Kerry Greenwood Books

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Kerry Greenwood is an Australian author who writes mysteries, children’s stories, science fiction, and historical fiction. Born in 1954 in Footscray, Victoria, Greenwood attended Geelong Road State School and Maribyrnong College. She also studied English and Law at the University of Melbourne.

The barrister and solicitor worked as a full-time criminal defense lawyer for several years before turning her attention to fiction. Some people think she attained overnight success after publishing ‘Cocaine Blues’ in 1989.

They don’t realize that Greenwood began writing at four. She penned numerous novels before a publisher came along and released ‘Cocaine Blues’ to the masses. The author doesn’t regret those early years because they taught her so much about storytelling.

Although the rejections destroyed her soul. She remembers submitting a novel that appeared on the shortlist for the Vogel Prize. A publisher summoned the author and rejected the manuscript to her face.

It was a poor fit for their needs at the time. But then the publisher commissioned her to write two detective novels. Greenwood was more than happy to oblige. After all, she had spent her life reading mysteries and crime fiction.

She was returning home from her meeting with the publisher when the idea for the first Phryne Fisher book came to her. In fact, by the time she got home, Greenwood knew everything about Phryne Fisher, including the character’s name, history, and personality.

She based the heroine on a courtesan from ancient Thebes. Greenwood wanted Phryne to become the equivalent of a reader’s pinup role model, the kind she would have obsessed over during her youth, which explains Phryne’s wealth, intelligence, courage, and humility.

She was not the sort of woman that waited to be rescued. Additionally, she wouldn’t concern herself with the trivial matters that weighed so many real-life women down. The result was a character who has endured for decades.

With Corinna Chapman, Greenwood shifted gears. She made the character a baker because her Corinna Chapman books are American-style cozies with an Australian setting, and Greenwood was convinced that a bakery was the perfect dramatic center for her stories.

Longtime Kerry Greenwood fans may have noticed her penchant for experimenting with different genres. She has written children’s fantasy (‘The Rat and the Raven’) and YA (‘The Broken Wheel’).

She co-wrote a cookbook with Dr. Jenny Pausacker and edited a series of true crime essays. When the author shifts genres, she tries to respect her audience. She knows that different genres have different rules. Her goal is to give readers what they expect (more or less) when they buy her books.

Greenwood does extensive research even though she only uses a fraction of what she discovers. She takes great pleasure in getting the details of each story and setting right.

Kerry Greenwood Awards

Greenwood’s collection of accolades includes the Aurealis and Davitt Awards.

Kerry Greenwood Books into Movies

The Phryne Fisher books became a TV series called ‘Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.’

Best Kerry Greenwood Books

Even though she spent many years in the legal field, she doesn’t use her former clients’ stories in her books. From what she’s seen, real-life criminals are more boring than their fictional counterparts. Greenwood’s best books include:

Cocaine Blues: Phryne Fisher was tired. Life in 1920s London had nothing of significance to offer her. Polite conversations and dances with retired soldiers and weak-chinned men did not appeal to her. She was hoping to re-invent herself by moving to Hotel Windsor in Melbourne and becoming a Lady Detective.

The last thing she expected was a conspiracy involving Russian dancers, cocaine smuggling, and police corruption.

Flying Too High: Phryne Fisher’s client was hysterical and for a good reason. She thought her son was on the verge of murdering his hot-headed father. Phryne tried to intervene by visiting the son’s flying school and upstaging the fellow in his own plane.

Then, she confronted him about his mother’s claims. But despite her best efforts, the father died, and the son was carted off to prison. But was he guilty? Phryne was determined to find out, and she wasn’t alone.

Bert and Cec were on hand to offer a helping hand once Phryne came calling and revealed her clever scheme to save the day.

When Does The Next Kerry Greenwood book come out?

Kerry Greenwood doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Murder in Williamstown and was released on November, 1st 2022. It is the newest book in the Phryne Fisher Series.

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