A Dangerous Language by Sulari Gentill

Publisher's Synopsis

Set against the glamorous backdrop of the 1930s in Australia and overseas, A DANGEROUS LANGUAGE is the latest in the much loved, award-winning Rowland Sinclair Mysteries.

When a Communist agent is murdered on the steps of Parliament House, Rowland Sinclair finds himself drawn into a dangerous world of politics and assassination.

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.

My Review of A Dangerous Language by Sulari Gentill

The 8th book in the Rowland Sinclair series, A Dangerous Language is set in 1934 Australia and captures the unrest felt by the country as trouble continues to build in Europe. Rowland Sinclair has seen firsthand how dangerous the Nazi regime can be and is still determined to try to spread the word as a warning to his fellow countrymen and women. It still appears as though he’s shouting into the wind and, thanks to his friendship with Communists, has been labelled one too. 

As this instalment of the Rowland Sinclair series begins, Rowly is in Melbourne checking out a new car, a yellow Chrysler Airflow Eight which he plans to buy to replace his beloved Mercedes, wrecked in a high-speed crash during a race (chronicled in Give the Devil His Due). Along for the ride are Cyde Watson Jones and Milton Isaacs who are both increasingly involved in the Communist movement and are helping prepare for the upcoming Movement Against War and Fascism conference.

He volunteers to fly Hungarian journalist and anti-Nazi activist Egon Kisch from Fremantle to Melbourne in time for the man to speak at the conference. But the Australian government has other ideas about Kisch, seeing him as a Communist agitator and moves to refuse the man entry into the country.

Kisch had been the man who saved Rowly in Berlin when the Nazis abducted him and savagely tortured him. Without Kisch’s intervention, Rowly would surely have been killed and Rowland firmly believes his voice should be heard by Australians.

Once again Rowland finds himself putting his body on the line as local fascists target him and his friends as the enemy who must be stopped, preferably by killing him. Regardless of how altruistic Rowly’s motives are there are plenty of ‘patriots' prepared to go to any lengths to stop him in his tracks.

It seems that Sulari Gentill has well and truly mastered the art of combining high profile historical people, combining them with her own fictional characters and then seamlessly inserting them into history. Whether it’s former prime ministers, overseas journalists or up and coming actors, they all seem to cross Rowly’s path which often happens to steer them onto further greatness or notoriety.

There are some things you can rely on in a Rowland Sinclair mystery and we’re not disappointed here. Milt’s still quoting poetry without attribution (which Rowly quietly adds), Rowland’s mother still calls him Aubrey, his love for Edna remains unrequited and his Brother, Wilfred, continues to disapprove of every move he makes. Actually, the disapproval level manages to achieve new heights which is a pretty impressive feat for Rowland.

The level of violence in A Dangerous Language has also been ramped up to a new level. Clearly the stakes are being raised as the geopolitical stage becomes more unstable and fears on the home front are being stoked. Milt, Clyde and even Rowly are discovering that it’s becoming increasingly dangerous to be a known Communist.

As always through this remains a highly entertaining series filled with clever quips, hair raising moments and some terrific historic references. 

Other Reviews

Publisher's Weekly

Gentill provides romance, suspense, intrigue, and thought-provoking views on the easy appeal of jingoism. Through it all, Rowly continues to “speak what some called the truth and others considered a dangerous language.” Readers will look forward to the further adventures of Rowly and friends. Read full review here.

Aust Crime Fiction

Incorporated into all of these books are elements of fact. A DANGEROUS LANGUAGE continues the tension between Conservatives, Fascists and Communists in Australian Politics. Along the way it interweaves the sad story of the crime that became known as The Pyjama Girl Murder (for a really good outline of that story I can recommend Richard Evan's 2004 book THE PYJAMA GIRL MYSTERY), with that of the bizarre real-life story of Thomas Ley - Australian Politician, convicted murderer in England, into attempts to bring a well-known peace activist and anti-Fascist, Egon Kisch to Australia. Needless to say A DANGEROUS LANGUAGE revolves around a particularly political plot, with murder, mayhem and some hefty doses of romance and romantic shenanigans. Read full review here.

The Book Muse

In this eighth venture, politics begins to have a larger focus than in the previous seven novels, where it was present, but had less impact on the plot. In this novel, it seems nobody is safe from the clashes between each side – this is what makes the novel gripping, as it ensures that those who hurt Milt and Rowly (poor Rowland was in the wars a bit in this one again) are shrouded in mystery. Read full review here.