AustLit logo
image of person or book cover 2553781245133982915.jpg
Image courtesy of National Library of Australia
Kerry Greenwood Kerry Greenwood i(A22250 works by) (a.k.a. Isabelle Lewis)
Born: Established: 1954 Footscray, Footscray - Maribyrnong area, Melbourne - West, Melbourne, Victoria, ;
Gender: Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

BiographyHistory

The daughter of a wharf worker, Kerry Greenwood has worked in a variety of occupations, including folk singer, factory hand, director, translator, costumer-maker, and cook. A qualified solicitor, she graduated from Melbourne University with degrees in English and Law, and works part time for Legal Aid in Victoria.

Greenwood wrote her first novel at the age of sixteen and is the author of a series of twelve crime fiction novels set in Melbourne in the 1920s. The protagonist in this popular series is detective Phryne Fisher, a character the author has described as a female James Bond, who is "without guilt, with boundless self-esteem".

Greenwood writes in a number of literary genres. In addition to her crime fiction, she has written drama, historical novels, science fiction and short stories. Her work as an advocate in the Magistrate's Courts and previous experience working with abused women provide a background for her non-fiction books about crime and the law. These include a collection of essays about true crime, and an exploration of the motivations and personal circumstances of women who murder.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Murder in Williamstown Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2022 24977204 2022 single work novel crime

'Accustomed to both murder and dalliance, Australia's favourite detective, the inimitable Miss Fisher, returns in a case that will test her courage and judgement to the full.

'When the redoubtable Miss Phryne Fisher receives threatening letters at her home, she enlists the unflappable apprentice Tinker to investigate. But as the harassment of Phryne threatens to spin out of control, her lover, Lin Chung is also targeted.

'Meanwhile, Dot begins to fear that her fiance, newly promoted Sergeant Hugh Collins, has gone cold on setting a date for their wedding.

'Phryne's clever daughters, Ruth and Jane, begin their own investigation into suspiciously dwindling funds when they are sent to help at the Blind Institute.

'None of this is quite enough to prevent Phryne from accepting an invitation to a magnificent party at the house of the mysterious Hong. When the party is interrupted by shocking tragedy, Phryne gathers all of her unerring brilliance to track down the miscreants. With some unlikely assistance, Phryne is in a race against time to save a pair of young lovers from disgrace and death.' (Publication summary)

2023 longlisted Davitt Award Best Adult Crime Novel
y separately published work icon The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions The Ultimate Miss Phryne Fisher Collection Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2021 21059764 2021 selected work novella

'The elegant Miss Phryne Fisher returns in this scintillating collection, which features four brand-new stories.

'The Honourable Phryne Fisher - she of the Lulu bob, Cupid's bow lips, diamante garters and pearl-handled pistol - is the 1920s' most elegant and irrepressible sleuth.

'Miss Phryne Fisher is up to her stunning green eyes in intriguing crime in each of these entertaining, fun and compulsively readable stories. With the ever-loyal Dot, the ingenious Mr Butler and all of Phryne's friends and household, the action is as fast as Phryne's wit and logic.' (Publication summary)

2022 longlisted Davitt Award Best Adult Crime Novel
y separately published work icon Death in Daylesford Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2020 19846429 2020 single work novel mystery

'Surrounded by secrets, great and small, the formidable Miss Phryne Fisher returns to vanquish injustice.

'When a mysterious invitation arrives for Miss Phryne Fisher from an unknown Captain Herbert Spencer, Phryne's curiosity is excited. Spencer runs a retreat in Victoria's spa country for shell-shocked soldiers of the First World War. It's a cause after Phryne's own heart but what could Spencer want from her?

'Phryne and the faithful Dot view their spa sojourn as a short holiday but are quickly thrown in the midst of disturbing Highland gatherings, disappearing women, murder and the mystery of the Temperance Hotel.

'Meanwhile, Cec, Bert and Tinker find a young woman floating face down in the harbour, dead. Tinker, with Jane and Ruth, Phryne's resilient adopted daughters, together decide to solve what appears to be a heinous crime.

'Disappearances, murder, bombs, booby-traps and strange goings-on land Miss Phryne Fisher right in the middle of her most exciting adventure.' (Publication summary)

2021 longlisted Davitt Award Best Adult Crime Novel
Last amended 27 Jan 2020 16:29:07
Other mentions of "" in AustLit:
    X