Sulari Gentill
Pantera Press,$29.99
The year is 1934 and the headlines feature the visit to Australia of Czech novelist and Communist Egon Kisch,the man who failed the hostile Australian government's dictation test,which it sneakily chose to administer in Gaelic. Rowland Sinclair,well-heeled artist and amateur sleuth,becomes embroiled in the drama of Kisch's visit,as the power of fascism grows. Sulari Gentill skilfully avoids any direct allusion to contemporary Australian immigration policy or world politics,but the parallels are there. This is the eighth book in the series and Gentill is showing no signs of running out of ideas. There are a lot of good crime writers in Australia and Gentill is up with the pack,providing interesting characters,punchy plots,a lively and witty style,and some sobering reflection on dangerous times in history.