This was quite the introduction to an interesting character - Rowland Sinclair. He's about what you'd expect from a wealthy young man in the 1930s. I enjoyed the setting being in Australia, a time and place I'm not very familiar with. A lot of the political things went over my head - I don't have the historical knowledge to completely frame it, but I wouldn't say that really detracted much from my enjoyment (even though they're a major part of the story). It was interesting to see the clashes between the political parties, and how Sinclair navigates it all. I thought Gentill did a great job of bringing the characters and setting to life. I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series. ( )

DNF - life is too short

1931 New South Wales and it has been reported that Rowland Sinclair has been killed. But it's the uncle that has died and the nephew Rowland Sinclair decides that the police are not doing anything to find the guilty party so he and his friends start to investigate.
Having read Books Two and Three I was interested in reading this, the first in the series, unfortunately there was too much 1930 Australian politics, not enough of a mystery, and Sinclair's friends were not that likeable. I did manage to finished the book though - but only just.
A NetGalley Book
( )

Rowland Sinclair and his friends are good people. Well developed characters and excellent writing kept me going.

But... I don't care for politics in general; here in the US its become dangerous, divisive and delusional. Seems the politics of 1920's and 1930's Australia was not in a good place either. And if the series remains focused on politics, I will not continue reading it.

A Few Right Thinking Men - Gentill
4 stars

I’ve been trying out the first books of several historical mystery series this month. This book successfully interested me in reading more of the series. (As most of the others did not.) Set in Sydney, Australia in 1930, it was full of interesting characters in a politically interesting time.

The amature detective, Rowland Sinclaire is an accomplished artist, the third son of a wealthy, conservative family. The eldest son died in WW1. The second son, now head of the family, carries the scars of his war service. There is an estrangement between the brothers; a huge difference in lifestyle and political beliefs. But, family is family and when their uncle, also called Rowland Sinclare, is killed, something must be done.

There are multiple complications involved with the solution to this mystery. The sympathies of the most likable protagonists, Rowland and his artistic cohorts, lean to the left with at least one active communist in the bunch. The clearly defined bad guys are from the far right, a burgeoning fascist movement.

I was not at all surprised about the revelation of why Uncle Rowland was murdered. That was fairly obvious from the beginning. The resolution was less than satisfying, but it did reflect the power structure of the times. It also leaves an opening for ongoing conflict in later books. I’d also like to follow the lives of these characters. They’re complicated. There’s even a tiny bit of romantic tension between Rowly and Ed(na), a fellow artist and his favorite model. ( )