A decline in prophets

Format:

Book

Title:

A decline in prophets

Author:

Gentill, Sulari author

ISBN:

9781464206818

9781464206832

Edition:

First North American edition.

Publication:

Scottsdale, AZ : Poisoned Pen Press, 2016.

Physical Description:

324 pages ; 23 cm.

Series title(s):

Rowland Sinclair mystery.

Summary:

In 1932, the RMS Aquitania embodies all that is gracious and refined, in a world gripped by crisis and doubt. Returning home on the luxury liner after months abroad, Rowland Sinclair and his companions dine with a suffragette, a Bishop and a retired World Prophet. The Church encounters less orthodox religion in the Aquitania's chandeliered ballroom, where men of God rub shoulders with mystics in dinner suits. The elegant atmosphere on board is charged with tension, but civility prevails--until people start to die. Then things get a bit awkward. And Rowland finds himself unwittingly in the centre of it all.

Subject(s):

Ocean travel -- Fiction.

Murder -- Fiction.

Australia -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Australia -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction.

Australia

Genre:

Mystery fiction.

Detective and mystery fiction

Fiction

Historical fiction

History

Detective and mystery fiction.

Historical fiction.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	MYSTERY Gentill, S.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Newberg Public Library	MYSTERY GENTILL	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

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

Winner of the Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Fiction for 2012

Travel back in time to 1932 and book a first-class suite on the passenger liner RMS Aquitania, but take care, for among your fellow passengers is a ruthless killer....

Direct threats from Australia's warring Right and the Left having quieted, so wealthy Rowland Sinclair and his group of bohemian friends are their way home to Sydney via New York after a lengthy stay in Europe. The wealthy Sinclair scion has treated his artist friends to first-class accommodations on the Cunard ship, the luxury liner of the day. Also on board are some members of the Theosophical Society (a spiritualism movement), as well as an aggressively conservative Irish Catholic Bishop and his cohorts. Their clash ups the tensions in first class and presents the liner's captain with a tricky situation when bodies start to drop.

It is Sinclair's bad luck that he becomes a suspect in the first death, that of the Bishop's beautiful young niece. But before the ship docks, he is cleared and the investigation, and further crimes, are taken ashore to the Australian capital and into some of its grand country houses--and of course, Rowly and his amateur sleuth friends follow.

Weaving a fascinating crime into a rich historical novel, this next Rowland Sinclair WWII Mystery is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, Kerry Greenwood, and Jacqueline Winspear.

Author Notes

Sulari Gentill is an Australian author, born in Sri Lanka. She first studied Astrophysics at University but has a degree in law and worked for years dealing with corporate contracts. She is the author of A Murder Unmentioned, which made the Davitt Awards 2015 shortlist in the category of Adult Novel. This title also made the Ned Kelly 2015 shortlists in the category of Best Novel. Her 2017 novel, Crossing the Lines, won the 2018 Ned Kelly Award for The Best Crime Novel. Her other work includes the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries, and the Hero Trilogy.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Set in late 1932, Gentill's lively second mystery featuring dashing Australian millionaire Rowland "Rowly" Sinclair (after A Few Right Thinking Men) takes place initially aboard the luxury cruise ship Aquitania, as it steams along toward Sydney. Members of the Theosophical Society, Roman Catholic priests and bishops, Indian mystics, casual Protestants, clairvoyants, and Freemasons mix and mingle as best they can with Rowly and his entourage of poets and artists, or as Rowly's brother refers to them, "unemployed, subversive ne'er-do-wells!" When the honor of Rowly's friend, the decidedly delectable sculptress and model Edna Higgins, is in danger, he steps in to defend her from her unwanted suitor. The latter's subsequent murder has Rowly first cast as a suspect and then slipping into the role of detective. On the ship's arrival in Sydney in time for the Christmas holidays, the murders continue, as do attempts on Rowly's life. The witty and insightful glimpses of the Australian bourgeoisie of this period keep this mystery afloat. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

A wealthy, bohemian Australian artist is forced to become an amateur sleuth. Rowland Sinclair and three of his close friends are on their way home from a protracted trip to Europe just as Hitler is coming to power. The companions at their table on the RMS Aquitania include Annie Besant, World President of the Theosophical movement; Jiddu Krishnamurti, whos just resigned as the movements messiah; and Englishman Orville Urquhart, whos perhaps a bit too attentive to Rowlys friend and beautiful sculptress and model Edna Higgins. Left-leaning poet Milton Isaacs and artist Clyde Watson Jones get along well with their outlandish new acquaintances. Not so militant Bishop Hanrahan, who refuses to dine anywhere near them, and his minders, Father Murphy and Father Bryan, who are traveling with the bishop and his beautiful but apparently shy niece, Isobel. When Urquhart presses unwanted advances upon Edna, Rowly breaks his nose. So the discovery of Urquharts body in a lifeboat, stabbed with Rowlys broken walking stick, makes him the obvious suspect even though the captain believes him innocent. After an interesting visit in New York, where a wealthy artist friend of Rowlys puts them up in the Warwick and Edna dates up-and-coming actor Archibald Leach, they reboard the Aquitania for the trip to Australia. When Isobel makes determined overtures toward Rowly, his artists eye notes that shes pregnant. Things look bleak for Rowly when Isobels pushed overboard in Sydneys harbor, but a friend he made on the police force during his first adventure (A Few Right Thinking Men, 2016) allows him to go home, where his stuffy older brother tries to make him into a proper gentleman. Further complications ensue before Rowly can uncover a determined murderer. A delightful period piece. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.