Finding time – and the inclination –
to maintain this blog is hard to come by. A short post then.
Detective fiction is not a genre I am particularly enamoured with. While Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle were staples for an Indian childhood, it wasn’t something I re-read into adulthood. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is pretty much in the cosies genre and its TV adaptation like with most cosies isn't always strong on plot. Yet it’s addictive Friday night viewing and mixes all the cosy elements right. It doesn't hurt that it is immensely beautiful to look at and nicely performed.
I bought a couple of the books to read along with the TV episodes and while the two differ greatly, in tone the TV series remains faithful to the novels for the large part. Phryne Fisher is sort of a female James Bond, a pistol packing, exquisitely dressed, fabulously rich lady of somewhat easy virtue. Like with all perpetually upstaging clever private investigators, you tire of her a bit (hands up if you find Holmes insufferable!). But the books are on pretty good form in recreating 1920s Melbourne and obscure details of Australian history with a slant towards female emancipation. And Greenwood creates vivid characters which helps the transfer to TV. In spite of this the books themselves feel a bit undercooked here and there, there is an element of a first-rate concept all dressed up with nowhere to go. The writing is equally hit and miss with the opening chapters of Cocaine Blues being rather clumsy. Though completely different in tone, the books reminded me of Amitav Ghosh’s novels. A wealth of detail, a few interesting characters and yet swathes that are curiously shallow and one dimensional.
Anyway all the viewing and reading of history-mysteries reminded me that it was time to revisit my favourite detective of all time, DCS Foyle. Foyle’s War, here I come!
Detective fiction is not a genre I am particularly enamoured with. While Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle were staples for an Indian childhood, it wasn’t something I re-read into adulthood. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is pretty much in the cosies genre and its TV adaptation like with most cosies isn't always strong on plot. Yet it’s addictive Friday night viewing and mixes all the cosy elements right. It doesn't hurt that it is immensely beautiful to look at and nicely performed.
I bought a couple of the books to read along with the TV episodes and while the two differ greatly, in tone the TV series remains faithful to the novels for the large part. Phryne Fisher is sort of a female James Bond, a pistol packing, exquisitely dressed, fabulously rich lady of somewhat easy virtue. Like with all perpetually upstaging clever private investigators, you tire of her a bit (hands up if you find Holmes insufferable!). But the books are on pretty good form in recreating 1920s Melbourne and obscure details of Australian history with a slant towards female emancipation. And Greenwood creates vivid characters which helps the transfer to TV. In spite of this the books themselves feel a bit undercooked here and there, there is an element of a first-rate concept all dressed up with nowhere to go. The writing is equally hit and miss with the opening chapters of Cocaine Blues being rather clumsy. Though completely different in tone, the books reminded me of Amitav Ghosh’s novels. A wealth of detail, a few interesting characters and yet swathes that are curiously shallow and one dimensional.
Anyway all the viewing and reading of history-mysteries reminded me that it was time to revisit my favourite detective of all time, DCS Foyle. Foyle’s War, here I come!
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