Moko and Māori Warrior Culture by Professor Applegate

Thanks to Wikipedia 

Title: Moko and Māori Warrior Culture

Author: Professor Applegate

Publisher: Not known 

Source book: Death by Water by Kerry Greenwood (Phryne Fisher #15)

The Hon. Miss Phryne Fisher, fictional private detective, is engaged by real life cruise line P&O to investigate a series of somewhat implausible jewel thefts, and takes to the high seas with her companion Dot. On the ship Phryne naturally has the smartest, most fancy stateroom, and is allocated a seat in the dining room with other first class passengers, many of them suspects in the mystery because they were all on board when the thefts took place. 

Now I know most detective stories require us to suspend our disbelief, but I do baulk rather at characters who take quite so many cruises. It’s not as though the thefts have been carried out over a ten year period. It’s all been pretty quick. But who has the time to take cruise after cruise? Not to mention the expense. Especially if you travel first class.

However, even if Professor Applegate was on board when the thefts took place, she seems so eminently respectable that she isn’t a likely suspect. An expert in Māori culture, she is said to have spoken to the chiefs and shamans before attempting to interview any Māori about their tattoos, and is universally respected and even loved by the entire community. One of the other passengers, Mr Aubrey, even claims to have read her book.

Later in Death by Water Phryne encounters the Professor in the ship’s shop, which has a large selection of books for sale. Phryne notices Night of the Sheik, Poisoned Passion and Flowers of Sin. She tells the Professor she knows the author, calling her a very pleasant woman. But emphasises firmly that she hasn’t read any of her books [see Murder on the Ballarat Train]. Eunice Henderson must have kept up her writing because we haven’t seen Poisoned Passion or Flowers of Sin before.

Dot is said to have whiled away the voyage reading The Case of the Blonde in the Library which sounds like a mashup of several different real life books.

Thanks to teara.govt.nz