I am always delighted to settle in for another visit with Rowly, Edna, Clyde and Milton. Each of these characters is eccentric and interesting. We have an aristocrat, an artist, a poet and an artisan. Together they form a formidable quartet.

The Rowland Sinclair mysteries take place in the run up to WWII and in a world that feels rather ominous. Ms. Gentill always does her research and brings authenticity to both the setting and the background history of her stories. This time, I learned about Chiang Kai Shek, those who were pro or anti-Communist and the troubled relations between Japan and China. This history adds verisimilitude to the story.

The story begins as Rowly’s brother ( a more conventional sort) wants to send him and his friends to Shanghai to meet with those who may want to purchase Sinclair wool. Rowly is firmly instructed to equivocate in all of his business dealings. Can he?

The Shanghai that the protagonists visit is depicted as a city of immigrants and locals with many classes and nationalities in its society. For example, Rowly has a Chinese butler and an Indian driver.

As readers of the series know, where Rowly goes, trouble follows. In this novel, he meets a “taxi girl” named Sasha. She is reputedly from the Russian aristocracy. Alexandra now sells dances with her to those at the Cathay Hotel. This is quite a step down from her former life in her own country. Rowly dances with her…when the worst happens to Sasha and she is found dead in Rowly’s hotel room, there is a case to be solved.

This is an intricate and involving story. It is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. I do think, though, that many readers will want to explore all of the titles after they finish this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Well, what can I say. I've finished this book and am now suffering from Rowly-withdrawal. I'd wish Sulari write more and more of Rowland Sinclair's adventures.
By All the Tears in China Rowland Sinclair has taken up a firm spot among my literary (imaginary) friends. I love him as my younger brother and feel for him no matter what he does. Honourable, educated, intelligent, gallant, handsome man has a knack for getting himself into trouble and making enemies everywhere he goes. Thankfully, he has as strong knack for making friends as well.
All the Tears in China takes readers from Australia to China, from one world to another. Rowland and his faithful friends are doing their best to adapt to new circumstances and to survive many mishaps and many enemies. This time Rowland will find himself in jail, powerless and helpless (not a situation I'd like my friend to be in). His gallantry and good manners will make him blind to danger more than once.
However, once again, Rowly and the gang will survive. WIll won't be happy with his brother. And powers that be... well, Rowland is Rowland and this is not going to change.
I enjoyed this book as all the others before it. I'd like to hear more of Rowly's adventures and am dreading the beginning of the WWII and what it is going to do to the gang.
Sulari Gentill has done a great job in creating high-born detective with a heart and hot blood. Rowland is a living, breathing man and not some cardboard creature.
Till we meet again.

Rowland Sinclair has been dispatched to Shanghai to attend an international wool conference in his brother's place...with strict instructions to avoid agreeing to anything. Once there, the murder of a Russian taxi dancer in his suite leaves him under suspicion. This was my first book in the series, even though this one is officially number 9. I was quite impressed and pleased with the historical bits about Shanghai which gave weight to the story and the action wherein. I hope that is typical of the other books too! Quite enjoyable!

"All the Tears in China" is a mystery set in 1935 in Australia and Shanghai. This is the ninth novel in a series. This story referred back to events that happened in previous books, but it can be read as a standalone novel. This book did not spoil the whodunits of the previous mysteries. The main characters were interesting, caring people. Interesting historical details were woven into the the story.

Rowland Sinclair is sent to Shanghai to represent the family in a wool deal with the Japanese. He supposed to keep good relations while not committing to any deal. Of course, he's not willing to play nice with the Japanese once he realizes they're friends with the Germans. They don't take his attitude well. Also, someone makes it look like Rowland murdered a Russian woman who claimed to be one of the royal family in exile. He has to clear his name of murder before returning home.

