I really enjoyed this book featuring Rowland Sinclair, his good friends, his brother and his family, and a cousin who is hanging around. There is a mystery when a gun is found after a dam is cleared, and suspicion is cast on Rowland. His friends work tirelessly to get him out of trouble, with one of them actually assaulting a police officer to get thrown in prison with him. Also someone shoots at Rowland but shoots his dog, Lenin, instead. Thankfully, the dog survives. Great characters, great story, really fun mystery/thriller.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. You can find a link to my Goodreads Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3464198612

5★
“Lucy’s behaviour did, in fact, reassure him on this account. She was as cheerfully vacuous as ever. She asked about his time abroad, enquiring after fashions and acquaintances she’d made during her own season in London, and extolling over Kate Sinclair’s presentation at court. Of course, nobody mentioned the murders. They were, after all, at dinner.”

Murders, plural. Not the murder of the title, but murders that took place in Europe before Rowland and his friends escaped (just) home to Australia. Hoping for relative peace and quiet, Rowly, as he’s affectionately known, is visiting his brother on the family property, ‘Oaklea’, near Yass, about 60km (40 miles) from Canberra, the national capitol.

Rowland is a Sinclair, third son of an influential, wealthy grazier and a bit of a black sheep, because he’s a portrait painter, not interested in livestock or life on the land. He has the family mansion ‘Woodlands’ in Sydney which he shares with his artist friends, much to the dismay of the housekeeper and his brother, who manages ‘Oaklea’.

This instalment is about family, not politics, and I found it compulsive reading. I’ve become invested in these people, as if I know them, and I worry about them, and I want them to live happily ever after. Okay, they can have escapades and close calls, but as I learned how dark some of the Sinclair history is, I got nervous.

Rowly’s brother Wil, is conservative and always suspicious of his younger brother’s “Communist”, lower class friends. One of Rowly’s best pals, Clyde Watson-Jones, is a landscape painter and a thoroughly decent bloke, but he’s from a poor Catholic farming family. No silver spoons or fancy schools in his background.

The other two who make up this formidable foursome, are “Milton”, a bohemian, Jewish, Communist poet, and Edna, the svelte, gorgeous sculptress whom Rowly adores (as do most men who meet her) but who tries to keep it in check. (Sculptress is the feminine term by which “Ed” is known – it is the 1930s, after all.)

Ed and Milton were pals since early childhood. She’s the sister they all want to protect, who worries about them and mothers them, and the free spirit nobody seems able to capture. And she gets away with all sorts of things.

“Convinced that male attire was more comfortable to work and sleep in, Edna had been blatantly helping herself to the clothing of the men she lived with since she’d moved into ‘Woodlands’. Milton complained bitterly that it took three washes to get her perfume out of his shirts.”

All of the Rowland Sinclair mysteries are built around these four characters, and I’ve enjoyed every one. Every character, every story. I think this is my favourite so far. Most of it takes place on the family property where the famous (in Australia anyway) garden expert Edna Walling is designing a new garden landscape near the homestead. I remember her as a bit of a character from my youth, but she was a knowledgeable conservationist, interested in Australian native plants, and probably ahead of her time.

This book isn’t as political as the previous ones, but then-political-hopeful (now former Prime Minister and a Sir) Robert Menzies, makes a showing as someone brother Wil meets with. He plays a short but crucial role. Wil Sinclair is a man with the highest connections.

We also “visit” Long Bay Penitentiary, when Rowly and Milton . . . but, I’ll say no more. Things look dire, there’s still a gallows at Long Bay when this takes place, and I got pretty worried. So did Edna, who sneaked into Rowly’s room beforehand.

“Edna wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Rowland handed her a handkerchief. She stared at it blankly for a while, and then she laughed through her tears.

‘Oh, Rowly. You carry a monogrammed handkerchief in your pyjamas…how would you possibly cope in prison?’

‘I don’t expect I’ll encounter quite so many weeping women there.’”

His beloved yellow Mercedes gets a workout, as does his biplane, the ‘Rule Britannia’, aka ‘Doris’,, although both get bogged at inconvenient moments.

Wil’s young family and another Sinclair cousin feature strongly, and all in all, it’s a very satisfying addition to the series. I enjoyed getting to know more background, and it was nice being out of the clutches of the Nazis, at least for now. I don’t know what’s coming next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to review as they introduce the next adventure. Sulari Gentill is terrific! This is such a wonderful way to absorb a little history.

Rowland Becomes Embroiled In Historic Mystery.....
Book six in the Rowland Sinclair mystery series - Australia, 1930's set. Rowland becomes embroiled in an historic mystery when past secrets emerge. Entertaining, well written mystery with an engrossing plot and an engaging protagonist in Rowland. A worthy addition to the series.

