I know, I know, every time I read on of these books I just complain about it. But I once again found myself at an airport with nothing to read and the ebook was available from the library. So I read it.

And, honestly, maybe it had just been long enough between books, because I found this one to be less terrible than I expected. I thought the love interests (...if that is the term I want, which it probably isn't) were even more ridiculous than usual, but at least she had to learn a skill and it wasn't because of her secret ninja training she had at some point in her past.

This is one of my favorites in the series so far, which is odd because I really don't like circuses all that much. I sorta cringe at the thought of books and art with that setting, in fact.
In this book, Phryne is approached by a lover to investigate why all kinds of misfortune is occurring at Farrell's traveling circus. She goes undercover, learns trick riding, and of course, saves the day. As she is undercover, she has to rely on her inner resources rather than her friends, staff, or money. All in all, a satisfying and fun read.

Before I started reading this, I saw a review that said this is the worst book in the series thus far, that the radical change of scenery and the lack of the known and loved supporting characters makes it fall flat. This led me to read it expecting it to be bad, and I really feel it wasn't. It was interesting, there was a real mystery as to the real killer (and how many storylines overlap), and plenty of interesting happenings in the circus.

Its true that there is a lack of the characters we love - Dot, Hugh, Cec, Bert, The Butlers - but I kind of enjoyed seeing Phryne struggle with insecurity when she had no adoring audience. The author may have taken it a step too far - I don't think Phryne's face would burn at the thought of receiving hand-me-downs to wear - but its definitely a change from her real life - where her money and stature let her behave as shamelessly as she'd like.

Contains a lot of bullying regarding various "otherness" in society.

I have some thoughts! (hidden under the cut):

Spoiler

I hope the dealing with the intersex/hermaphrodite character didn't seem offensive to anyone reading. I kept in mind that it was 1928, and that overall the characters seemed accept Mr. Christopher - except that one gross cop, and he was sharply reprimanded by Jack.

It still breaks my heart that just being born of a certain race (gypsy), or intersex, or a little person, would leave you little choice but to join the circus to get acceptance. There were a lot of new characters, not all of whom we get to know closely or have a reason to like - I honestly didn't care at all about Alan Lee or the snake lady, etc. But each one came with their story of why they don't fit into normal society, and therefore the circus (and its crew of characters) become a surrogate family. A dysfunctional one, with hierarchies and unwritten rules, but sort of a family nonetheless. It almost makes the idea of a circus bearable.

The "sex with a clown in full makeup" scene was enough to make me want to hurl. I can't imagine what could be less sexy. Did people not have an aversion to clowns in the twenties?? With his FACE PAINT ON? Girl, no.

Miss Molly was a particularly polarising character. At first you feel awful for her, the person she loved just died. And then you stop feeling awful, because she sexually assaults Phryne, and spews a bunch of hateful retoric about how she isn't gay, isn't a "freak", but the scent of ladies turned on "brings it out in her". I think in today's world, Molly could get rid of the female body she hates and thinks has never belonged in, and transition to be a man. Or maybe all she needs is some therapy and to stop thinking of LGBTQ people as freaks? The person she loved most was an intersex man, and the only person she was ever attracted to - okay, I did still feel for her a little. But she didn't seem to grow and learn, even after getting to know the other characters.

I loved Elsie from the other storyline - I didn't expect to, but her way of talking really won me over. Hats off to the crazy lady.

This was one of my favourite Phryne books so far, but at the same time I also think it had one of the weakest plots/mysteries. The development of the circus and characters was so well done (I really liked the clown hehe) but I feel like the mystery suffered because of this.

Very little progress is made on the mystery because the book spends so long discussing the circus. The mystery is literally solved in what feels like 10 pages by Jack and others walking in circles until the mystery is solverd, which felt almost Scooby Doo-esque (and not in a good way). There was numerous mentions of sabotage/incidents happening at the circus, but after Phryne arrives, the only thing that happens is that someone puts a splinter under her horse's saddle... it was a bit underwhelming.

I originally rated this 3 stars because of what I mentioned above, but after reading more Phryne and not being able to stop thinking about the circus I had to come back and bump it to a 4. This is one of the most immersive Phryne books, I really felt like I knew all the other new characters and wanted to know more about them (for example, in the Jazz one, all the musicians were just plain and boring, I never learned a single name and kept getting confused over what was happening).

I also definitely think this book is way better than the episode in the series, the execution is much more engaging.

3.5 Stars

I thoroughly enjoy the audio versions of the Phryne Fisher series. Set in 1920's Australia they are just delightful. Phryne was poor as a child but is now quite wealthy. Friends come to her concerned about a series of bad things happening at a traveling circus and want her to look into it.

Most mystery series eventually take the main character away from familiar settings and secondary characters at some point. Phryne joins the circus is this series take on that. Posing as a trick horse rider to immerse herself in the goings on at the circus, Phryne is on her own in this one.

The mystery is almost secondary in this book. The circus and its traditions and people are the main story. The police handle much of the investigation of the murder that opens the book. Phryne of course, manages to wrap it all up neatly in the end.

I enjoy listening to Stephanie Daniel narrate these. This edition included an interview with the author at the end.

I loved the first five books, but deeply disliked Blood and Circuses. Phryne Fisher is a badass, part Poirot, part Bond, and for some reason, in this book, she is a damsel in distress trying to find who she would be if she wasn’t rich. It’s an awful, out of character digression from the first five books.

I usually enjoy the Phryne Fisher novels, but this one was so wild I LOVED it. I also enjoyed the book's matter-of-fact and very sympathetic portrayal of transgender people.