He and his friends search for clues as to who may have wanted to kill the woman. They pass the information they find on to the detective, who clearly wants to put him in jail. Rowland's life is in danger, so they must solve the mystery as soon as possible. I strongly suspected two people of being the murderer, and it became clear which it was by that character's behavior at the end. The main characters took a little longer to figure it out. Of course, it ends with an exciting, suspenseful race to save Rowland's life.

There was some bad language (if you're American) to a fair amount of bad language (if you count British/Australia bad words). There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting, suspenseful novel.

Although this is the ninth book in a series and not having previous read the previous books, i really enjoyed this story. Despite, this book does work well as a standalone. A great plot, great characters and very well written. I very seldom write what a story is about as i prefer one to read a book for themselves, but i do recommend. I am hoping to read the previous books in due course.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review.

I love this series and I liked this installment even if it's not the best in the series.
As usual I was involved and entertained by the cast of characters, the historical setting and the plot.
The mystery was ok, a bit slow at times, but it keep you guessing till the end.
The historical background is interesting and well researched as in the other books.
I look forward to reading other installment in this amazing series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Pantera Press and Netgalley for this ARC

Wow—really enjoyed a previous book in this series but could not get into this one.
Fifteen percent of the way into the book and virtually nothing of note took place. Also, the main characters seem yo lack the like ability and camaraderie that I was expecting. This one is disappointing,

Firstly, thanks to Pantera and Net Galley for an advance copy of All the Tears in China. I've been eagerly awaiting this one - the 9th adventure for Rowly and his friends and was unable to put it down.

This adventure is set in Shanghai in 1935 and it's a Shanghai that's colourful and seedy, opulent and dingy - all at the same time. There are lanterns and opium dens, sing-sing bars, taxi dancers, impoverished Russian nobles and bad behaviour from colonial expats. It's into this world that Rowly is sent to attempt to not negotiate (that does actually make sense) the sale of the Sinclair wool stockpile.

Wherever Rowly goes though, murder tends to follow, and he's soon left fighting for both his freedom and his life.

As always, I especially enjoy the layers of history that Sulari brings to the Rowland series. Each book is another layer of the political climate at the time and how the world ended up in war. Here, as in the previous adventures, it's an effective backdrop - and the fact that we know how it turns out - from a historical perspective - makes it all the more effective.

Oh, and I adore the title.

Sulari Gentill has involved her hero, Australian Rowland Sinclair, in the international wool trade in seedy Shanghai of 1935 where Nazis and Japanese business consortia vie for influence. Chinese triads and other gangs also bring violence and sex to the mix. Rowland has to solve the murder of a Russian "taxi" girl who was found in his hotel suite. He can only trust his close friends a poet, a sculptress and a poet. He must thread his way through Shanghai 's flexible mores with some local help as well from a gangster, a chauffeur and a valet !!!! Shanghai's police are pitted against him along with other enemies posing as friends. Wonderful evocation of the ambiguities of 1930's Shanghai.

"All the Tears in China", the ninth books in the Rowland Sinclair series by Sulari Gentill, finds our hero and his friends on their way to Shanghai, China. It is 1935. A note for readers -- it is difficult to get into this story without reading the previous books, so be warned. Don’t start here. Bad idea, anyway, as you would be sorry to miss anything.

As readers of the series know, Rowland, Rowly to his friends, has made an enemy of Robert Menzies, the governor-general of Australia. Never a good idea. To keep his brother from being arrested, or worse, Wilfred Sinclair, the patriarch of the family asks him to go to Shanghai and look into the family’s interests over there. “But don’t touch anything,” is pretty much the edict. Wilfred tasks him to nod and smile and act important without saying anything important – and certainly not to commit to anything. Well, readers of these books will also know that’s pretty much impossible for our intrepid hero.

Soon, there’s a murder – a young Russian woman that Rowly has danced with is found murdered in his suite. Chief Inspector Rudolph is not at all amused. Rowly goes to work figuring out whodunnit while trying to keep himself and his friends safe. This he does, eventually, and, since everybody seems to “have it in” for Rowly, the culprit may or may not be a surprise.

