Author: Sulari Gentill
ISBN: 978-1-925700-05-3
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date: 21 January 2019
Publisher: Pantera Press
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Pantera Press for the opportunity to read All The Tears in China By Sulari Gentill.
Sulari Gentill is an Australian author. All The Tears in China is Book 9 in the award winning Rowland Sinclair mysteries, a series of historical crime novels set in the 1930s. Rowland is a gentleman artist and amateur detective. You need not have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one. It is great stand alone novel, but I am sure after reading it you will want to read the others.
All The Tears in China is set in Shanghai in 1935. Shanghai at this time is a playground for expatriates where fortunes are made and lost. East meets West.
Rowland is sent to Shanghai to represent his brother on family business which is international wool sale negotiations. His instructions are to listen only, do not commit to anything. It should be an easy job.
Virtually as soon as he and his friends arrive in Shanghai , a brutal murder takes place and Rowland is under suspicion. His friends Edna Higgins, a sculptress, Milton Isaacs, a poet and Clyde Watson Jones, a painter, plus several locals they have befriended all help Rowland in his desperate bid to find out who is responsible for the murder and clear his name.
Shanghai at this time is a free trade port where politics and vice entwine with commerce. Exiled Russians, Communists, Germans, Japanese, Chinese and gangsters all make it a dangerous place to be.
A very clever way to help the reader to understand the times are the fascinating News Paper articles preceding each chapter.
There are plenty of twists and turns, action and complicated relationships to keep you interested. Also the main question…….who is the murderer and why has Rowland been framed ?
What I especially likes about the book is the ending. You don’t need to wait until the next book comes out to find out what happens to everyone. There is excellent closure.
I am sure Rowland Sinclair will be in another country having another adventure and I will be sure to read that book too!
This review was written by our Beauty and Lace Club Member, Anne Steer. Thank you Anne for your submission.
Sulari Gentill can be found on Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, and her website.
All The Tears In China is published by Pantera Pressand is available now where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Pantera Press,25 of our Beauty and Lace Club Memberswill be reading All The Tears In China so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
I hadn’t read any of the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries by Sulari Gentill so ‘All The Tears in China’ the 9th book in the series was a great late introduction. Even without reading the first 8 books, it was easy to connect with the characters of ‘All the Tears in China’. It is historical fiction set in Shanghai in 1935 and chronicles the adventures of Rowland Sinclair and his group of friends from Australia. Rowland discovers the dark sinister side of Shanghai when a woman’s body is found in his room. You really get an insight into the life, politics and history of Shanghai/China and its connections with Australia. I loved the newspaper excerpts at the beginning of each chapter as it really gave you a feel to the story and time period. I’m not sure if they were true but it did make me want to know more about that period. I look forward to reading the other books in the series. An entertaining story that combines history with an exciting mystery. 4/5
I received All the Teas in China for my February review. Unfortunately this was not a book I could get into and quickly lost interest and found myself re reading parts over and over again . I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it more or been able to follow the storyline more if I had read the previous books in this series or not. Sadly not a book I would recommend
All the tears in China, this is not a book or genre that I would ever normally read. I didn’t realise until reading that it is the 9th book in the series however it didn’t affect how much I 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 the writing style, especially the use of newspaper and magazine articles to emphasise the climate, surroundings and atmosphere.
While I won’t be rushing out to read all the others (I Am not one who can commit to series’ books ;)) it was well written and enjoyable.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace for another interesting read 🙂
All the Tears in China is Book 9 in the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries, a series I had not heard of before. I enjoy a good crime novel, particularly with slightly odd ball characters so was looking forward to reading this novel.
The story is set in Shanghai in 1935 just as the city is struggling with its identity and place in the world. Is it still one of the great trading cities? Who has control? Will they be taken over by the Nazis or the Japanese? In 1935 it seems Shanghai is a bohemian city but with many dangers lurking for visitors and locals alike.
Into this walks Rowland Sinclair and his friends (an artist, a poet and a sculptress). Rowland is there to represent his brother at international wool negotiations where he is under strict instructions to commit to nothing. However within a couple of days of their arrival a murder takes place, suspicion falls on Rowland and as the story progresses Rowland gets in deeper and deeper (and with more and more bruises).
Knowing little about Shanghai at that time I found the historical side fascinating, I had never thought of the Japanese and Nazi influences on China before. However although I enjoyed much of the novel I did find many of the characters were stereotypes: the free thinking sculptress, the gang boss, the prison guard, the artist with naïve communist sympathies and if Rowland had got himself into one more fight I think I would have given up.
