A Few Right Thinking Men (Rowland Sinclair, #1) in Aussie Readers

Apr 15, 2019 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it

Shelves: chcc-library, australian-author, historical-fiction, mystery-crime-thriller, politics-culture-social-war

4★

“‘Don’t you do anything?’ asked Edna.

He smiled. ‘I’m the youngest son, Ed. . . My role is to keep bad company and squander the family fortune.’”

And Rowland Sinclair does. Well, he keeps some pretty questionable company, and although he’s not squandering the family fortune, he’s housing several dissident artists in one of his wealthy family’s homes in Sydney. By dissident, I mean left-leaning and Communist (far left) activists who love nothing better than orating from soapboxes in the park. Ro ...more

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Jan 23, 2018 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-release, historical-fiction, arc, own-read, net-galley, first-in-a-series, 5000-books, mystery, read-on-kindle

Rowland Sinclair – Rowly to his friends – was dining with his elderly uncle, Rowland Sinclair and as usual, enjoying the lively banter between the two of them. But when Rowly was informed a day or two later by the police that his uncle had been murdered, he was shocked and saddened. With the police seemingly doing nothing to find his killer/s, Rowly vowed to find them himself.

With the country in the throes of tensions caused by the Depression, and agitators on both sides of Parliament firing th ...more

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Apr 24, 2019 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-are, netgalley-reviews, aussie-author

Sulari Gentill’s historical mystery series featuring Rowland Sinclair has long been on my radar. I regret that it has taken me a decade to start it, though on the plus side, there are a further eight books ahead of me to enjoy.

A Few Right Thinking Men is set in New South Wales, Australia during the early 1930’s. It is a period of great political upheaval where, in the wake of The Great Depression, tensions are mounting resulting in the rapid growth of extremist organisations.
Rowland Sinclair, a Sulari Gentill’s historical mystery series featuring Rowland Sinclair has long been on my radar. I regret that it has taken me a decade to start it, though on the plus side, there are a further eight books ahead of me to enjoy.

A Few Right Thinking Men is set in New South Wales, Australia during the early 1930’s. It is a period of great political upheaval where, in the wake of The Great Depression, tensions are mounting resulting in the rapid growth of extremist organisations.
Rowland Sinclair, affectionately known as Rowly to his friends, is content to stay out of politics. As the youngest son of the wealthy and influential Sinclair family, he has largely been left to his own devices, allowing him to pursue his passion for painting, and support a revolving cast of fellow artists at his well appointed home, Woodlands House, on Sydney’s North Shore.
That is until Rowly’s uncle, for whom he is named, is killed during a home invasion, and rumour places the blame on an aggressive group within the New Guard, a far right political organisation focused on destroying the ‘red threat’ of communism.

Till now, he had crowded his mind with his work and with things more mundane, but as he stood where his uncle had died, he was staggered by a deep sense of loss, and outrage.

Though Rowly’s goal is to bring uncle’s murderer to justice, the mystery surrounding his death is not really the focus of this novel. With the local detective reluctant to investigate, Rowly is convinced by his friends and houseguests Milton, Clyde and Edna to take on Clyde’s identity and infiltrate the New Guard, unwittingly putting himself at the epicentre of the dissent. It is the clandestine machinations of the various political organisations that is center stage here.

He’d just have to hope to God that democracy would survive all these right thinking men.

The authors research is meticulous, sadly I’m almost wholly ignorant of my country’s past, but it’s understandable that Gentill would enthusiastically delve into this ‘fascinating and ludicrous’ period of Australian history. The situation, as the conflict between the spectrum of ideologies escalates, would be farcical if not for the seriousness with which they regard themselves. Each is convinced they are the only ‘right thinking men’ fit to lead the state, if not the entire country.

“You are who you are. Given your gilded background, you could be insufferable, but you’re not. I wouldn’t have you be anything else.”

I thought the characterisation of both the main and supporting characters was very well done. Rowly is kind, generous, thoughtful and loyal. For the most part apolitical, Rowly is well aware that his background makes him an enemy of the far left, and his lifestyle pits him against the far right. His older brother Wilford is contemptuous of his youngest brother’s ways, but Rowly is wonderfully supported by Edna, a beautiful sculptress with whom he is in love, communist poet Milt, and fellow painter, Clyde, and not just because he funds their modus vivendi.

A Few Right Thinking Men is an entertaining and astute novel, rich with history, drama, and engaging characters. I’m looking forward to continuing with the series. ...more

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Apr 08, 2022 Catsalive rated it liked it

Shelves: aww, 2022

An interesting start to the series. I did enjoy Rowly but there was a bit too much detail that bogged the story down & I got a bit bored. I would like to see how the story develops so I'll give the next one a try. Coincidentally, the White Army popped up in a book I was reading last week & I hadn't heard of them before - funny how these things happen. ...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Kate Forsyth rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-mystery

The first in a series of murder mysteries set in 1930s, featuring the artist and dilettante Rowland Sinclair, whose fortune allows him to support his friends – a Communist poet, an alluring sculptress and a painter. With newspaper snippets of the times heading each chapter, the mood of the times is well-expressed. I must admit I was hoping it would be funnier and faster-paced, with less about politics and more about parties, but it was an engaging read.

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Dec 10, 2019 Charles rated it it was amazing

Slow read, long read. Not a criticism. Slow and long is all on me. I am reading 4 series on the interwar years. Maisie Dobbs, Phyrne Fisher, Hanna Vogel and now Rowley Sinclair. Phyrne is set in Melbourne, Rowley in Sydney, Maisie in England, and Hannah in Berlin.

Slow and long because the history of that era that led to WW2 is fascinating. I spent a lot of time looking up the locales, characters, events politics of the era. Ms Gentil expertly wove history and the people into a fascinating myste ...more

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