Publishers Weekly
11/27/2017
In Gentill’s less-than-successful fourth mystery featuring Australian artist Rowland Sinclair (after 2017’s Miles Off Course), Charles Hardy, a real-life Australian senator, asks for Rowland’s help in thwarting the rise of the New Guard, a group that intends to bring European fascism to their country, even though Hardy has always suspected Rowland of being a Communist spy. The New Guard is led by Col. Eric Campbell, another historical figure, who’s visiting Germany in 1933. Hardy wants Rowland, who speaks German, to look into Campbell’s connections to the Nazi regime and the mysterious death of the cattle rancher he sent to shadow Campbell. Rowland agrees to go as long as his motley group of allies—“a Communist painter, a Jewish poet, and an unpredictable sculptress”—can accompany him to Germany. Once Sinclair and company arrive in Germany, his exploits, which include disguising himself as one of Hitler’s guards, strain credulity. Gentill does a good job capturing the period, but her attempts to apply a light touch to the Nazis will strike some readers as misguided. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"This installment takes the aristocratic Sinclair into a much darker place than did the previous three entries in the series but does so without losing the stylish prose and the easy way with character that have given the novels their appeal." — Booklist
"... stylish, well-paced murder mystery... cheeky plotline... this tale is told with such flair and feeling for those extraordinary times... Verdict: thrilling." — The Herald Sun
"The combination of famous historical figures, detailed descriptions of a troubling time, and plenty of action makes for a tale as rousing as it is relevant." — Kirkus Reviews
The Herald Sun
"... stylish, well-paced murder mystery... cheeky plotline... this tale is told with such flair and feeling for those extraordinary times... Verdict: thrilling"
Rowland Sinclair Series #1 Booklist on A Few Right Thinking Men
"As series-launching novels go, this one is especially successful: the plot effectively plays Sinclair's aristocratic bearing and involvement in the arts against the Depression setting, fraught with radical politics, both of which he becomes involves in as he turns sleuth. And Sinclair himself is a delight: wining us over completely and making us feel as though he's an old friend."
Historical Novel Society
"...stellar plot twists and her signature historical quotes throughout, deftly combining history and mystery in this page-turner."
ReviewingTheEvidence.com - Meredith Frazier
"Gentill tells a good story filled with intriguing characters and is able through the setting and times as well as the events to keep the reader on edge and uncomfortable to just the right degree."
Booklist - David Pitt
"This installment takes the aristocratic Sinclair into a much darker place than did the previous three entries in the series but does so without losing the stylish prose and the easy way with character that have given the novels their appeal."
Anne Perry
"I thoroughly enjoyed the glamour of the ocean voyage, the warmth and wit among the friends, and yet all the time, simmering beneath the surface, was the real and savage violence, waiting to erupt. The 1930s are a marvelous period. We know what lies ahead! This is beautifully drawn, with all its fragile hope and looming tragedy. I am delighted this is a series. I want them all."
Rowland Sinclair Series #1 Historical Novel Society on A Few Right Thinking Men
"Fans of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series, rejoice: here comes another Depression-era Australian sleuth! Along the way there is plenty of solid discussion of politics and social status, with enough context to both draw in those new to the era and keep those more well-versed in their history interested.... Gentill's inclusion of newspaper blurbs from the time, recounting social and cultural events as well as criminal and political activities, add yet more depth to captivate readers in this terrific debut."
Rowland Sinclair Series #1 Booklist on A Few Right Thinking Men
As series-launching novels go, this one is especially successful: the plot effectively plays Sinclair's aristocratic bearing and involvement in the arts against the Depression setting, fraught with radical politics, both of which he becomes involves in as he turns sleuth. And Sinclair himself is a delight: wining us over completely and making us feel as though he's an old friend.
Rowland Sinclair Series #1 Historical Novel Society on A Few Right Thinking Men
Fans of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series, rejoice: here comes another Depression-era Australian sleuth! Along the way there is plenty of solid discussion of politics and social status, with enough context to both draw in those new to the era and keep those more well-versed in their history interested.~~~ Gentill's inclusion of newspaper blurbs from the time, recounting social and cultural events as well as criminal and political activities, add yet more depth to captivate readers in this terrific debut.
Kirkus Reviews
2017-10-16
A trip to Germany opens the eyes of four reluctant Australian spies in 1933.The leaders of the conservative Old Guard group (Miles Off Course, 2017, etc.) are so worried about the rise of Australian fascists, especially Eric Campbell, who's visiting Germany in hopes of meeting Hitler, that they've had two spies traveling with Campbell. When one dies in a mysterious accident, they press wealthy artist Rowland Sinclair, who speaks fluent German and is eminently replaceable, to go to Germany to find a way to thwart Campbell's plans. Rowly shares his Sydney home with communist artist Clyde Watson Jones, flamboyant Jewish poet Milton Isaacs, and beautiful sculptress and model Edna Higgins, with whom he's deeply in love but who still treats him as just a friend. Despite the unlikelihood of leftists and Jews visiting Nazi Germany, they insist on going with him. Campbell's interpreter, Blanshard, is one of the Old Guard's spies and is doing all he can to derail Campbell's plans, but now that his partner, Peter Bothwell, has drowned while swimming at the lakeside villa belonging to wealthy Alois Richter, who's competing with Hugo Boss to supply uniforms for the Reich, he needs more help. Rowly, posing as Bothwell's cousin, accepts an invitation for him and his friends to stay at Richter's large Munich home. Their search for answers to Bothwell's possible murder and attempts to get Campbell out of the country before he makes any significant contacts involve the spies in considerable risk in a country where the rule of law does not apply.The combination of famous historical figures, detailed descriptions of a troubling time, and plenty of action makes for a tale as rousing as it is relevant.