Overall though this was an enjoyable novel, perfect for relaxed reading when travelling. As stated earlier I found the historical side of the story appealing and for that reason, and as the 1930s were a time of huge political change which I don’t know enough about, I might well look out for other Rowland Sinclair mysteries.
Many thanks to the Beauty and Lace book club and Pantera Press for the opportunity to read this novel.
I really enjoyed this novel and can highly recommend it. It is the first book I have read from this author and will certainly look for the others. It puts me in mind of the series of Maisie Dobbs books. It is the sort of book you don!t want to put down till the end.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review All The Tears in China by Sulari Gentill.
All The Tears in China is the ninth book in the series of Rowland Sinclair mysteries.it is the first time I have read anything by author Sulari Gentill. I didn’t find it was necessary to have read the previous eight books in the series.
It is set in 1935 in Shanghai with Rowland Siclair and his friends from Australia. Unfortunately one day Rowland finds a woman’s body in his room and the story goes from there.
It is not a genre that I wouldn’t normally read. I did find it was well written and I liked that it had newspaper and magazine articles.
All the tears in china.
Love the name!
I was concerned to begin with that this book being the 9th in a series would leave me a little bit confused and not comprehending some things that may have been part of the previous books. This is not at all the case and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Rowland Sinclair, Edna and their friends as well as the other characters that enter the story. The story flows well and each chapter follows on from the last, making it easy to grasp.
The cover was perfect in that it fitted with the time frame of 1935 in Shanghai and the bizarre lifestyle that is rich, young and bohemian in style.
As I said, this is in a series but it was certainly a page turner of intrigue and full of life characters that bring the story to life. Drama seems to have followed these 4 characters around the globe, whether by chance or by their own follies, or a bit of both. The secondary characters were also interesting and had their individuality stamped upon them. I love them all.
I certainly did not know the plot as it unfolded and the mystery had me guessing until all was revealed. I will now be heading off to find other books by the same author in this series.
Thank you to all for letting me read this book
This historical fiction novel, beautifully captures an exotic mix of people in China on the cusp of great change. The eclectic mix of characters from different countries, each adds their own unique bit to the novels charm. My favourite character was Mr. Wing! The newspaper clippings at the start of the chapters were really interesting and gave a good insight of the time the book is set in.
Was also fascinating to see the cultural norms of the time and how if affected the behaviour and relationships between the characters. The various twists and turns in the hunt for the criminal really kept me guessing right till the end, though at times it was frustrating and wanted to yell at Rowland Sinclair to try harder :)!
Overall an interesting piece of historical fiction that gives me a different perspective on the state of China just before the communist uprising, mixed in with an old fashioned murder mystery.
‘All the tears in China’was my book for February. Although I had not read any other books by Sulari Gentill, and was advised to to so before reading this one but just wanted to read! An excellent author, I found myself getting caught up in the story line straight away, I found the characters very well written, witty and relatable. I guess now I need to read the 8 books ahead of this one. Great read.
Thanks Beauty and Lace and Pantera Press for my copy of the book to read.
All The Tears In China is a novel set in Shanghai in 1935.
There are newspaper snippets from different newspapers and magazines at the start of each chapter. These from 1934/35 and each one is roughly relating to part of the story.
Each one on its own is interesting.
The story starts in Sydney where we meet Rowland Sinclair. Rowland comes from a wealthy wool trading family. His brother Wilfred is meant to go to Shanghai China but due to family reasons can not go and decides to send Rowland in his place.
After Wilfred has given Rowland instructions on the things he is to do and the things he is not to do Rowland and his group of friends head off to China.
The second day there Rowland arrives back at his hotel to discover the body of the woman he met the night before.
From here the story is about clearing his name and finding out more about the girl and the crime.
Finding right from wrong in a place and time where there is much wrong and little right makes for an interesting story.
There are many parts of the story that show that a lot of research and care has gone into making this story historically correct.
I do enjoy historical fiction as it gives you a little look into a time that we didn’t know, a little glimpse into the past.
In amongst the mystery and intrigue is a bit of humour that adds a touch of colour to the story.
It is an interesting read and I did find it an enjoyable story.
This was not a book I would choose to read as it’s not quite my reading style.
I did find it hard to get going but about one quarter of the way through I found my rhythm and from here it was easier to read.
If you’ve never read a novel by Sulari Gentill before then please note that this is not a book that you pick up and fall straight into reading.
Sulari Gentill has a unique reading style one that I needed to find out how to work for me to be able to enjoy this novel.
Please enjoy your turn at reading it.