The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions

by Kerry Greenwood  

 Summary

Set in the late 1920s this is a wonderful set of short stories starring Phryne Fisher. The cases range from murders to missing persons to stolen items and blackmail. In each of them we get to see Phryne puzzling out mysteries and standing up for the underdogs.

The book also contains an interesting introduction, where the author provides background information about Phryne’s character, details on how she works on the stories, and what her feelings are about the differences between the books and the tv series. 

Review – 5/5

Normally, I don’t love short mysteries.

Building character and developing a tightly formed mystery in such limited space seems to be a challenge for many authors. Greenwood does it brilliantly.

I think Phryne is one of the best characters in the mystery genre today. She’s brilliant, witty, sexy, compassionate, generous and loyal.  Phryne lives by an ethical code of her own and doesn’t care to conform to what society expects. She calls out injustice when she sees it and is not afraid to stand up to bullies. 

Phryne is a supremely self-confident individual and I love her for that. 

My favorite of the stories was “Overheard on a Balcony” where Phryne has been invited to celebrate Christmas at the end of June. A guest is killed and Phryne solves the case with her typical aplomb. There are an adequate number of suspects with excellent motives because the victim was a loathsome individual. 

“The Boxer” definitely contained the saddest storyline, but with a satisfying ending.

Phryne adds new associates from book to book, and though it would be possible to start with any of her books, I would recommend starting with the first in the series – Cocaine Blues. That said, if you enjoy short stories, you would have no problem catching on to what’s happening in The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions. None of the stories is dependent upon prior knowledge.

Possible Trigger Issues

Domestic violence – Overheard on the Balcony, A Question of Style 

Child sexual abuse, Racism  – The Boxer 

Offensive language – The Camberwell Wonder uses a word for people with different learning abilities that would have been used commonly in the 1920s, but is not used today.

About the Author – Kerry Greenwood

Kerry Greenwood lives in Australia where she has written numerous books, including both the Phryne Fisher and Corinna Chapman mystery series. She works as a solicitor and has a resume that both impresses and exhausts me. Geenwood has won multiple awards for her writing, including a Sisters in Crime Lifetime Achievement Award.

Be sure to check out her website (phrynefisher.com) for more Phryne Fisher related tidbits (including some cocktail recipes).

How do you feel about mystery short stories? What do you like or not like about them? Tell me below?

Cover art from Goodreads