Paving the New Road
It’s the fourth outing for amateur detective Rowly Sinclair and his unlikely band of helpers, housemates and creative types Edna, Milton, and Clyde. They’re heading from their native Australia to Germany, to keep an eye on Australian New Guard (and Fascist) leader Eric Campbell, who hopes to win the favor of a rising politician by the name of Adolf Hitler.
Australia’s Old Guard is paying their way, so the team spares no expense: disguised as art collectors they fly to Europe with legendary pilot Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, they spend money, and they generally get in the way of Campbell’s ambitions. Both hilarity and danger result, as Rowly and his team get drawn into the fashion and art worlds of 1933 early Nazi Munich. Historical figures including Eva Braun and the Göring brothers, Hermann and Albert, play prime roles in this rollicking escapade. Gentill includes some stellar plot twists and her signature historical quotes throughout, deftly combining history and mystery in this page-turner.
