Oldcastle Books (International) assertion Oldcastle Books i(18474256 works by) (Organisation) assertion
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1 4 y separately published work icon Give the Devil His Due Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2022 9020106 2015 single work novel detective historical fiction

'When Rowland Sinclair is invited to take his yellow Mercedes onto the Maroubra Speedway, renamed the Killer Track for the lives it has claimed, he agrees without caution or reserve.

'But then people start to die.

'The body of a journalist covering the race is found in a House of Horrors, an English blueblood with Blackshirt affiliations is killed on the race track. and it seems that someone has Rowland in their sights.

'A strange young reporter preoccupied with black magic, a mysterious vagabond, an up-and-coming actor by the name of Flynn, and ruthless bookmakers all add mayhem to the mix.

'With danger presenting at every turn, and the brakes long since disengaged, Rowland Sinclair hurtles towards disaster with an artist, a poet and brazen sculptress along for the ride.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.
1 1 y separately published work icon All the Tears in China Shanghai Secrets Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2022 14811793 2019 single work novel crime

'Shanghai 1935. An expatriate playground where fortunes are made and lost, where East and West collide, and the stakes include life itself. Rowland Sinclair arrives into this cultural melting pot, from Sydney to represent his brother at international wool negotiations. The black sheep of the family, Rowland is under strict instructions to commit to nothing . . . but a brutal murder makes that impossible.

'All the Tears in China throws a classic murder mystery into a glitzy, glamorous, tawdry and dangerous world, entrancing both new and old readers.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.
1 1 y separately published work icon A Dangerous Language Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2022 11462597 2017 single work novel detective historical fiction

'Volunteering his services as a pilot to fly renowned international peace advocate Egon Kisch between Fremantle and Melbourne, Rowland is unaware how hard Australia 's new attorney-general will fight to keep the raging reporter off Australian soil.

'In this, it seems, the government is not alone, as clandestine right-wing militias reconstitute into deadly strike forces.

'A disgraced minister, an unidentified corpse and an old flame all bring their own special bedlam. Once again Rowland Sinclair stands against the unthinkable, with an artist, a poet and a brazen sculptress by his side.' (Synopsis)
1 3 y separately published work icon Paving the New Road Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2021 Z1872691 2012 single work novel historical fiction detective

'It's 1933, and the political landscape of Europe is darkening.

'Eric Campbell, the man who would be Australia's Führer, is on a fascist tour of the Continent, meeting dictators over cocktails and seeking allegiances in a common cause. Yet the Australian way of life is not undefended. Old enemies have united to undermine Campbell's ambitions. The clandestine armies of the Establishment have once again mobilised to thwart any friendship with the Third Reich.

'But when their man in Munich is killed, desperate measures are necessary.

'Now Rowland Sinclair must travel to Germany to defend Australian democracy from the relentless march of Fascism. Amidst the goosestepping euphoria of a rising Nazi movement, Rowland encounters those who will change the course of history. In a world of spies, murderers and despotic madmen, he can trust no-one but an artist, a poet and a brazen sculptress.' (From the publisher's website.)
1 3 y separately published work icon A Murder Unmentioned Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2021 8144534 2014 single work novel crime historical fiction

'The black sheep of a wealthy grazier dynasty, gentleman artist Rowland Sinclair often takes matters into his own hands. When the matter is murder, there are consequences.

'For nearly fourteen years, Rowland has tried to forget, but now the past has returned.

'A newly-discovered gun casts light on a family secret long kept... a murder the Sinclairs would prefer stayed unsolved.

'As old wounds tear open, the dogged loyalty of Rowland's inappropriate companions is all that stands between him and the consequences of a brutal murder... one he simply failed to mention.' (Publication summary)
1 4 y separately published work icon Gentlemen Formerly Dressed Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2021 6688634 2013 single work novel historical fiction

'After narrowly escaping Nazi terror, Rowland Sinclair and his companions land in London, believing they are safe.

'But they are wrong.

'A bizarre murder plunges the hapless Australians into a queer world of British aristocracy, Fascist Blackshirts, illicit love, scandal and spies.

'A world where gentlemen are not always what they are dressed up to be.' (Publisher's blurb)
1 3 y separately published work icon Miles Off Course Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2020 Z1838880 2012 single work novel historical fiction

'In early 1933, Rowland Sinclair and his companions are ensconced in the superlative luxury of The Hydro Majestic - Medlow Bath, where trouble seems distant indeed.

'And then Harry Simpson vanishes.

