Phryne Fisher
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The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher is the main character in Australian author Kerry Greenwood's series of Phryne Fisher detective novels. Phryne (pronounced fry - nee) is a wealthy aristocrat who lives in St Kilda, Melbourne in 1928. She is a 28 year old woman detective who with the assistance of her maid Dot and Bert and Cec (who are wharfies, taxi drivers and red raggers) solves all manner of crimes. Phryne is no ordinary aristocrat, as she can fly a plane, drives her own car (a Hispano-Suiza) and wears pants whilst maintaining style and class.
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[edit] Phryne's history
Phryne was not always rich, having been born into a poor family in Richmond, Melbourne. During World War I several young men between the 'title' and her father died, thus making her an Hon with an enormous fortune. After finishing school, Phryne ran away to France where she joined a women's ambulance unit during WWI. She then worked as an artist's model in Montparnasse after the war. After several years here and there, Phryne moved from England to Melbourne temporarily to investigate for a family friend. She enjoyed the lifestyle so much she stayed on permanently. Through the course of the books, Phryne collects two adoptive daughters, Ruth and Jane (whom she rescued from slavery); a cat, Ember; a dog, Molly; and two loyal servants, the Butlers. She also has relationships with a string of lovers, most notably Lin Chung, a wealthy Chinese man (whom she rescues in the city one evening). Lin is the only lover with whom she maintains a relationship for more than a few books and even goes so far as to make a deal with his grandmother that when he is married she be allowed to continue a relationship with him. So far Phryne's life is going swimmingly.
[edit] Main characters
Phryne Fisher
Dorothy 'Dot' Williams - Phryne's confidential maid
Jane and Ruth - Phryne's daughters
Detective Inspector John 'Jack' Robinson - Phryne's police insider
Lin Chung - Phryne's lover
Li Pen - A Shao Lin monk and Lin's bodyguard
Bert and Cec - Phryne's investigative assistants
Mr and Mrs Butler - Phryne's butler and cook
Hugh Collins - one of Jack's policemen and Dot's husband to be
[edit] The books
Cocaine Blues, Flying Too High, Murder On The Ballarat Train, Death At Victoria Dock, The Green Mill Murder, Blood And Circuses, Ruddy Gore, Urn Burial, Raisins And Almonds, Death Before Wicket, Away With The Fairies, Murder in Montparnasse, The Castlemaine Murders, Queen Of The Flowers, Death By Water.
Phryne's latest adventure, Murder In The Dark, was released in September 2006.