The problem I have with the Rowland Sinclair books is that they are becoming formulaic – Rowly is beaten up about every twenty pages – indeed, he gets into a fight on the very first page! I can understand that what’s going on in the world is part and parcel of the plot – the actual mystery is generally secondary – but I could do with a lot less personal violence because there’s no mystery to it, anymore; you can see it coming from a mile away. Also, Rowly gets himself in deep, deep trouble in every book; in one especially gruesome portion of this one, you’ll despair for him, but of course he gets himself out of it, or there wouldn’t be more books, would there? So that’s generating emotions that feel false to me. And then, at the end, someone is got rid of in a way that seems too pat, after causing a lot of hate and consternation (I can’t say more without spoilers).

One can’t fault the characters, however. One hallmark of the series is the sharply defined people that populate the pages, especially the trio that make up Rowly’s friends; Clyde, Milton, the men, and Edna, near and yet so far Edna. Then, of course there are the others that we get to meet, among them Wing Zau, a Chinese valet who soon begins to help Rowly with his inquiries, Voronoff, a Russian who becomes quite enamored of Edna, Victor Sassoon, the rich businessman who owns the hotel and is not too happy when the body is found there. Emily “Mickey” Hahn – goodness, what a character! Then, there are the Chinese gangsters, suspects, red herrings, traitors and spies who populate the pages. You might need a scorecard. An epilog happily gives us further information. Surely Ms. Gentile is a master at creating individuals that will be remembered after the last page is turned.

Finally – war is coming. Rowly knows it. The author knows it. And boy, does the reader know it. Every page pretty much trumpets the fact. What will his place and his friend’s place be when the war he fears finally comes? It will be interesting to see how the author handles this, although she still has some time.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy ahead of publication, in exchange for this review.

Because of personal reasons Wilfred Sinclair is unable to travel to Shanghai in 1935 and broker a wool deal with the Japanese. So his brother Rowland is sent with the company of his three close friends. But trouble does seem to follow them and a female body is found in their hotel suite. While trying to stay out of prison they decide to investigate with the help of several new friends.
An entertaining enough cozy mystery but not really enough of a mystery, but thankfully less political than some previous stories.

"All the Tears in China" by Sulari Gentill is another engrossing adventure, book #9, from the Rowland Sinclair's series. Rowland and his bohemian friends traveled to Shanghai, China, to attend to Rowland's family business. Once again, Rowland entangled himself into a series of unfortunate events- murders, political complications, incarceration, and sickness. Not only Rowland had to clear his name as a suspect of two murder cases, the need of entangling himself from all the complications was also imminent. To save himself, Rowland and his friends had to find out who was the mastermind behind the commotions.

Sulari Gentill did an amazing job with all the researches about the pre- WWII Shanghai. She captured the corruption, the abusive use of opium on the Chinese, the tension between the Communist and the Nationalist as well as the ongoing Sino-Japanese feud accurately. Not in great depth, but enough to showcase the interesting historical aspect in Chinese in the 1930s. Her skill of interweaving real people with her fictional characters was superbly done. Because of the author's mentioning of Emily Hahn, the author piqued my interests in reading Emily Hahn's memoirs and few of her renowned works.

The Rowland Sinclair series is an excellent historical mystery series. Rich contents, intense actions, good levels of suspense, wonderful writing and the ever-lovable characters make the series a highly enjoyable one. Readers who loves good historical fiction with suspense elements should definitely check it out. Each book could be read as a standalone. I began the series from book 4, and on my way to read the first three installments. I have never encountered problems following the general background of the recurring characters.

"All the Tears in China" is another successful additional to the series. And by the way, what a beautiful title was chosen for the installment. I simply adore Rowland and his amazing friends and I can't wait for their next unforgettable adventure.

