Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    A Few Right Thinking Men
    Unavailable
    A Few Right Thinking Men
    Unavailable
    A Few Right Thinking Men
    Ebook401 pages6 hours

    A Few Right Thinking Men

    By Sulari Gentill

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Listen to the audiobook instead

    About this ebook

    A fascinating historical mystery by Sulari Gentill, author of #1 LibraryReads pick The Woman in the Library

    Shortlisted for Best First Book for the Commonwealth Writers' Price for 2011

    "Her witty hero will delight traditional mystery buffs." —Library Journal STARRED review

    Can a house divided against itself hope to stand?

    Sydney, 1931. Rowland Sinclair doesn't fit with his family. His conservative older brother, Wilfred, thinks he's reckless, a black sheep; his aging mother thinks he's her son who was killed in the war. Only his namesake Uncle Rowly, a kindred spirit, understands him—and now he's been brutally murdered in his own home.

    The police are literally clueless, and so Rowly takes it upon himself to crack the mystery of the murder. In order to root out the guilty party, he uses his wealth and family influence to infiltrate the upper echelons of both the old and the new guard, playing both against the middle in a desperate and risky attempt to find justice for his uncle. With his bohemian housemates—a poet, a painter, and a free-spirited sculptress—watching his back, Rowly unwittingly exposes a conspiracy that just might be his undoing.

    The first novel in the Rowland Sinclair WII Mysteries introduces readers to an amateur sleuth with wit, heart, and a knack for solving inscrutable crimes. A historical mystery by an award-winning author, this murder mystery will appeal to fans of Rhys Bowen, Kerry Greenwood, and Jacqueline Winspear.  

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateJun 7, 2016
    ISBN9781464206382
    Author

    Sulari Gentill

    Sulari Gentill is the award-winning author of The Rowland Sinclair Mystery series, historical crime fiction novels set in the 1930s. She won the 2012 Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Fiction and has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. After setting out to study astrophysics, graduating in law, and then abandoning her legal career to write books, she now grows French black truffles on her farm in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales.

    Read more from Sulari Gentill

    Related to A Few Right Thinking Men

    Related ebooks

    Historical Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Richard Babcock

      Nov 7, 2020

      Richard Babcock
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Old Un’s Notes

      Oct 20, 2021

      The Old Un’s Notes
      6 min read

    • Article

      Hello, Grim Reaper

      Dec 15, 2021

      She was a babe. A fully paid-up, card-carrying babe. There was absolutely no doubt about it, and she was heading straight for me. She was almost sprinting towards me across the recently reimagined lobby of Claridge’s. She looked up, her scarlet-anoin

      3 min read

    • Article

      10 Literary Diss Tracks

      Apr 9, 2018

      10 Literary Diss Tracks
      11 min read

    • Article

      Hankering After Ghosts

      Dec 1, 2022

      It’s been 10 years since the publication of my book A Natural History of Ghosts (see FT296:42-45). I probably should have written more in it about the writer Charles Dickens. The truth is I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Dickens. I rea

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Best Recent Thrillers – Review Roundup

      Nov 2, 2021

      Macmillan, £20, pp512 I didn’t expect, when picking up Hillary Rodham Clinton’s debut, State of Terror, for it to be the sort of thriller that I’d simultaneously want to read slowly, soaking in the delicious details of how high-level politicians real

      3 min read

    • Article

      Roger Lewis

      Sep 21, 2022

      Jonathan Cape £20 I don’t like novels – never have. There’s quite enough going on in the real world without making more stuff up. Ian McEwan tries to get around the stricture by putting real stuff in. Shuffled together in his new big book, therefore,

      3 min read

    • Article

      True Grit

      Oct 24, 2018

      True Grit
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Clues To ROMANCE

      May 4, 2021

      The Clues To ROMANCE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Jun 21, 2023

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Allende, Smith, Eisenberg, Cummins, Chayka, and More

      Jan 21, 2020

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from the likes of Isabel Allende, Danez Smith, Emma Copley Eisenberg, Jeanine Cummins, Kyle Chayka, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read ou

      5 min read

    • Article

      Dear Inga, Love Jack

      Jun 30, 2020

      Dear Inga, Love Jack
      20 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Apr 8, 2024

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      80 Who Killed Claude Kendall? The Mystery Murder Of Charles Fort’s Publisher

      Dec 3, 2020

      Millions of Americans celebrated Thanksgiving in the comfort of their homes on 25 November 1937, but for one man fate reserved a different outcome. That same night, in a room on the eighth floor of a New York hotel, Claude Kendall was brutally beaten