'Croquet and pre-dinner cocktails are abandoned for the High Country where Rowland hunts for Simpson with a determination that is as mysterious as the disappearance itself. Stockmen, gangsters and a belligerent writer all gather to the fray, as the investigation becomes embroiled with a much darker conspiracy.' (From the publisher's website.)
1 6 y separately published work icon A Decline in Prophets Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2020 Z1779650 2011 single work novel historical fiction crime

'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 Sinclair finds himself unwittingly in the centre of it all. "I'm afraid, Sinclair has a habit of being in the wrong place every possible time. I would think twice about standing next to him." "God forbid, Rowland, you should return home without some sort of scandal... leading some kind of insane cult!".(Trove)
1 16 y separately published work icon A Few Right Thinking Men Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2020 Z1684151 2010 single work novel historical fiction crime 'In Australia's 1930s, the Sinclair name is respectable and influential, yet the youngest son Rowland - an artist - has a talent for scandal. Even with the unemployed lining the streets, Rowland lives in a sheltered world... of wealth, culture & impeccable tailoring with the family fortune indulging his artistic passions & friends... a poet, a painter & a brazen sculptress. Mounting political tensions fuelled by the Great Depression take Australia to the brink of revolution. Rowland Sinclair is indifferent to the politics... until a brutal murder exposes an extraordinary & treasonous conspiracy.' (From Publisher's website)
2 y separately published work icon Southern Cross Crime Southern Cross Crime : The Pocket Essential Guide to the Crime Fiction, Film and TV of Australia and New Zealand Craig Sisterson , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2020 18828160 2020 multi chapter work criticism

'Australian and New Zealand crime and thriller writing is booming globally, with antipodean authors regularly featuring on awards and bestseller lists across Europe and North America, and overseas readers and publishers looking more and more to tales from lands Down Under.

'Hailing from two sparsely populated nations on the far edge of the former Empire — neighbours that are siblings in spirit, vastly different in landscape — Australian and New Zealand crime writers offer readers a blend of exotic and familiar, seasoned by distinctive senses of place, outlook, and humour, and roots that trace to the earliest days of our genre.

'Southern Cross Crime is the first comprehensive guide to modern Australian and New Zealand crime writing. From coastal cities to the Outback, leading critic Craig Sisterson showcases key titles from more than 200 storytellers, plus screen dramas ranging from Mystery Road to Top of the Lake. Fascinating insights are added through in-depth interviews with some of the prime suspects who paved the way or instigated the global boom, including Jane Harper, Michael Robotham, Paul Cleave, Emma Viskic, Paul Thomas, and Candice Fox.' (Publication summary)
2 2 y separately published work icon A Testament of Character Sulari Gentill , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2020 18268277 2020 single work novel crime

'When his friend Daniel Cartwright dies and names Rowland as his executor, Rowland must divert his plans to return home to Australia and travel to America. Daniel was vastly wealthy but appears to have disinherited his family in favour of a man called James Meredith, whom no one can find. Rowland and his troupe of friends embark on a journey that takes them through New York, Warwick and Baltimore as they track down answers to the questions that surround Daniel's death and the mysterious disappearance of James Meredith.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.
1 5 y separately published work icon Luca Antara : Passages in Search of Australia Martin Edmond , Harpenden : Oldcastle Books , 2009 Z1605172 2006 single work prose

'Part memoir, travelogue, history and part detective story, Luca Antara is a rich tapestry of history and the present. It parallels the life of the author, an émigré to Sydney, and the life of an historical figure, António da Nova, the servant of a Portuguese explorer who in the 1600s sends him to find out more about Luca Antara (now Australia).

'New to Sydney, Martin Edmond finds himself impoverished and displaced. He earns money as a taxi driver but spends his spare time frequenting second hand bookshops trying to learn more about the history of Australia and the wider region. The people Edmond encounters in his taxi and in his search for rare books are varied and strange, offering the reader a voyeuristic glimpse into Sydney's sub-culture.

'Sent to discover more about Luca Antara, António da Nova's crew mutiny and dump him on the West Australian coast. He is found by Aborigines [sic], who take him on an epic walk across northern Australia. Eventually he manages to return to his master in Portugal who awaits news of his explorations.

'Edmond's reading centres upon da Nova, but each book he reads leads to another and the subject becomes broader and increasingly fascinating. The lives of the two men and the strange customs and unique social mores of each man's culture and time intertwine throughout the book, ending with Edmond literally walking in the footsteps of da Nova across northern Australia.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Oldcastle Books ed.).
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