In this colorful novel, Rowland Sinclair has been deputized by his brother Wilfred to represent Sinclair Holdings at an international wool conference in Shanghai, China. Rowly agrees, even though he would much rather just concentrate in his career as an artist. Wilfred, unable to attend personally even though he was expected, briefs his brother on the basics of the wool trade and emphasizes that Rowly must not sign any contracts while in China. He is merely to attend the meetings in Wilfred’s place and listen to the advice of the Sinclair Holdings representative in China, Wilfred’s old friend attorney Gilbert Carmel. As an added incentive, Wilfred agrees that Rowly’s companions Edna, Clyde, and Milton should accompany him.

The quartet is charmed by Shanghai, a city where East and West, splendor and squalor, reality and mysticism meet. Unfortunately, the spell is broken when the body of a pretty Russian exile is found in Rowly’s hotel room. Since Rowly had met, danced with, and agreed to meet Alexandra Romanova the following day for tea, he becomes suspect number one. He has to deal with the police while at the same time trying to follow Wilfred’s directions to just listen to the representatives at the wool conference without any commitment. Attorney Gilbert Carmel pressures Rowly to accept a very generous offer from the Japanese for the Sinclair wool and cannot understand Rowly’s reluctance to accept his advice.

When Rowly is arrested for Alexandra’s murder and thrown into the notorious Shanghai prison where he is brutalized by the sadistic guards, it is up to his friends get him out. Too many prisoners die before standing trial.

All the Tears in China is an exciting, nonstop mystery. Shanghai is as much a character as Rowly, his friends, and the inhabitants of the city. A very strong entry in the Sinclair series.

This is a historical fiction set in Shanghai in 1935. I love the characters and the plot too, but I need to read all the books from this series.
Thank you Netgalley for this copy.

This is the 9th book in the series however I had never read any of the previous books and it didn't affect how much enjoyed the book.

I thought the characters were developed really well and whilst the plot was a little fantastical the overall story really came together well. I really enjoyed Gentill's writing style, especially the use of newspaper and magazine articles to emphasise the climate, surroundings and atmosphere. It was very well done.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Agatha Christie as it was an easy and enjoyable read.

Like all the other Rowland Sinclair books this one does not disappoint. Returning to a group of engaging characters within a well-written historical setting, this time in a more exotic than usual location, it is easy for the reader to forget they are reading a historical murder mystery as Gentill's tale smoothly sweeps along. Once the body does appear though, a menagerie of characters: both villains, heroes and in-betweens, ensure that suspense is kept throughout. For anyone who enjoyed the previous books in the series, the ninth instalment is a pleasure to read.

‘Perhaps it was a good time to be despatched to China.’

Rowland (Rowly) Sinclair’s efforts to assist the Communist Egon Kisch at the end of 1934 and into early 1935 (read ‘A Dangerous Language’) has made him very unpopular with some Australians. As Rowly’s nephew, Ernest, says:

‘Pater said that half of Sydney wants to kill you.’

So, when Rowly’s brother Wilfred asks him to represent him at international wool negotiations in Shanghai, leaving Australia for a while is not unattractive. Especially when his friends Edna Higgins, Milton Isaacs and Clyde Watson Jones are to accompany him. Rowly is under clear instructions from Wilfred:

‘Your purpose is to hold our place in these meetings. Just listen and be pleasant. For God’s sake, don’t sign anything.’

In 1935, Shanghai is a glittering, glamourous place. It’s also a dangerous place, where loyalties and the law can be difficult to navigate. It seems that everyone is welcome in Shanghai: there are impoverished Russian nobles and badly behaved English-speaking expatriates. There are opium dens and sing-song bars. East meets west in Shanghai, but there is a strict hierarchy, and a marked difference between those with means and those without. But all Rowly needs to do is attend meetings and listen. What could possibly go wrong?

