A Dangerous Language

 Sulari Gentill is continuing to make Australian history fascinating and intriguing to audience sof the Rowland Sinclair Mystery series.  In the eighth book in this series, Rowland and his friends, Edna, the sculptress, Milton, the wayward poet, and Clyde the auto mechanic are again caught up in a plot against the rule of government and their lives are in danger.

As we move through this series we are moving through the years leading up to World War II.  Hitler is a threat to Germany and Rowland's friends, who are Communist leaning individuals, are trying to stop  Fascism from becoming imbedded in Australia.  Rowland stays independent but get caught up int he mayhem that takes place as Milton agrees this time to go to the seat of government and watch from the balcony to oversee the legislature and how they are responding to the Nazi threat.

Of course there are fascists who want to stop them and people will get hurt and there may even be a murder along the way.  Rowland's brother is always there to bail Rowly and his friends out of trouble and keep it all out of the press, so as to preserve the family name.

All of that is quite fun to read.  Though I think I am getting quite anxious for Rowland and Edna to find a way to share their feelings for each other out loud to each other, instead of continuing to just miss out on the beautiful relationship they could have together.

Along the way you are learning a piece of history that you would only be aware of if you grew up in Australia.  This time we learn about a journalist, Egon Kirsch, though a citizen of Czechoslovakia, lived primarily in Berlin, who was trying to speak out in Australia and was being prevented from landing on Australian soil.  Gentill places Rowland and his friends in the place to help Kirsch land, mixing the true story of his trip on board the ship, Strathaird, with fiction.    The right-wing Australian government refused Kisch entry from the ship Strathaird at Fremantle and Melbourne because of his previous exclusion from the UK.  In real life, when Kirsch was not allowed to leave the boat and come ashore, he jumped off the railing landing in the water, breaking his leg, in Melbourne, but was put back on the ship.  This brought him some support from the left and he was finally allowed to land when his boat docked in Sydney, though he was taken to jail there and had to appear in court.  It is a fascinating story and Gentill places Rowland and Clyde Watson-Jones on the ship with Kirsch and embellishes the story using to leap from the boat deck in an all out fight with the enemy.  

Entertaining reading on so many levels.  Wonderfully written and I am enjoying following the adventures of Rowland, Edna, Milton and Clyde and the supporting characters who show us how life the of the wealthy was lived in 1930s Australia.