Urn Burial

It seems that Kerry Greenwood's detective, Phryne Fisher, has been around for a while (and has even been in a TV series), but I've only recently come across her.   In Urn Burial, Miss Fisher is staying at a full-on country house with a full complement of servants in the 1920s - reminiscent of Agatha Christie, I suppose, although the setting is rural Victoria (near the Buchan Caves), not England. And, in the acknowledgements, the author mentions Agatha Christie.   But Miss Fisher is no Miss Marple!   Her attitude to life is very much in today's era, with a Chinese male companion in tow and a mission that includes uniting a pair of gay lovers.  As the blurb says, "Phryne Fisher, scented and surprisingly ruthless, is not one to let sleuthing an horrific crime get in the way of an elegant dalliance".

This is a detective story, mystery/suspense thriller and romance novel all wrapped up in one as it is emerges that just about all the characters aren't what they seem and/or have secrets to be revealed.  

Readable though this book is, it's not really to my taste, notwithstanding the setting in Victoria.   Too many threads to untangle (could the cast of characters have been slightly reduced and the remaining characters developed a little more?) plus romance isn't my genre.  However, perhaps I'm in a minority here.  Obviously Phryne (how do you pronounce that?) has a following, as I see that there are now 19 titles in the series (with another one due in October).