I'm a big fan of Phryne Fisher mysteries. It has been fun to watch Kerry Greenwood's writing style mature, to the point where this may be the tipping point from "solicitor who writes well" to "writer who used to be a solicitor". Every entry in this series has improved incrementally, to the point where I'm worried that #15 might surpass East of Eden or something.

I have but two minor complaints about this book:

1. Ms. Greenwood openly embraced a "fish out of water" storyline here, putting Phryne into the circus without her supporting cast and the trappings of wealth and sophistication. I found it VERY interesting that I liked this story less as a direct result. It turns out that I like the water almost as much as the fish - I like the world around Phryne Fisher almost as much as I like Ms. Fisher herself. And that is an AWFUL LOT.

2. I would like for a murder mystery to involve both words in equal measure, and providing the Most Sympathetic Red Herring Of All Time (TM) dramatically shortchanges the "mystery" half.

If you're getting your Miss Fisher on, you're going to enjoy the hell out of this book. Maybe not as much as #5 and #7. But hey.