Robin Adair (1936–2023)

I read and enjoyed Adair's first book, Death and the Running Patterer, set in Australia in the early 1800s. Adair is a good teacher, and I think that's what starts to wear on this particularly book. There is a lot of "information dumping" that slows down and stops the book from time to time. The information is interesting, but after a while I kept catching myself and thinking "okay, now why is it that I need to know this right now? What connection does it have to the murders?"

This particular book deals with a bank robbery and Napoleon's legacy, which make for interesting reading in that you can't help but wonder what the connection is between Napoleon and Australia. You'll learn, of course. I don't think I had a snowball's chance in Australia to figure out the solution to the mystery. This isn't an "open" mystery. I do enjoy the main character, Nicodemus Dunne, and I would read another book with him just because I like him and that world a great deal. But I would like to see a mystery that doesn't cheat so much--I enjoy trying my hand at figuring out whodunnit.… (meer)

The book I would most compare this to in terms of the way it works and in terms of its pacing is Imogene Robertson's mysteries, particularly her first book. The short chapters create the feeling of the Patterer's work itself; he's on the move here and there, not only investigating the murders, but delivering the news.

Nicodemus Dunne is an interesting character all around. He is a transportee to Australia, something that would make any other man of his intelligence resentful and sombre; Nicodemus, instead, is eccentric, cheerful (for the most part), and kind. He's possessed of a wicked sense of humor, too. And he appreciates the grotesque and unusual while still being horrified and shocked at it. He's a former Bow Street Runner, so he's seen a lot, but he's not so jaded as to be unmoved by a gruesome death. He takes a breath, though, and goes on in his investigation.

I highly recommend the book and look forward to another (at least, I hope there's another on the horizon or that I haven't heard of yet).… (meer)

Guns, murders, lost treasure, bombs, secret codes, sex, bawdy songs and very naughty jokes - Australian history was never as entertaining as this at school!
I love the way author Robin Adair takes a real long ago event and embroiders it into a compelling story, blending fictional heroes with historic figures. In his first, the award winning Death and the Running Patterer, it was a coroner's inquest in to a mysterious body. In this sequel, it's the first ever bank robbery in NSW in 1828. Again, the central character is Nicodemus Dunne, the colony's Running Patterer (aka newshawker). But he's more of an action man this time taking on murderers, conspirators and someone the entire world believes is well and truly buried.
This could have turned into just a boy's own adventure but for the presence of Miss Susannah Hathaway, a spunky American singer who is not at all backward in coming forward.
An added bonus is the life the author breathes into textbook names. Woolman John Macarthur is insanely jealous of any man who looks at his wife Elizabeth, and he struts about Sydney town flanked by a bodyguard of uniformed Aboriginal warriors. Governor Darling is a pompous martinet obsessed with the quality of his coffee. My favourite is Munito. Billed at the Theatre Royal as " the dog who could speak seven languages and plays dominoes", he helps the patterer find the mastermind behind the crimes
A marvellous mix of mystery and history.… (meer)

THE GHOST OF WATERLOO is the second Nicodemus Dunne book, set in 1800's Sydney in the earliest days of the Colony. Reading the first in the series - DEATH AND THE RUNNING PATTERER will give you the complete background to Dunne - how he came to Sydney, how he came to be earning his way as a Running Patterer. It also explains why his background as a London policeman would lead Governor Darling to call for his assistance when a major robbery and spate of murders proves not just difficult to solve, but potentially embarrassing for the Colony leaders. Having said that, it would be possible to pick up THE GHOST OF WATERLOO first if you need to - this book includes enough hints to give you an idea of the background, although there's no reason why you shouldn't also read the earlier book if you've not yet had the pleasure.

At the opening of the book Adair has included a cast of characters with a short bio, and, most importantly, a flag for those who are fictitious and therefore who were real people. This should help readers a little in understanding that ultimately this is fiction set in a very real setting. Somehow this combination of the real and the fictitious, combined with the story that is built in the book, all contribute to making a connection between 1828 Sydney and Napoleon Bonaparte believable. Mind you, I didn't ever feel the need to sit down and check all the possible timelines - frankly, I found the book too engaging and too convincing to wonder too much about the historical veracity. The possibility was tantalising.

Dunne is the central focus of these books, but there is a good supporting cast of characters - including a few romance elements which are nicely handled. The reality of investigating a series of crimes in the 1800's is covered well - the small society in which the crimes are committed works nicely. There is some humour throughout the book, and there is some action that on one hand you'd dearly like to think happened, even though a part of you knows perfectly well it probably didn't.

It does need to be remembered that this is fiction in a factual setting, and that's a scenario that can put off some readers. The good thing about these books is there is no suggestion whatsoever that any of the events covered are likely to be history changing. Somehow the idea that the nefarious goings on in both of Adair's books could have happened and the progress of the Colony of NSW would press on regardless works. The setting is also realistically and very convincingly drawn in both books. You get an almost visual feel for the way that early Sydney looked, smelt, sounded and felt for the residents. DEATH AND THE RUNNING PATTERER was a terrific debut of an interesting, engaging and extremely believable character in Nicodemus Dunne and THE GHOST OF WATERLOO carries on with his life, and the world around him with equal aplomb.… (meer)