Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood

This is another of Miss Fisher Mysteries that is quite different from the other stories. Miss Fisher is requested by some carnival folks to find out who was causing all the problems in their travelling circus. To do this she needs to become part of the circus so that she can mix freely among the circus folk and ask questions. Her friends get her to take the place of one of the horse riders who has had an accident and hurt her ankle. This is a bold and dangerous step as Phryne will be alone and have no support from her household, friends and the police.

At the time Phryne was approached by the carnival people, the police had been called to a murder of one of the circus artist who lived at a local boarding house during the circus rest period. It was a right puzzle that the door was locked from inside and the window though open was difficult to get to and still the victim was stabbed with great force through the heart, while asleep. The inspector is aware that Phryne is infiltrating the circus when he goes to question colleagues of the murder victim. Thus there are two parts of the puzzle that link with the circus.

There is a wonderful description of the circus life. There strange hierarchy that exists between the circus performers, below whom are the carnival folks and at the bottom of the heap are the gypsies. The life is not all fun and there are many undercurrents in the relationships of different level of performers. Recently the circus has been having problems. There have been all sorts of accidents and if this continues the owner might have to sell it off. Is there any connection between these problems and the taking on of a partner by the owner? No one really likes that man or his friends. Was there a connection between the murder in Melbourne boarding house and the circus woes? Phryne has to learn to ride a horse and perform the simple tricks so that she can accompany the circus.

For the first time, Phryne is totally out of her comfort zone and feels the stress of being alone. Will she be able to get the information to solve the problems of the circus? She is in great danger as the bad men are on to her while she is still pretty much unaware of intricacies of the plot. The police come looking for her only to find she has disappeared. While it is a good mystery and right there with all the other Miss Fisher Mysteries, there is a bigger element of danger in this one and shows a good picture of what life was like for those travelling with the circus during the 20s in Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.