      7 min read

    • Article

      THE Reading room

      Nov 27, 2019

      THE Reading room
      7 min read

    • Article

      Bless You Father

      Jul 7, 2022

      Bless You Father
      10 min read

    • Article

      Bless You Father

      Jul 7, 2022

      Bless You Father
      10 min read

    • Article

      Quotients

      May 7, 2020

      Quotients
      8 min read

    • Article

      New Zealand Books

      Jul 14, 2019

      It’s astonishing to realise on finishing this book that Marilyn Waring had been in Parliament for nine years when she retired at the age of 32. And that she developed and maintained a powerful influence on national politics in that time – and afterwa

      4 min read

    Reviews for A Few Right Thinking Men

    3.5/5

    59 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN introduces Rowland Sinclair to fans of Australian historical crime fiction. Set in 1930's Sydney and Yass, A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN takes a reader into a world where the affects of the Great Depression are being felt, and the tension between the Proto-Fascists and Communists in Australian society veers dangerously close to civil war.Not that the central character of this novel, Rowland Sinclair, is feeling any of the Depression affects. He is the youngest son of an extremely wealthy, influential farming family. His oldest brother runs the farm on a day to day basis, the middle brother was killed in the First World War. A painter, he lives in the family mansion in Sydney, along with a selection of his closest artist friends. Under his patronage, although it's really more friendship and generosity, they lead a life of luxury, privilege and ease. That doesn't stop them mixing with Communist elements - committed or fringe-dwellers.When Rowland's uncle (of the same name) is bashed in his home and dies, Rowland returns to the family homestead for the funeral and a visit over Christmas with his mother, brother and sister-in-law. He finds his mother more and more mentally disturbed by the loss of her middle son, and his brother deeply involved with the New Guard. The New Guard was a mostly NSW, Sydney-centric proto-fascist movement committed to fighting the perceived "Communist threat". The Old Guard boasted a similar philosophy but were altogether more shadowy and militant. Both these movements were convinced that armed rebellion against the communists was required, and New Guard actively campaigned the overthrow of the then NSW Premier Jack Lang. For those interested in these things, the man who cut the ribbon at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge before the Premier could, Captain Francis de Groot, was a member of the New Guard... but I digress.A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN is set in a very short period of Australian history when open rebellion was discussed and enmity and mistrust held very close to hearts. The battles between the Old and New Guard, the Communists, and sympathisers from all sides are covered within the context of this book, which has, at the heart of it a fairly simple murder plot. Even though Rowland Sinclair, the elder, is bashed to death, the death is mostly handled delicately and there's very little dwelling on the events and/or details. Where this book is very strong is in the clarity of the events that it describes, the way that the characters of Rowland and his friends are seamlessly woven into a true history, and the manner in which this period in Australia is described.Not that this is a heavy, hard-work historical novel. The characters are wonderfully drawn. Rowland and friends are eccentric, but not overly so, they fit within that period of history well. The members of the New and Old Guard's are nicely shadowy, dedicated to the cause, slightly mad in their own right, but not cartoonish or overdone. There are light touches of humour, and there are some sad moments - the loss of Rowland the elder, the descent of Rowland's mother into complete madness are deftly drawn. A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN would be a good book for readers who like their murder and mayhem more on the incidental side. It's not that hard to pick the why very early on, and the who narrows down as events progress. But the murder doesn't read as the point of this book. It's the overall environment, and that short, sharp, mad period of Australian history, which is really very well handled.
    • 3/5
      A cute mystery novel set in 1930s Sydney. I enjoy recognising the events and places of my home town. Will have to investigate some more of what happened back then, as it has left me very intrigued. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series
    • 4/5
      I must admit that even though my brother has lived in Australia for many many years I know very little of Australian history and politics. Sulari Gentill has based her novel on historical facts and events and she´s written an interesting foreword about how she came to write the novel.The main character is Rowland Sinclair, a wealthy artist (painter) leading a slightly bohemian life in Sydney during the Great Depression in the 1930s together with his artist- and leftwing friends. His brother and head of the family leads a totally different life, conservative and old-fashioned.The murder of their uncle and the rather poorly policework, lead Rowland Sinclair to investigate the case. He soon finds himself right in the middle of the conflict between the fascist movement and the left wing people. Can the murder have a political cause ? Is his brother somehow involved?I really liked the novel. Sulari Gentill has managed to picture the way of life and the atmosphere of the 1930s. There is an interesting conflict between the brothers´ differences and not only Rowland Sinclair but all the characters are well defined and credible. Rowland Sinclair is also a very charming and likeable man whom I very much would like to meet again.Unfortunately the novel is (not yet) not for sale in Europe. But I will try and get a copy of the sequel "A Decline in Prophets".
    • 4/5
      Author Sulari Gentill is absolutely brilliant at setting the stage for her first Rowland Sinclair mystery. Her historical and societal contexts bring this era in Australia to life-- and also shows eery similarities to the world today. She also establishes a stellar cast with Rowland, his brother Wilfred, sister-in-law Kate, and his friends Edna, Milt, and Clyde. The only drawback to A Few Right Thinking Men is that Gentill concentrates so much on setting her stage that the mystery felt almost non-existent. It took a long time for Rowland to really get moving on his investigation into his uncle's death and the conclusion of it occurred behind the curtains, which always annoys me. Be that as it may, I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. With a slight touch of Lord Peter Wimsey in his Harriet Vane days, this is a series that should easily appeal to fellow fans of Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs and Kerry Greenwood's Miss Phryne Fisher.
    • 4/5
      It is the early 1930’s and Australia, like the rest of the world, is in the grip of the Depression. As often happens in such times the political scene has become tense with a newly emerging socialism at odds with the established conservatism. Striding both worlds is Rowland ‘Rowly’ Sinclair, the youngest son of a wealthy landowning family he knows great privilege but he chooses to mix with, even share his house with, artists, left wing types and even members of the Communist Party. When his uncle is savagely beaten and killed the Police seem alarmingly disinterested in finding the culprit so Rowly and his friends embark on their own investigation.