I really liked this book. It seemed to have the right blend of colorful characters and interesting action. Rowland Sinclair is the main character as an entitled gentleman who is the black sheep of the family. His friends are a mix of artists and writers who have different idealogical leanings than the local establishment, therefore there are minor conflicts over lifestyle and money. Rowland has all the money one could ever want and his friends have little to none and are his houseguests in one of the family homes. The murder of Rowland’s father is the basis of the story, even though it happened in the past when Rowland was in his teens. His crazy band of friends get together to solve the crime after the gun used for the murder is uncovered in a damn drained for alternate reasons. The story winds around the remembrance of the murder and present political conflicts with friends and family. I will read more of this author.

Family wounds are opened and secrets revealed in this Sinclair mystery - with, perhaps, just one too many plots for my taste (there are like 5 endings here in a real Return of the King movie-ish way). As usual Ms. Gentill's writing is strong and she has a real feel for her characters; the novel moves along at a clip. A recommend, but be sure to visit the earlier Sinclair novels as I think a new reader could get a bit lost.

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

In this novel Rowland Sinclair and his friends are not traveling the world. In fact, the entire plot is focused on Rowly and his immediate family. During a vast gardening project on the family estate where Rowly’s elder brother Wilfred and his family live, the gun that killed their father 13 years earlier is discovered . Originally, the murderer of Henry Sinclair was presumed to be a burglar since some valuable silver went missing. But when the silver is found with the murder weapon, the police decide to reopen the cold case. Thanks to some anonymous calls that point the police to witnesses not interviewed in the initial investigation, it becomes apparent that an inhabitant of Oaklea is the most likely suspect and Rowly, fifteen at the time of his father’s death, had the best motive for wanting his father dead.

While Rowly and Wilfred try to clear up the mess, another murder occurs which only seems to strengthen the case against Rowly. In addition, someone tries to shoot Rowly and injures his dog instead. Even Rowly’s personal life is in turmoil. He can’t seem to convince Lucy Bennett, his sister-in-law’s best friend, that he is not in love with her. His mother is even more delusional than usual. And Arthur Sinclair, his disinherited first cousin, seems intent on insinuating himself in the family circle and the family businesses.

This, in my opinion, is the strongest novel in the Sinclair canon. Not only is the mystery outstanding, but the characters are really fleshed out. Rowly’s painful childhood is revealed in all of its horror and the strained relationship between Rowly and Wilfred is explained very satisfactorily.

Highly recommended.

This book is the sixth installment in the Rowland Sinclair and I'm ever so curious now to go back and read the series from the beginning. I don't often get a chance to read and Australian author and I am very impressed by Ms. Gentill. In this story, Rowly and his friends have returned to Australia from Europe. Rowly soon finds out that the gun that killed his father 13 years earlier has been discovered on the family property and he's the police's prime suspect. Rowly's friends are determined to find the real killer and what unfolds is a complex conspiracy to bring down the Sinclair brothers and see Rowly in prison.

I was delighted by the characterizations of Rowly and his friends and family. From his aging mother to his young nephew they all have distinctive personalities and add color to the story. This story also has an airplane, the single-engine kind that my dad used to fly when I was a kid, which I found irresistable. In fact, it was the airplane on the cover that got me interested in the book in the first place. There are some wonderful descriptions of the landscape as seen from the air and some less than perfect landings. The family drama here is as intriguing as the mystery. Bottom line, while this is not a thriller, I really enjoyed everything about it and would highly recommend it.

A Murder Unmentioned is the sixth book in the Rowland Sinclair series and the third I have read. The unmentioned murder is from the past. Rowland was fifteen when his father died and he was sent to England. We now learn his father was murdered and suddenly Rowland is the prime suspect. The other suspect is his brother, Wilfred. Complicating matters, there is another murder and clearly some secret maneuvering in the background.

The Rowland Sinclair series is a historical mystery series that takes place in Australia during the years fascism was growing in Europe and around the world. Fascist politicians were building power in England and Australia as well and anti-fascist activism by labor and the left were critical to turning those countries away from the abyss. Sinclair is one of those who fought fascism, at considerable risk. Genti;l mixes fiction and fact seamlessly with great effect.


A Murder Unmentioned is the third book in this series I’ve read and my favorite. I was engrossed in the events, perhaps because the mystery was so much more individual, not part of some larger movement or conspiracy. The mystery in the past was fair and I began to suspect the solution, not too soon, but soon enough I was not surprised by the revelation. That’s the way it should be. In the other books in the series, I faithfully read the bits of real news and fictional news snippets that open the chapters. This time I skipped them. I think that may be the reason I found this book so much more enjoyable.

