Just Murdered: Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries

Just Murdered is the first book in Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries series, by Australian author, Katherine Kovacic. It is based on the first episode of the TV series written by Deb Cox. Leading a somewhat aimless life, Paregrine Fisher has been dismissed from yet another job when a letter arrives, on the expensive stationery of the Adventuresses’ Club of the Antipodes, mentioning an inheritance. Despite her scepticism, she departs for Melbourne without delay: she has nothing to lose, after all. Peregrine doesn’t allow the rejection at the door to deter her: she uses her initiative to make a grander-than-intended entrance, to learn she is the heir of a missing aunt she never knew she had. Phryne Fisher, missing in New Guinea, has left to Peregrine her modern house, her baby blue Austin-Healey 3000, and quite a bit of cash. Oh, and a very up-to-date wardrobe. But what Peregrine immediately covets is her aunt’s membership of the Adventuresses’ Club. For that she’ll need to prove herself. Coinciding with her arrival is the murder of top model, Barbie Jones just prior to the bridal fashion show at Blair’s Emporium, and it seems one of the adventuresses is a suspect. Florence Astor is the progressive fashion designer whose creations Barbie modelled and, while Detective James Steed is methodically conducting his investigation, Chief Inspector Sparrow, apparently an ongoing nemesis of Peregrine’s aunt and the Adventuresses’ Club, has fixated on Florence as the murderer. Peregrine decides she can follow in Phryne’s footsteps and become a detective, even if Steed doesn’t want her interfering. When he questions her qualifications, Peregrine cites her life skills: “I can pipe pink icing onto one hundred finger buns in five minutes, tease three beehives in an hour, compound enough nerve pills in an afternoon to knock out a mothers’ club, and rebuild a Holden from the wheels up in three days with only four spanners. Among other things.” When a second body is found in Blair’s, the Chief Inspector rules it suicide, but Peregrine isn’t convinced, and she soon has Steed looking further too. There are plenty of red herrings and distractions to keep the reader guessing right up to the final reveal, and there’s lots of humour in both the dialogue and the action, as well as a hint of sexual tension between Peregrine and Steed. While Kovacic ensures that her text is mostly faithful to the TV series, readers who prefer print over TV or movie adaptations will appreciate the level of detail that only a book can provide. This is a very entertaining read and more of this series is definitely welcome. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.