The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
novel_nomad's review against another edition
4.0
Another addition to the Roland Sinclair mysteries and I loved how well this combined a murder mystery and spy drama but maintained the compassion and sincerity of the four friends.
oanh_1's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this. May have enjoyed it most of the series thus far!
wendycherie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
pinktink415's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
gawronma's review against another edition
4.0
This series keeps getting better and better. This book was exciting and thought provking especially given what is currently happening today.
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
I must admit to knowing little or nothing about Australian politics, but I know a good thriller when I read one. Rowland Sinclair and his group of friends have been sent into the very heart of Nazi Germany to put a stop to an Australian politician's nascent friendship with Adolf Hitler. While there, Rowland want to discover who murdered the last guy sent on the same errand. Along the way he meets lots of historical figures caught up in the same pre-war frenzy. Famous names aside, the real thrill was in seeing whether they would all escape Germany alive. A real page-turner.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions, however, remain my own.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions, however, remain my own.
thebotanist's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
missjenniferlowe's review against another edition
3.0
I have immensely enjoyed the Rowland Sinclair series by Sulari Gentill, a historical mystery series set in Australia in the 1930’s. For American readers, the obvious comparison is to the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood, as we don’t really see any other similar series over here. This series is set a bit later, so the Great Depression (which was a world-wide phenomenon) has set in a bit more deeply. Politics move to the forefront in the Rowland Sinclair books and the tone is a bit more serious. Don’t get me wrong – these are excellent mysteries. I just don’t want anyone to go in expecting a male Phryne Fisher. (While we are on the subject of Phryne Fisher, I would like to make a plug for reading the books. The TV show is thoroughly enjoyable and has little to do with the books at all. Miss Fisher in the books is rather younger and much more of a badass than on the TV show. I should also note that there is kind of a lot of sex in the books and it is not exactly left to the imagination. )
Paving the New Road, the fourth entry in the Rowland Sinclair series, has been difficult for me to review. I thought the character development was good and in good time – the first few books in the series were setting things up and now we are finally doing something with that advancement. These are characters I enjoy spending time with, as well, which is an important quality in a series.
My main problem was with the encounters with real historical figures in the book. There were far too many of them to maintain credulity and these encounters often tended toward the silly. I found it all very distracting and it took me right out of the mystery. I am hoping that this was a one-off and will continue with the next installment of the series, whenever that is made available in the states.
Despite my issues with this book, if historical mysteries are in your wheelhouse, I urge you to give these a try.
Paving the New Road, the fourth entry in the Rowland Sinclair series, has been difficult for me to review. I thought the character development was good and in good time – the first few books in the series were setting things up and now we are finally doing something with that advancement. These are characters I enjoy spending time with, as well, which is an important quality in a series.
My main problem was with the encounters with real historical figures in the book. There were far too many of them to maintain credulity and these encounters often tended toward the silly. I found it all very distracting and it took me right out of the mystery. I am hoping that this was a one-off and will continue with the next installment of the series, whenever that is made available in the states.
Despite my issues with this book, if historical mysteries are in your wheelhouse, I urge you to give these a try.
thebookmuse's review
5.0
I have posted a longer review on my blog.
I am enthralled by Rowland Sinclair and his friends. Paving the New Road hurtles him even more towards having political opinions as he enters Nazi Germany and makes his attempt to stop the spread of Nazism to Australia in 1933, 5 years before the Anschluss and Kristallnacht, and six years before the beginning of World War Two - I am curious to see how Sulari will handle these events or if she does, in later books and their impact on Rowly's world.
Paving the New Road, like the previous three books, brings Rowly into contact with historical figures in a believable and unique way. Their interactions make the book, especially his encounters with the SA and Nancy Wake in Munich. It was an intriguing read, one that kept me turning the pages and not wanting to put it down until I had uncovered what was going on and knew Rowly's fate when he was caught in one of his dangerous situations. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
I am enthralled by Rowland Sinclair and his friends. Paving the New Road hurtles him even more towards having political opinions as he enters Nazi Germany and makes his attempt to stop the spread of Nazism to Australia in 1933, 5 years before the Anschluss and Kristallnacht, and six years before the beginning of World War Two - I am curious to see how Sulari will handle these events or if she does, in later books and their impact on Rowly's world.
Paving the New Road, like the previous three books, brings Rowly into contact with historical figures in a believable and unique way. Their interactions make the book, especially his encounters with the SA and Nancy Wake in Munich. It was an intriguing read, one that kept me turning the pages and not wanting to put it down until I had uncovered what was going on and knew Rowly's fate when he was caught in one of his dangerous situations. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series.
archytas's review against another edition
4.0
Such a wildly improbable tale shouldn't be this charming, but somehow Gentill makes you not care about how many coincidences she manages to cram into Rowland and friends trip (flown by Charles Kingsford Smith via Singapore where Somerset Maugham looks after them) to Munich. Nancy Wake, Eva Braun, Egon Kisch, Albert Goring, Unity Mitford, Juan Miro, Hans Beimler and more circle around our intrepid fictional heroes as they blunder their way through a spy mission with far more luck than skill. It really shouldn't be as fun as it is.
It is worth noting that "fun" is a tricky tone for a book about the Reich, especially as we enter days when many openly adhere to fascism. Sulari manages this balance, including the growing disquiet of Sinclair's less privileged friends with their own safety, as well as the evidence of anti-Semitic violence around them. In 1933, the concentration camps were primarily directed against communists, gay men, lesbians and Romany peoples, all backed by a relentless culture of street harassment against Jews, and a constant conflation of Jewry and Communism. Sulari captures this foment and matches the pace at which artists, Jews and others start fleeing Germany with the growing pace of her own plot and the desperation of her characters to leave.
The plot may be silly - okay is a bit silly - but it also manages to be simple enough not to get in the way of this exploration of 1933 Munich, pulling the series back into a good enthralling space from the oft meandering third instalment. Definitely looking forward to the next one.
It is worth noting that "fun" is a tricky tone for a book about the Reich, especially as we enter days when many openly adhere to fascism. Sulari manages this balance, including the growing disquiet of Sinclair's less privileged friends with their own safety, as well as the evidence of anti-Semitic violence around them. In 1933, the concentration camps were primarily directed against communists, gay men, lesbians and Romany peoples, all backed by a relentless culture of street harassment against Jews, and a constant conflation of Jewry and Communism. Sulari captures this foment and matches the pace at which artists, Jews and others start fleeing Germany with the growing pace of her own plot and the desperation of her characters to leave.
The plot may be silly - okay is a bit silly - but it also manages to be simple enough not to get in the way of this exploration of 1933 Munich, pulling the series back into a good enthralling space from the oft meandering third instalment. Definitely looking forward to the next one.