A Murder Unmentioned
A Murder Unmentioned A Rowland Sinclair Mystery #6 by Sulari Gentill Poisoned Pen Press Historical Fiction , Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 12 Feb 2019
Review
If I could pick only two terms to describe A Murder Unmentioned, they would be intricate and well-researched. Sulari Gentill’s mysteries immerse you in pre WWII Australia - its politics, class struggles and response to the world of the time - a time we can and should learn from. Rowland Sinclair has made enemies amongst the far-right nationalists and others by repeatedly asserting Hitler and fascism is a threat, and by trying to spread the truth about what he saw in Germany. His enemies retaliate by reopening the case of Rowland’s father’s death, and encouraging the police to target Rowland.
In this novel, Rowland and his brother work side by side to demonstrate his innocence, along with Rowland’s steadfast friends and compatriots - but little do they realize, a viper is in the nest with a view to profit from Rowland’s arrest.
A Murder Unmentioned is an excellent historical novel that should be read by anyone who enjoys realistic historical mysteries that also provide a thought provoking reflection of our time.
5 / 5
I received a copy of A Murder Unmentioned from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
— Crittermom
Description
The gun used in Rowland Sinclair's father's death some thirteen years earlier has turned up in a drained dam at the family's country homestead in Yass. And when Rowland offends right-wing New Guard leader Eric Campbell, Campbell uses his influence to set the police to renew their inquiries into Henry Sinclair's death. Henry's friends had all been led to believe that the wealthy landowner had died in a much more respectable way. Rowland and his elder brother, Wil, had avoided any discussion of the event ever since - in fact the whole family had ducked the issue for over a decade, keeping secret that Sinclair senior was murdered. The possible involvement of the teenage Rowly and his older brother's intervention has been under the radar as well. But now the finger of blame is pointing squarely at the Sinclair black sheep, a man careless of what society and the authorities think of him. So he and the trio of artist friends who live in his Sydney suburban mansion, and generally have his back, avail themselves of a racing green Gypsy Moth (Rowland is a pioneer in air travel) and a yellow Mercedes sports car (another frightening mode of transport) to arrive in New South Wales' Southern Tablelands, bent on clearing Rowly's name. With cameo appearances from historical figures - Bob Menzies in the Sinclair kitchen, Edna Walling in the garden, and Kate Leigh grinning lasciviously at Rowly in a jailhouse crowd - and a real sense of fun contrasting with the quite genuine tension, this is historical crime for those in the know and those who can barely remember what happened last weekend, a story of family secrets and fraternal loyalty. Despite the humor, the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries take a deadly serious look at the 1930s, reflecting our own tumultuous times.