I received an e-galley A Murder Unmentioned from the publisher through NetGalley.

A Murder Unmentioned at Poisoned Pen Press
Sulari Gentill author site
A Decline in Prophets by Sulari Gentill
Paving the New Road by Sulari Gentill

★★★★

‘Who murdered Henry Sinclair?

In 1920, Henry Sinclair died at the Sinclair family’s country estate, Oaklea, near Yass in New South Wales. The fact that he was murdered was not something that the Sinclair family discussed. But in 1933, when Edna Walling is brought in to work on the gardens at Oaklea, the draining of a dam leads to the discovery of the gun used in Henry Sinclair’s murder. The Sinclair family can no longer avoid the issue. But who murdered Henry Sinclair? Were either of the Sinclair brothers: Wilfred (Wilf) or Rowland (Rowly) involved?

‘What can you tell us about the evening your father, the late Henry Sinclair, was murdered, Mr Sinclair?’

Given the time that has elapsed, will the police be interested in renewing their inquiries? Alas, Rowly has managed to offend Colonel Eric Campbell, the leader of the right-wing New Guard and he uses his influence to ensure that the police renew their inquiries into Henry Sinclair’s death.

Rowly and his trio of friends head to Yass (by aeroplane and car) to try to clear Rowly’s name. Of course, nothing is ever straightforward for Rowly Sinclair. He’s being pursued by a woman who wants to marry him, his mother thinks that he is his older (deceased) brother and his cousin Arthur (a solicitor) is being very helpful. And then there’s another murder!

This is the sixth novel in Ms Gentill’s marvellous Rowland Sinclair series. Ms Gentill draws on the history of the period, and we see appearances by Robert Menzies and Kate Leigh as well as Edna Walling and Eric Campbell. I enjoyed learning more of the Sinclair backstory in this novel. While I’ve read the three novels published after this one, I’ve not yet read all the earlier novels. But I will. The characters intrigue me and the setting is perfect.

Highly recommended.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I've read two entries in this series now, and I've really enjoyed them both. Rowland Sinclair and his group of artsy, Communist friends are such fun to read about.

Thirteen years ago in 1920 Henry Sinclair was killed, now accusations have been made that Rowland Sinclair killed his father. Old secrets are revealed but will they help to prove his innocence or not. Then another murder is discovered and the noose is tightened around Rowland.
An enjoyable and interesting mystery revealing more of the history of the Sinclair family.

Having finished the book in record time, I am so sad that I could not get to all the books by this author. I just missed out one by a couple of days as it is archived, but I did get one at least.

Rowland Sinclair is an odd bird for the upper classes. He is more democratic, has communist ideals, does not fit in with the hounds and huntin groups, does not conform to finding a deb and a suitable bride and seems to have an eclectic bunch of friends. He is also financially independent, artistic (paintings not considered exhibition worthy because of their content!) but is a happy man.

His father's death several years ago was always under suspicion. He was found shot one evening when Rowland was just a teenager and Wilfred the elder a few years older. Now the case is being resurrected, and a series of happenings show that there is a sinister hand afoot, giving out information which was private and within the family. A series of accidents involving Rowland, Wilfred's children is too much to be a coincidence and the whole family is on guard.

Set in Australia on sweeping farms, with tones of more Downton Abbey than rural Australia this was descriptive and very good reading. The characterization of all was varied and added to the interest in the story. The uncovering of the villain in the piece was done step by step and the general telling of a simple mystery murder/s was very well handled.

I enjoyed my introduction to this author and will be looking out for more books.

Sulari Gentill gives us the sixth Rowland Sinclair mystery in A Murder Unmentioned. Rowland is back in Australia and on good terms with brother Wilfred when the unexplained murder of their father surfaces; the police suspect Rowland, but his brother is also under suspicion. Another murder happens and Rowland is arrested. There is family intrigue against the brothers due to the huge inheritance from their grazier father. Readers learn a lot about Rowland's family history and Australian politics in the 1930's. Read the mysteries in sequence for the best view of this novel or read it alone for the Australian noir.

I have read this book and all the previous books in the series with absolute the greatest pleasure. They are not your ordinary cozy mystery series since Sulari Gentill picks up on a piece of Australian pre-WWII history and puts a spotlight on it. Whether it is the fascist movement or Theosophists to kidnapping threat... you can find it all. Well told, brilliantly structured, wonderful character development across the series and just a joy to read. Highly, highly recommend.