A woman is murdered. Her body found in the suite occupied by Rowly and his party. Suspicion falls on Rowly. Naturally, Rowly fights to clear his name. Naturally, his friends try to help. And naturally, because this is Rowland Sinclair, things become complicated, other people with vastly differing interests are involved. There are red herrings to sort, complicated relationships to try to make sense of, and plenty of action. In order to clear his name, Rowly Sinclair needs to find out who killed the woman and why. There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, with a bit of a surprise at the end.

Each chapter of the novel opens with an excerpt from a contemporary newspaper or magazine article. I enjoyed these excerpts which serve to ground the novel in its time period and give an indication of contemporary concerns and attitudes.

This is the ninth novel in Ms Gentill’s Rowland Sinclair series. While I think it possible to read and enjoy the novel as a standalone, I’d recommend reading the series in order. Why? Because Ms Gentill has created such marvellous main characters that one encounter will surely not be enough.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Pantera Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

After reading eight books of The Rowland Sinclair Mysteries, I did wonder why this one was set in China. As I read further into the story, and considering the time and the situation in the world, I could see why! I loved this latest Rowly adventure with its many and varied characters who always manage to extend the already set character of our fabulous quartet. Bring on the next adventure, I can't wait!!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Pantera Press for an advance copy of All the Tears in China, the ninth adventure for Australian painter Rowling Sinclair and his friends.

It’s 1934 and Rowly’s efforts to help communist Egon Kisch (see A Dangerous Language) has left Melbourne a little hot for him but his brother Wilfred has a solution. He sends Rowly and his friends to Shanghai in his stead with strict instructions to stall the wool negotiations with Japan. Unfortunately the small matter of a dead body in his hotel suite puts the negotiation on hold while he fights to clear his name.

I thoroughly enjoyed All the Tears in China which is a light hearted adventure with some serious points to make. The novel is told in the third person from Rowly and his friends’ points of view with each chapter starting with a excerpt from a contemporaneous newspaper article, giving a flavour of what is to come. Normally I like this approach but I found the excerpts long and slightly distracting in this novel. The plot itself is excellent with a well concealed motive and perpetrator so it held my attention from start to finish. The twists and turns are surprising and the final explanation somewhat mundane, not in reference to the rest of the novel but that it is so ordinary. It is a grand adventure with plenty of action, thrills and spills.

Ms Gentill has obviously put a lot of research into her novel, not just from the newspaper quotations but from her descriptions of Shanghai and its conditions. Shanghai at the time welcomed all comers but there was a strict hierarchy with Western European’s at the top of the heap. Her cameos show how easy life is for some and so difficult for others without labouring the point. It’s very informative without appearing so.

Rowly and his friends, Edna, Milton and Clyde, are by now old acquaintances and interact well as only established characters can. They all have assigned roles with, obviously, Rowly being the clean cut action hero. It is their relationship that brings the fun and feel good factor to the novel.

All the Tears in China is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Shanghai, historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, Chinese-culture, china, pre-WW2, nazis, murder, sly-humor, crime-fiction, international-crime-and-mystery

I was so caught up in the story that I didn't realize that I'd read a previous book with these characters until several chapters in!
The Aussies are in Shanghai this time and their experiences are as convoluted as brain sulci. The wealthy older brother sends Rowland to Shanghai more to get him out of town (for good reason) than anything else and his artistic friends decide to go with him. So far so good. They house in a suite at an exclusive hotel and begin to collect intelligent and helpful employees who really demonstrate their merit after the first murder and as the local constabulary become fixed on Rowland as the murderer.
The characters are all very interesting and begin to multiply and include gang leaders, determined Japanese businessmen, an enterprising family of Sikhs who are more helpful and committed to our unusual Aussies than those who claim to be working in their favor.
The publisher's blurb isn't bad but there is so much going on at any given time that it's hard to summarize without spoilers.
The world building is spot on, research has been extensive, and there are regular insertions of articles and/or advertising from the relevant period that reinforce both the differences and similarities that time has wrought as well as foreshadowing the the next war.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Pantera Press via NetGalley. Thank you!