Reading order · 11 books · 2010 to 2020 · Set in Sydney
Rowland Sinclair Books in Order
Rowland Sinclair, the artist son of a wealthy grazing family, gets into trouble in 1930s Australia and abroad with his bohemian friends, as fascism rises around them. The mysteries mix real history and real people with Rowland’s adventures.
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Series facts
- Books
- 11
- Published
- 2010 to 2020
- First book
- A Few Right Thinking Men
- Latest
- A Testament of Character (2020)
- Setting
- Set in Sydney
The reading order
Every Rowland Sinclair book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
11 books · Set in Sydney
- 1A Few Right Thinking Men2010With Rowland SinclairIn 1932 Sydney, Rowland Sinclair, the artist younger son of a wealthy grazing family, sets out to find who murdered his uncle.Buy on Amazon
- 2A Decline in Prophets2011With Rowland SinclairReturning from England on a luxury liner in 1933, Rowland and his friends find themselves caught up in a murder among a group of Theosophists, and the trouble follows them home to Sydney.Buy on Amazon
- 3Miles Off Course2012With Rowland SinclairIn 1933, Rowland Sinclair searches the High Country for a man who has vanished from the Hydro Majestic hotel, and uncovers a darker conspiracy.Buy on Amazon
- 4Paving the New Road2012With Rowland SinclairIn 1933, Rowland travels to Munich on a secret mission after an Australian agent is killed, and comes face to face with senior figures of the Third Reich.Buy on Amazon
- 5Gentlemen Formerly Dressed2013With Rowland SinclairHaving escaped Nazi Germany, Rowland arrives in London, where a bizarre murder draws him into aristocratic circles, Blackshirt fascism and espionage.Buy on Amazon
- 6A Murder Unmentioned2014With Rowland SinclairThe long-ago death of Rowland’s father is reopened when new evidence turns up on the family property, and Rowland and his brother Wilfred both find themselves under suspicion.Buy on Amazon
- 7Give the Devil His Due2015With Rowland SinclairRowland races his yellow Mercedes at the notorious Maroubra Speedway, where deaths follow and someone appears to be targeting him.Buy on Amazon
- 8The Prodigal Son2016With Rowland SinclairIn this novella set in 1928, Rowland returns from Europe to study art in Sydney, and must decide who his real friends are when murder strikes the avant-garde set.Buy on Amazon
- 9A Dangerous Language2017With Rowland SinclairRowland flies the peace advocate Egon Kisch across Australia as the government tries to keep him out, and a murder on the steps of Parliament House draws him into a world of politics and assassination.Buy on Amazon
- 10All the Tears in China2019With Rowland SinclairSent to Shanghai on business for his family, Rowland soon finds himself accused of murder in a city full of gangsters, spies and rival foreign powers.Buy on Amazon
- 11A Testament of Character2020With Rowland SinclairWhen an American millionaire names Rowland his executor and is then murdered, Rowland travels to Boston to face the dead man’s grieving and outraged family.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the Rowland Sinclair books in order. Each has its own mystery, but the friends’ lives, Rowland’s feelings for Edna and the growing shadow of the 1930s build from book to book.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Rowland Sinclair | Edna Higgins | Milton Isaacs | Clyde Watson Jones | Wilfred Sinclair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 A Few Right Thinking Men | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 2 A Decline in Prophets | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 3 Miles Off Course | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 4 Paving the New Road | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 5 Gentlemen Formerly Dressed | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 6 A Murder Unmentioned | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 7 Give the Devil His Due | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 8 The Prodigal Son | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 9 A Dangerous Language | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 10 All the Tears in China | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 11 A Testament of Character | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Rowland Sinclair books
5 characters from Sulari Gentill’s chart, with the number of Rowland Sinclair books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Rowland SinclairGentleman artist from a wealthy grazing family | 11 | A Few Right Thinking Men 2010 |
| Edna HigginsSculptress and Rowland’s muse | 11 | A Few Right Thinking Men 2010 |
| Milton IsaacsPoet, Communist and Rowland’s friend | 11 | A Few Right Thinking Men 2010 |
| Clyde Watson JonesPainter and Rowland’s friend | 11 | A Few Right Thinking Men 2010 |
| Wilfred SinclairRowland’s conservative older brother | 11 | A Few Right Thinking Men 2010 |