April 10, 2017
Set in Australia in 1933, Gentill’s entertaining third mystery featuring portrait artist Rowland Sinclair (after 2016’s A Decline in Prophets) will appeal to fans of L.B. Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher. Soon after Rowland is recognized for his work with an invitation to contribute a painting to an exhibition at the prestigious Art Gallery of New South Wales, he barely escapes being abducted from his Sydney hotel suite by three thugs, an attempt that may be part of a pattern of kidnappings in the city targeting the affluent. The obvious motive is greed, given Rowland’s family’s financial resources, but he can’t rule out the possibility that he was targeted by a business or political enemy of his influential and powerful older brother, Wilfred. Meanwhile, Rowland learns that a longtime Sinclair employee, Harry Simpson, one of Wilfred’s most trusted men, has disappeared after being asked to look into discrepancies in the records of the family cattle holdings. Gentill matches Greenwood’s skill at blending suspense with a light touch.