Somebody out there knew the truth.
'The Nancys have a new client,' I announced. 'And they need us to start ASAP.'
'Wow,' Devon said. 'Word of mouth really does work.'
Uncle Pike frowned and leaned forward. 'Who?'
I glanced behind him at the straggle of guests in the kitchen. I lowered my voice, 'Nancy business. Mum can't know.'
It's been four months since Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon were together for Christmas. Now back for the first anniversary of Tippy's father's death, the Nancys are reformed when Riverstone is rocked by an early morning explosion that kills three people and destroys the town hall.
A new case is born and the Nancys re-form. Is the accused bomber really guilty? Is there a second bomber? And if so, does that mean a threat to destroy Riverstone Bridge is real? And is asparagus a colour? Once again, it is up to the Nancys to go against the flow and ignore police advice to get to the truth.
It's great to be back in Nancy business again, but this time it's all different. Uncle Pike and Devon can't agree on anything and Tippy is learning hard truths about the world and the people she loves the most. Can the Nancys stay together to do their best work and save the town? Or will the killer strike again? When everyone is right, does that make you wrong? And can Tippy ever trust anyone again?
The gripping, heartwarming and hilarious sequel to R.W.R. McDonald's smash hit The Nancys, winner of the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel.
'...hilarious and inventive: the dynamic between the young protagonist and the adult characters is unusual and special...A clever hat-tip to one of the most indelible female characters in the genre, and a story that blends crime and humour in unexpected ways.' Ngaio Marsh Awards Judges'
Praise for The Nancys:
'This book is like a little cube of Turkish Delight in a world of digestive biscuits. Get into it. Let it make you happy ... It's so funny and fun and feel-good.' Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull
'Death? Sequins? Monsters, Show Queens, a headless corpse and a cat called Bunny Whiskers? Yes, yes and YES. The Nancys is what you might get if you rolled Little Miss Sunshine, Dumplin' and CSI into a book-shaped ball and threw it into small-town NZ: funny and flamboyant but with real weight (and a dead body) at its centre. Fun, refreshing and surprisingly poignant.' Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place
'How does The Nancys manage to be both sharp and blackly funny, but also uplifting and sweet?' Toni Jordan, author of The Fragments
'Murder, makeovers, snappy dialogue (with a generous sprinkling of filth), and characters I did not want to leave on the last page. So much fun and so much heart.' Kate Mildenhall, author of The Mother Fault
'A delight - moving and hilarious. I loved every minute I spent with these characters.' Paddy O'Reilly, author of The Wonders
'Funny, dark and above all, heart-warming. The Nancys is a celebration of what's important in life - which is family, friendship and also: makeovers. R.W.R. McDonald's novel is face-paced, clever and full of wit and repartee.' Katherine Collette, author of The Helpline
The Nancys are back and as fabulous as ever!
Nancy Business is the follow-up to R.W.R. Mcdonald's hit 2019 Ngaio Marsh Award-winning debut, The Nancys.
While I enjoyed the read, I felt that this instalment lacked a little of the refreshing sparkle of its predecessor. There's certainly a darker tone to this story, and with 12-year-old protagonist Tippy Chan's growing maturity, she's gaining a better grasp on the adult connotations of what's going on in her life. Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon are going through a difficult stage in their relationship, which is making Tippy feel destabilised and also affects the Nancys' crime-fighting agenda.
It's April in Riverstone, New Zealand, and the anniversary of Tippy Chan's father's death - a difficult time for everyone. Tippy's Uncle Pike and his fabulous partner, Devon, have flown over from Sydney to offer their support, and have also purchased a house in Riverstone, which they're engaged in renovating.
Tippy, Pike and Devon have barely settled into the depressing airbnb they're sharing for the school holidays when drama again descends on the town of Riverstone. In the early hours of the morning, a bomb is detonated near the town hall, causing widespread damage and the deaths of three people. After the dust has settled, it occurs to Tippy that the bombing - and the receipt of a threat of another blast in a week's time - would make a worthy second case for their crime-busting trio to investigate. Just as long as her Mum doesn't find out...
Balancing the questioning of suspects with the acquisition of a new pet, heated interactions with members of the local and national media and myriad interior decorating conundra, the Nancys reconvene and set to work.
The central characters are well-developed and their relationships placed under added pressure this time around, as Uncle Pike and Devon argue over their future together and Tippy reels upon learning more detail about her father's death a year before. There's still a lot of humour, but there's also a fair bit of sobbing, anger and hard conversations around grief, blame and the politics of outing. I felt the challenges of Tippy's burgeoning transition to adulthood were handled sensitively and unflinchingly by the author and was not surprised to read in the back flap biography that he's raising two daughters of his own. Tippy's active bystander status in the ongoing relationship conflict between Pike and Devon was also a well-developed theme.
There cast of supporting characters include several recurring characters from The Nancys, as well as several new additions. Some, such as Tippy's neighbours Mrs. Brown and Melanie, contribute moments of levity or pathos to the story, while others bring a threatening malice. While Uncle Pike's newly acquired pet, a guard-dog renamed Fabulon, starts in the latter category, he soon becomes a rather lovable (if smelly) associate member of the Nancys.
A wonderfully joyous concluding chapter, after the apprehension of the villain, left me with a smile on my face and sowed the seeds for the subject of the Nancys next outing. I'll await it with baited (possum) breath...
I'd highly recommend Nancy Business to all readers who enjoy quirky character-based reads, and lovers of Australian-New Zealand crime literature. This is, however, a situation where I would strongly recommend reading in series order, as much of the back story in The Nancys is essential to understanding the characters and setting of Nancy Business. And it's such a fun read anyway - why wouldn't you?
Sarah, 03/09/2021
