Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 We're big fans of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries here at the Bitchery. When I picked up the first book in the series that the TV show is based on, I had high hopes. As usual the book is better than the movie...er, TV show. 
 Phryne Fisher is an investigator in 1920's Melbourne with an amazing wardrobe, cash to burn, a bob that I'm a jealous of, and a taste for adventure. Cocaine Blues opens with Phryne solving a diamond theft at her parents' dinner party. And by solving a diamond theft I mean kind of rolling her eyes, sipping her cocktail, and saying "Obviously he did it, you guys," while pointing to the villain with her cigarette. That's Phryne. She's never ruffled and I suspect only sweats during sex. 
 This is one of those books that's a pleasure to read, every word slipping along seamlessly. It's like good oolong tea-smooth and subtly bold and delicious. 
 This book does contain sex (although not particularly graphic) and references to rape and how illegal abortions were performed (pretty much the same way they still are). There's no real blood or gore; it's a detective story that relies on deduction and observation rather than thrills. I'm not sure if that makes it a cozy mystery or not, but I'm finding lately that I'm more drawn to historical mysteries where good solid detective work solves the case, rather than some device like a physic medium heroine or a high tech forensics team. I like it when the heroine rubs her chin and says "Well, clearly Basil did it because of the teal lint on his shirt collar!" Call me old fashioned, I guess. The more mysteries I read, the less impressed I am by tension created by a serial killer who is immediately known and the pickling of human eyeballs than I am by the suspense of the killer being hidden among a group of seemingly everyday people. 
 - Elyse