Murder in the Cathedral, by Kerry Greenwood

Phryne Fisher and her loyal companion, Dot, travel to Bendigo for the inauguration of her friend Lionel as Bishop. Unfortunately the grand occasion is marred by the untimely death of an unpopular deacon. Using planes and trains more than automobiles, Miss Fisher helps the police to solve the murder, also putting paid to a gold mining scam along the way. This tale benefits from a reduction in the roles of Phryne’s staff, henchmen and adopted children, who all play very minor parts in the action. The focus on fashion and food is always enjoyable, but several (largely unnecessary) coincidences and tangents divert from the story rather than add to it, particularly the array of people that turn up in Bendigo. The Chinese lesbian love subplot resolves a storyline from an earlier book that many readers would neither remember nor care about. But the Morris dancing is fun and this is a welcome return to form after a few duds and a great way to end the Phryne Fisher saga, as there will be no more with the untimely death of Kerry Greenwood.