The impressive debut Australian historical mystery novel A Few Right Thinking Men by Sulari Gentill (pub. Pantera Press) references Australia’s turbulent political period of the 1930s and is set in the fractious city of Sydney.

Life is just as tough in Australia during the early 1930s as it is anywhere in the world and the Depression is creating political tensions that threaten to spark the country. The working class in Australia are desperate to ensure their tables are not going to be empty from one day to the next and this means they are open to any ideas that will ensure their jobs are safe.

Out of the confusion and concern comes the threat of Communisms taking hold, a perception that could cause more problems than are real.

Bridging the gap between the battling workers and the wealthy classes are people such as Rowland Sinclair, a young artist who is the youngest son of a wealthy landowning family. Although he will never want for anything thanks to the wealth of his family his artistic talents guide him more towards those who might be considered to have Communist tendencies.

The initial impetus to the story comes from the murder of Rowland’s uncle, the victim of a savage beating in his own home. With the police failing to provide the type of commitment to the case that he would like, Rowland decides that he will carry out his own investigation, a decision that puts him into the middle of a brewing potential war between extreme factions of Fascists and Communists.

Rowland’s chosen lifestyle runs contrary to the way in which his older brother, and now family head, Wilfred wishes he would conduct himself. The older Sinclair brother is a member of one of the groups who are arming themselves in response to the Communist threat, not to mention the right-wing group that is rising up with frightening speed, the New Guard.

What we witness is the potential danger that is generated by fear and uncertainty of ideals that are not our own. The organisation of these “right thinking men” represents a far greater threat to a peaceful resolution than might otherwise he reached and this is evidenced perfectly when Rowland and his friends get caught up in some rough justice during a visit to the New South Wales country town of Yass.

In its purest form, this is a murder mystery with the main protagonist working a classical undercover case. However, with the many historical references and the growing unrest within Australia that is documented, the novel feels very much like a political thriller. It is a powerful commentary on the ease with which revolutionary sentiments can move people to take war-like actions.