A Decline in Prophets

A Decline in Prophets
AuthorSulari Gentill
LanguageEnglish
SeriesRowland Sinclair
GenreCrime novel
PublisherPantera Press
Publication date
1 July 2011
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint
Pages353
Awards2012 Davitt Award, Best Adult Novel, winner
ISBN9780980741896
Preceded byA Few Right Thinking Men 
Followed byMiles Off Course 

A Decline in Prophets is a 2011 crime novel by Australian author Sulari Gentill. It was originally published in Australia by Arena.[1]

It is the second installment in the author's Rowland Sinclair series of novels, following A Few Right Thinking Men (2010).[2]

The novel was the winner of the Davitt Award for Best Adult Novel in 2012.[3]

Synopsis

Rowland Sinclair is travelling on a luxury liner, along with a large number of religious figures; clergymen and members of the Theosophical Society. One of these "prophets" is found stabbed to death by Sinclair's walking stick and he, of course, is implicated.

Critical reception

Writing in The Age newspaper Cameron Woodhead noted, "There's an Evelyn-Waugh-meets-Agatha-Christie feel about this series, though it perhaps bears closer comparison to that celebrated contemporary author of period crime, the Russian Boris Akunin."[4]

Kirkus Reviews called this novel "A delightful period piece."[5]

Publication history

After the novel's initial publication by Pantera Press in Australia in 2011 the novel was reprinted as follows:

  • 2016 Poisoned Pen, USA[6]
  • 2017 Pantera Press, Australia[7]
  • 2020 Oldcastle Books, UK[6]

Awards

Notes

  • Dedication: To all the prophets and profiteers I have known.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "A Decline in Prophets by Sulari Gentill (Pantera Press 2011)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Austlit – Rowland Sinclair series by Sulari Gentill". Austlit. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b ""Davitt Award Winners 2001-2025"" (PDF). Sisters in Crime. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  4. ^ ""Fiction"". The Age, 2 July 2011. ProQuest 874381639. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  5. ^ ""A Decline in Prophets"". 'Kirkus Reviews, 6 December 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b c "Austlit – A Decline in Prophets by Sulari Gentill". Austlit. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  7. ^ "A Decline in Prophets by Sulari Gentill (Pantera Press 2017)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2026.