A few right thinking men. . .is that what we need?

My next A-Z Book Challenge book is by an Australian author.  Don’t you just love the cover?

At the moment, in Australia, we have a series on television called Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and this bookcover reminds me of this series. The television series is based on  The Phryne Fisher series of books by Kerry Greenwood and you can see by the covers of the books why it reminds me of this series. But I am not reviewing those books at the moment so back to A Few Right Thinking Men by Sulari Gentill.

I bought this book after listening to an interview with Sulari Gentill on the ABC National Radio programme, The Book Show.  You can download the audio of the interview here. (As an aside, The Book Show is no longer broadcast and I am sadly missing my weekly dose of book/author information.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it is a crime fiction novel and it is set in Sydney, Australia in the 1930’s and concerns the political scene at that time so it is historical crime fiction.  It appears  that the book has been well researched and we get to see aspects of Australian history that are not readily found in Australian novels.  Obviously the author has imagined some of the aspects of the famous incidents in our history at that time but they are certainly portrayed in a plausible way.  I also liked the fact that there was mention of the district around Yass which is close to Canberra and an area with which I am familiar.

I loved the characters, some of whom seem a little bit eccentric, but I particularly liked the protagonist, Rowland Sinclair and I look forward to learning more about him in the promised sequel.  This was a book well worth reading.

From the cover of the book:

Rowland Sinclair is an artist and a gentlemen.  In Australia’s 1930s, the Sinclair name is respectable and influential , yet Rowland has a talent for scandal.  Even with thousands of unemployed lining the streets, Rowland’s sheltered world is one of exorbitant wealth, culture and impeccable tailoring.  He relies on the Sinclair fortune to indulge his artistic passions and friends. . .  a poet, a painter and a brazen sculptress.  Mounting tensions fuelled by the Great Depression take Australia to the brink of revolution.

Rowland Sinclair is indifferent to politics . . .until a brutal murder exposes an extraordinary and treasonous conspiracy.