Reading order · 21 books · 1989 to 2020 · Set in Melbourne
Phryne Fisher Books in Order
The Honourable Phryne Fisher, flapper, pilot and private detective, solves murders in late-1920s Melbourne with her companion Dot, the wharfies Bert and Cec and Detective Inspector Jack Robinson. The books were adapted as the television series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Series facts
- Books
- 21
- Published
- 1989 to 2020
- First book
- Cocaine Blues
- Latest
- Death in Daylesford (2020)
- Setting
- Set in Melbourne
The reading order
Every Phryne Fisher book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
21 books · Set in Melbourne
- 1Cocaine Blues1989With Phryne FisherIn 1928 the Honourable Phryne Fisher sails home to Melbourne, the city of her poor childhood, to check on a society daughter who may be being poisoned by her husband.Buy on Amazon
- 2Flying Too High1990With Phryne FisherPhryne is asked to stop a hot-headed young aviator from doing something terrible to his father, and is soon caught up in a kidnapping as well, taking to the air herself to solve it.Buy on Amazon
- 3Murder on the Ballarat Train1991With Phryne FisherOn an overnight train to Ballarat, Phryne wakes to find her carriage filled with chloroform, an elderly woman missing and a young girl with no memory of who she is.Buy on Amazon
- 4Death at Victoria Dock1992With Phryne FisherDriving along the Melbourne docks at night, Phryne has her windscreen shot out and finds a dying young man in the street.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Green Mill Murder1993With Phryne FisherAt a dance marathon at the Green Mill, a man drops dead on the floor with a knife wound.Buy on Amazon
- 6Blood and Circuses1994With Phryne FisherSomeone is sabotaging a travelling circus wintering outside Melbourne, and Phryne goes undercover as a performer to find out who, leaving her comfortable life behind.Buy on Amazon
- 7Ruddy Gore1995With Phryne FisherAt a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore an actor collapses on stage, and the theatre is said to be haunted.Buy on Amazon
- 8Urn Burial1996With Phryne FisherPhryne’s holiday at a Gothic mansion in Victoria’s high country is marred by death threats, deadly traps and a murder in a locked room.Buy on Amazon
- 9Raisins and Almonds1997With Phryne FisherA young man dies of poison in a bookshop in Carlton, and members of Melbourne’s Jewish community ask Phryne to help clear a young woman charged with the crime.Buy on Amazon
- 10Death Before Wicket1999With Phryne FisherPhryne goes to Sydney for the cricket and a round of parties, but is soon drawn into a missing person case and a mystery at the university.Buy on Amazon
- 11Away with the Fairies2001With Phryne FisherWhen a writer and illustrator of fairy stories is found dead, Phryne goes undercover at a women’s magazine to find out who killed her.Buy on Amazon
- 12Murder in Montparnasse2002With Phryne FisherBert and Cec’s old army mates are dying one by one, and the link goes back to Paris in 1918, when the young Phryne was living among the artists of Montparnasse.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Castlemaine Murders2003With Phryne FisherA mummified body falls out of the ghost train at Luna Park in St Kilda, and the trail leads back to the gold rush town of Castlemaine.Buy on Amazon
- 14Queen of the Flowers2004With Phryne FisherPhryne is to reign as Queen of the Flowers at a St Kilda festival, but when one of her flower maidens vanishes, she is drawn into the world of the circus and questions about her adopted daughter’s family.Buy on Amazon
- 15Death by Water2005With Phryne FisherPhryne goes undercover on a cruise ship bound for New Zealand to catch a jewel thief who has struck on every voyage.Buy on Amazon
- 16Murder in the Dark2006With Phryne FisherPhryne attends a lavish house party thrown by eccentric twins from Melbourne society, where threatening notes, cruel pranks and a disappearance turn the celebrations sinister.Buy on Amazon
- 17Murder on a Midsummer Night2008With Phryne FisherPhryne looks into the apparent suicide of a young antiques dealer, while also searching for a lost heir to a dead man’s fortune.Buy on Amazon
- 18Dead Man’s Chest2010With Phryne FisherPhryne arrives in Queenscliff for a crime-free seaside holiday, only to find the rented house empty and its caretakers vanished, and the clues point to a hunt for buried treasure.Buy on Amazon
- 19Unnatural Habits2012With Phryne FisherA young journalist goes missing while investigating the disappearance of pregnant girls sent to Melbourne’s convent laundries, and Phryne goes looking for her.Buy on Amazon
- 20Murder and Mendelssohn2013With Phryne FisherA conductor is murdered during rehearsals for Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Jack Robinson asks Phryne to help him find his way through the music world.Buy on Amazon
- 21Death in Daylesford2020With Phryne FisherPhryne visits the spa town of Daylesford, home to a retreat for soldiers suffering from shell shock, and finds the town troubled by mysterious deaths and disappearances.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Each mystery stands alone, so you can start anywhere, but Phryne’s household and friendships grow through the series, so publication order is the most satisfying.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Phryne Fisher | Dot Williams | Jack Robinson | Bert and Cec | Dr Elizabeth MacMillan | Mr and Mrs Butler | Jane and Ruth | Lin Chung |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Cocaine Blues | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 2 Flying Too High | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 3 Murder on the Ballarat Train | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 4 Death at Victoria Dock | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 5 The Green Mill Murder | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 6 Blood and Circuses | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 7 Ruddy Gore | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 8 Urn Burial | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 9 Raisins and Almonds | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 10 Death Before Wicket | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 11 Away with the Fairies | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 12 Murder in Montparnasse | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 13 The Castlemaine Murders | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 14 Queen of the Flowers | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 15 Death by Water | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 16 Murder in the Dark | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 17 Murder on a Midsummer Night | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 18 Dead Man’s Chest | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 19 Unnatural Habits | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 20 Murder and Mendelssohn | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 21 Death in Daylesford | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Phryne Fisher books
8 characters from Kerry Greenwood’s chart, with the number of Phryne Fisher books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Phryne FisherWealthy, fearless lady detective in 1920s Melbourne | 21 | Cocaine Blues 1989 |
| Dot WilliamsPhryne’s companion and assistant | 21 | Cocaine Blues 1989 |
| Jack RobinsonDetective Inspector | 21 | Cocaine Blues 1989 |
| Bert and CecWharfies, taxi drivers and Phryne’s loyal friends | 21 | Cocaine Blues 1989 |
| Dr Elizabeth MacMillanDoctor and Phryne’s friend | 21 | Cocaine Blues 1989 |
| Mr and Mrs ButlerPhryne’s butler and cook | 20 | Flying Too High 1990 |
| Jane and RuthGirls Phryne adopts | 20 | Flying Too High 1990 |
| Lin ChungPhryne’s lover, from a Chinese merchant family | 15 | Ruddy Gore 1995 |