      This was a delightful book to read. I’ll admit right up front that the mystery component was a bit on the light side but because it played out against a fascinating and well-drawn backdrop of social and political events it kept my attention from the outset. Australia is not noted for its political unrest but Gentill has done a tremendous job of taking just enough real people and events from one of the few genuinely tense times in our political history and surrounding them with interesting fictional characters and intriguing situations. Rowly and his friends, some of whom are members of the Communist Party which is rising in popularity among the working class, find themselves up against the New Guard, a right-wing group that rose up (albeit briefly) in response to the perceived threat of the spread of Communism and the slightly more real threat from the brand of socialism expounded by the local Premier at the time, Jack Lang. The increasingly bizarre plots to ‘save’ the country are credibly depicted and do indeed demonstrate how easy it is for people who believe a little too fervently to move from doing good works to dangerous ones in the blink of an eye.

      The characters too are nicely drawn. There was potential for them all to be a bit stereotyped and one-dimensional but they’re all nicely rounded out. Rowly is an accomplished artist, secretly in love with one of his house guests but she is pursuing her own artistic dreams. While he wants to be his own man he still does have respect for his family name and though he argues with his older brother Wilfred, now head of the family, he doesn’t deliberately set out to upset him. And though Rowly and his friends lived a life of luxury amidst the harshness of the Depression their lives aren’t without sadness, such as having to deal with the fact that Rowly’s mother believes him to be his other brother who died in the war and she constantly refers to him by his dead brother’s name and only ever talks to him about events from his brother’s life rather than his own.

      The book is rounded out by a gentle humour and some imaginative interpretations of what might have happened behind the scenes at some well known moments in our history. I was easily and quickly lost in the story and keen to find out how it would all unfold. I read the whole thing in a couple of sittings and would recommend it to those who don’t mind their mysteries taking a back seat to great settings, interesting historical details and warm, lively characters. It’s a delicious treat of a book (3.5)
    • 2/5
      It just didn't hook me.
      I like Poison Pen Press, the Australian mysteries, even the era.....

      Maybe I'll give another try another day.
    • 5/5
      As the 21st century rolls on, and events that made us in the 19th and 20th get further away, Australians are in desperate need of good story tellers whose fictions are firmly embedded in an authentically drawn past. Last year Geoff McGeachin did it for me with THE DIGGERS REST HOTEL set in an Australia recovering from World War II, and now comes Sulari Gentill's series featuring artist and gentleman Rowland Sinclair, set in the period leading up to that war.A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN is #1 in the series, and now there are two more for me to track down, A DECLINE IN PROPHETS, and MILES OFF COURSE.Gentill does a wonderful job of embedding her fictional protagonist Rowland Sinclair into authentic historical detail: Australia in the Great Depression; the Premier of New South Wales seeking to distract the people by building a great bridge across Sydney Harbour; and widely disparate political groups who want to roll time back to the 19th century, or to adopt Communism, or to install Fascism.Coming from a wealthy landed family Rowly Sinclair is caught in a cleft stick between the old values and his friends who have joined the Reds. And then his uncle Rowland Sinclair is murdered and Rowly's quest to find the culprits takes him into the third group.This was an excellent read: well constructed plot, vividly drawn characters, and reminders of the historical events that occupied Australia's "premier state" in the early 1930s.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Australia, historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, mystery I was delighted to get the first in the Rowland Sinclair series as I have enjoyed several of the later books very much! I always thought that Rowley and Phryne Fisher could be fast friends and co-conspirators and this book does nothing to change that. The Australian sociopolitical scene seems to have been rather different from that in America but I had no understanding of that until I started broadening my horizons with mystery fiction from other countries from authors who research their subject matter very well and are able to communicate it clearly with the reader. The publisher's blurb gives a fairly good intro, and I leave plot summaries to others, but the characters are excellent!Definitely a very good read!I requested and received a free ebook copy from Pantera Press via NetGalley. Thank you!