Gentlemen Formerly Dressed
-
- $2.99
-
- $2.99
Publisher Description
A fascinating historical mystery by Sulari Gentill, author of #1 LibraryReads pick The Woman in the Library
"This book has it all: intrigue among the British aristocracy, the Nazi threat and a dashing Australian hero. I didn't want it to end!" —Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author
Handsome, wry, and witty despite his impeccable manners, and the dedicated black sheep of his conservative, wealthy Australian family, Rowland Sinclair prefers to leave managing the immense family fortune and politics to his elder brother, Wil, while pursuing a life as a gentleman artist. A life in company of boho housemates Clyde, a fellow painter; Milton, a plagiarising poet; and Edna, the beautiful, emancipated sculptress who is both his muse and the (unacknowledged) love of his life.
Having barely escaped 1933 Germany while reluctantly pursuing an off-the-books mission in Munich, the usually stoic Rowly remains horrified and deeply troubled by the changes that have come about under the Nazi government. For the first time he is moved to take a stance politically, to try and sway the political thought of the time. A friend of the Left and son of the Right, Rowland doesn't really know what he is doing, or what should be done, but he is consumed with a notion that something should be done. Plus he needs to recuperate.
And so Rowly and his friends make for England, where a British aristocrat is soon found murdered in his club, dressed in a negligée impaled by a sword. It’s too bizarre a death for a gentleman. His murder, and the suspicion falling on his young niece, quickly plunge the Australians into a world of trouble.
Featuring the dark underbelly of the, British aristocracy, fascists, illicit love, scandal, and spies, as well as players like H.G. Wells and Winston Churchill, this Rowland Sinclair WWII Mystery will appeal to fans of Rhys Bowen, Kerry Greenwood, and Jacqueline Winspear.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1933, Gentill's entertaining fifth mystery featuring wealthy Australian artist Rowland Sinclair finds Rowland in London, ensconced in a penthouse suite at Claridge's, after being left for dead by Nazi thugs in his previous outing, Paving the New Road. Rowland's straitlaced brother, Wilfred, is in town to attend the London Economic Conference. Keen to tell someone in the British government about the atrocities Rowland has seen in Germany, the brothers set off to an exclusive gentlemen's club to speak with Viscount Pierrepont, an influential Tory. They arrive at his suite to find Pierrepont dead, dressed in a baby-doll nightie and impaled in his bed by a sword. Rowland and his pals decide to investigate. They do so by picking up gossip at swanky parties and motoring down to country houses. The pleasure of this novel lies not in the detection but rather in observing Rowland at dinner with Evelyn Waugh, trading insights with H.G. Wells, and setting Winston Churchill straight on the evils of nationalism. Fans of upper-class sleuths will be in their element.