Urn Burial
A Phryne Fisher Mystery, book # 8

by Kerry Greenwood

Phryne Fisher is back for an eighth adventure, this time in the wilds of Victoria. Her old friend, publisher Tom Reynolds, has invited her to a house party in his bizarre home, Cave House. On the way there (in company with the delectable Lin Chung) she encounters a screaming girl who turns out to be the parlour maid and this sets the scene for the whole party. Somebody is sending out death threats, and soon they are going to become more than that.

House parties in classic (or classic style) whodunits are hardly original, and perhaps, in some ways, this is one of the least successful in the series. For the first few chapters, after the scene is set, not a lot happens; instead, we are treated to many descriptions of how beautiful the two protagonists are. But once things start to gather momentum there is no stopping them, and the finale in Buchan Caves will remain one of the most memorable things in the whole series. There are some stunning descriptions of the caves which are surely the next best thing to seeing them, revealing Ms Greenwood as an author with a flair for description. Throw in the bizarre setting, a missing heir, a swagman and a lot of funerary urns that keep appearing and you have a unique twist on the house party murder mystery.