"A Murder Unmentioned" is another great addition to the Rowland Sinclair series. Rowland and his brother, Wil, are haunted by the ghost from the past in this installment. Their father was murdered thirteen years ago and his death is still an unsolved mystery. When the weapon that killed their father has been unearthed, the brothers are the prime suspects in the eyes of the authority. Another murder case that Rowland entangled himself in, fire, kidnapping and so forth, what's going on? Are the two murder cases related? A political scheme against Wil? Rowland and his bohemian friends decided to take the matters into their hands to solve the puzzles themselves. Yet, the murder of Rowland's father has to be unmentioned. Why?

This installment has less political or historical elements than other titles in the series. Instead, readers get to learn more about the relationship between the members of the Sinclair family. Solid writing with an interesting plot though the mystery is relatively weak in "A Murder Unmentioned,", but the story is enjoyable through and through. Sulari Gentil never ceased to capture my attention in her Rowland Sinclair series. No doubt she does great research on the tiniest details on random historical tidbits. The excerpts of the articles or newspaper clips at the beginning of each chapters are always fun to read.

A soild 4-star rating.

Great story! Gets better each time I read it. Wonderful characters. Took me a while to get into this series, but now I'm "hooked"! Looking forward to the next in the series.

"A Murder Unmentioned" is a mystery set in Dec. 1933 in Australia. This is the sixth novel in a series. You don't have to read the previous books in order to follow this one.

The main characters were interesting, caring people. Rowly was even more hot tempered than usual, ready to punch people for any insult. It was a clue-based mystery. I caught on to who the anonymous informant was long before Rowly and Wil, but it was realistic that they didn't suspect that person until strong evidence pointed in that direction. Rowly had to save people's lives at several points in the story, which added suspense. Interesting historical details were woven into the the story.

There was a fair amount of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy of A Murder Unmentioned, the sixth novel to feature artist Rowland Sinclair in 1934 Sydney.

When a gun is found in a drained dam near the family property in Yass, NSW the police start an investigation as they believe that it is the gun that killed Rowly and Wil’s father 13 years ago. Not that they are investigating too hard as they have a prime suspect in Rowly.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Murder Unmentioned which is a fun read with a genuine mystery attached. It is a much more intimate novel than the others in the series, concentrating as it does on Rowly’s past and his relationship with his brother, Wil. I found it quite moving in parts when I wasn’t smiling at the antics of Rowly’s friends and series regulars, Milt, Clyde and Ed. The main theme of the novel is the ties that bind. Milt, Clyde and Ed do not hesitate to support Rowly in his time of need and series readers will be used to this but the bond between Rowly and Wil is a revelation and wonderful to read. Wil is a conservative businessman who never holds back in his disapproval of Rowly’s lifestyle and friends. He has always seemed a distant, authoritarian character when in fact he loves Rowly deeply and has done a lot for him secretly over the years. Equally Rowly would do almost anything to help Wil. I found the novel heartwarming.

The mystery at the heart of the novel is just that. Because Rowly and Wil have never talked about the murder of their father they both assumed the other did it. So if not them, who? Ms Gentill has a decent cast of suspects and motives but I couldn’t work it out before the reveal. If that wasn’t enough to keep me busy there are a variety of subplots and twists to contend with. I was gripped from start to finish.

A Murder Unmentioned is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

A Murder Unmentioned is the newest novel in the Rowland Sinclair series that is published by the Poisoned Pen Press, a great source for mystery novels.

The cover reflects the period of the novel. It shows some characters in the book including Rowly's dog, Lenin and his aircraft Rule Britannia. Rowly and one of his friends are inside. As you read the book, this beautiful illustration, is worth going back to for references from the story.

For those who don't know, this series takes place prior to WWII when Hitler is in the ascendant and Rowly would like to do all he can to show the world the disaster that is coming. This is always a part of the novels. As has been true in other books in the series, some real life characters make an appearance; in this one thet include politician Bob Menzies and garden designer Edna Walling.

The delight of these novels lies in spending time with Rowly and his friends. There is the unconventional artist Edna, the poet Milton and another artist friend. They have communist leanings and are definitely anti-Fascist.

Other prominent characters are Rowly's conservative brother, Wil, his wife Kate and their two young sons. Master Ernest is featured in this one as a pivotal character. At only age six, he seems destined to follow in his uncle's footsteps.

In this novel, the reader learns a lot about Rowly's early life and his relationship with his sadistic father. You will feel for the young Rowly. This part of the book was not easy reading.

When the novel opens, Rowly's father has been dead for thirteen years. The murderer was not found and the central mystery of this one is finding who killed him.

This is a good entry in a good series. Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this chance to read the e-galley. The opinions are my own.