a butler who makes cocktails I dream about tasting, but most importantly, she always gets her bad guy.

Considering the number of years over which the character of Phryne has strutted her stuff (from 1989 when Cocaine Blues was published, to now in Unnatural Habits), I am continually amazed at how true Kerry stays to her character. Very few authors have the ability to delineate such a clear and resonating character who is maintained in all their glory from book 1 to book 19; especially when the dates of publication span more than 2 decades! But Phryne is just as lustrous a character in book 19 as she was in book 1; not a jot of her wit, passion or intelligence has dulled over time. And while she has grown as a person, there have been no jarring changes in personality traits to disrupt the beautiful flow of the series.

Like many others, I was introduced to Phryne via the Australian ABC TV series, and as someone who has rarely ventured out of the classical literature and fantasy/sci-fi genres, these books have blown me away, and as usual, upon reaching the end of the book I bemoaned the need to wait for however long for the next to be published!

The content of this story line provided ample opportunity for Phryne's strengths and weaknesses to be amplified. With a darker tone to the mystery placed before her, and more at stake than just finding a killer to be brought to justice; the achingly intense sense of futility that Phryne feels as she works her way through this case is very poignant, and cannot fail to strike a sympathetic chord with the listener.

Stephanie Daniels is, as ever, the perfect Phryne. Just as Kerry has remained true to the Phryne character over years of development, Stephanie has also maintained such a solid consistency over the duration of the recordings that each character is instantly identifiable from book to book. She is a pleasure to listen to.

I heartily recommend this book - and if you haven't read the others in the series before it, you won't be disappointed with those either, and I do suggest reading them first. Although each book is a complete story in its own right, there are certain aspects of the storyline that carry over from previous books in the series, that although not necessary to the overall understanding of this book, will certainly enhance your enjoyment of it.

Fantastic Phryne mystery w lots of history as well

I can't understand the poor reviews for this book, except that it appears lots of first-time Phyrne readers may have started with this title and not "gotten" Phryne.
This was one of my favorites in the series. The mystery is great, there's lots of interesting 20s Australian history tucked in to the story, and Kerry Greenwood's descriptive writing keeps the story flowing.
All the usual characters help Phryne solve this mystery, along with one new one we were introduced to in the previous title, a boy from Queenscliff named Tinker.
If you're a Phryne fan, I think you'll love this book. If you're not yet familiar with Miss Fisher, I'd recommend starting with the earlier books to get introduced to the Hon. Miss F. and then coming back to this one.

Silly story only saved by great narrator

I purchased this book when it was on sale and it seemed to me to be similar to the Maisie Dobbs series. I was sorely disappointed. Perhaps I should have started with the first book in the series rather than #19, and I wonder why Audible didnt put that one on sale? The story was shallow and poorly written, the only saving grace was the narrator who saved it from being a total waste of time, and the small details about the Magdelene laundry.

I'll endeavor to hear more Phryne Fisher titles!

Would you consider the audio edition of Unnatural Habits to be better than the print version?

of course! Who doesn't enjoy hearing a story? The accents are wonderful and add lots of depth.

What did you like best about this story?

This was a great mystery; one mystery set inside several others.

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

Stephanie Daniel's performance was great!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Profound interest...I could hardly bear interruptions while I was listening!

Phryne Foils White Slavers!

Would you listen to Unnatural Habits again? Why?

Yes. I love the Phryne Fisher series and would listen to all of them again. They take you to another world where everything comes out okay in the end.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hmmm, I like all of them. I think I especially like Bert and Cess, the old army buddies who are also commies. They're very down-to-earth and devil-may-care at the same time.

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

Oh, her beautiful accent! She makes Phryne sound like the real lady she is.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Phryne giving the story to the bitter male reporter. I liked that bit.

Any additional comments?

Waiting eagerly for the next one.

Witty, daring, charismatic and she has a gun!

Are you in the mood for something a bit exotic and fun. Meet Phryne Fisher.

Interesting mystery

My first Phryne Fisher mystery. Was looking for a good mystery series and decided to give this book a try. The main character is strong character in her mid 30s, living in Melbourne during the 1920s post WWI. Phryne has an odd collection of children and supporters who work with her to solve mysteries. This plot involves disappearing women and little golden-haired girls and touches on the Magdalene Laundries which are part of Australia’s history. Phryne Fisher a young Agatha Christie type sleuth. The writing is good, and the narration is well done. There is some action but not lots. I enjoyed the Australian landscape in the 1920s and I may go back to listen to some of earlier books.

another good book in the series

I always enjoy the Phryne Fischer books.
This one was a bit more serious than others in the description of the ways the catholic church abused (abuses) unwed pregnant women.

Not the TV series: Better

I've watched all the TV series. This is similar but still very different. It is better. Has more surprising events with twists and turns. A 45 minute TV cannot hope to include it all

Fun to discover a new series

I had no idea what to expect with this book and was most pleasantly surprised. The concept is certainly new to me - a British aristocrat in Melbourne in the 1920s who apparently "collects people" and solves mysteries. There is a lot of potential in the premise and Greenwood takes full advantage of it. The plot of this particular novel involves disappearing women and the solution offers us, among other things, a visit to the Magdalene Laundries which were quite real in the 19th and 20th century (and mostly quite horrible.) It's a high compliment when a novel sends me off to research something just because it's so interesting. I was fascinated to learn about the laundries and spent a few hours on the internet researching them.

The plot involved the genuinely awful but also provided a nice balance of humor and detail. It was clever, complex and interesting and, while there was not much chance for the reader to solve the mystery, I didn't mind just letting the story unfold as Greenwood is an excellent storyteller.

Stephanie Daniel does a good job with the performance and I had little difficulty keep the characters sorted out.

I have every intention of revisiting the world of Phryne Fisher and her minions in Melbourne.