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The Nancy’s #2
Nancy Business
Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon are back for another camp cozy crime mystery from the award-winning author of The Nancys.
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?
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?
360 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2021
12 people are currently reading
436 people want to read
About the author
R.W.R. McDonald
6 books97 followersR.W.R. McDonald (Rob) is an award-winning author, a kiwi living in Melbourne with his two daughters and one HarryCat.
His debut novel, The Nancys, won Best First Novel in 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards, as well as a finalist in the Best Novel category, and it was shortlisted for Best First Novel in 2020 Ned Kelly Awards.
His second novel, Nancy Business, a sequel to The Nancys was published in June 21, and was a finalist in 2022 Ngaio Marsh Awards for Best Novel.
Rob was also a contributor to Dark Deeds Down Under, a crime fiction anthology, published by Clan Destine Press June 2022, with a short story, Nancys Undercover, which features his crime fighting trio.
Happy Millionth Birthday, published September, 2023 by Larrikin House, is Rob's first picture book - illustrated by Alexandra Colombo.
Rainbow St, Rob's next picture book will be published 2025.
An Ambush of Widows, an audiobook by Ulverscroft, will be available 1 December 2024
His debut novel, The Nancys, won Best First Novel in 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards, as well as a finalist in the Best Novel category, and it was shortlisted for Best First Novel in 2020 Ned Kelly Awards.
His second novel, Nancy Business, a sequel to The Nancys was published in June 21, and was a finalist in 2022 Ngaio Marsh Awards for Best Novel.
Rob was also a contributor to Dark Deeds Down Under, a crime fiction anthology, published by Clan Destine Press June 2022, with a short story, Nancys Undercover, which features his crime fighting trio.
Happy Millionth Birthday, published September, 2023 by Larrikin House, is Rob's first picture book - illustrated by Alexandra Colombo.
Rainbow St, Rob's next picture book will be published 2025.
An Ambush of Widows, an audiobook by Ulverscroft, will be available 1 December 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
November 15, 2023
I could not help but compare this with the first book The Nancys which I enjoyed very much. Nancy Business is darker and a little less funny. Tippy finds out that even your closest adults can let you down, and Uncle Pike and Devon are in a bad place in their relationship, which makes for a lot less happiness all round.
I was also uncomfortable this time around with the way Uncle Pike and Devon behave around Tippy. Were they this full on in the first book and I just did not notice? Or did the author step it up a little? Whichever, I wanted to whisk Tippy away from it all and bring her back when they were able to think about her instead of themselves.
On the plus side the story moved forward a lot and there is obviously another book to be written about Tippy's father. There were still lots of funny bits and lots of love around when people (I am looking at you Devon) were in better moods. Worth reading but not as much fun as book one.
I was also uncomfortable this time around with the way Uncle Pike and Devon behave around Tippy. Were they this full on in the first book and I just did not notice? Or did the author step it up a little? Whichever, I wanted to whisk Tippy away from it all and bring her back when they were able to think about her instead of themselves.
On the plus side the story moved forward a lot and there is obviously another book to be written about Tippy's father. There were still lots of funny bits and lots of love around when people (I am looking at you Devon) were in better moods. Worth reading but not as much fun as book one.
January 4, 2023
The Nancys was one of my favourite books last year, and I've been looking forward to this sequel ever since I knew it was getting published. I was excited when it finally arrived and yes, it lived up to my expectations.
It's been four months since the events of the previous book, and Uncle Pike and Devon are back for another visit. The previous drama has had an effect on all of them, especially Devon, who had lost some of his sparkle. Please note the following spoiler is also a spoiler for the first book: He and Uncle Pike are not getting along that well and Tippy is worried they will break up. She is disappointed that she hasn't been able to find another mystery for The Nancys to investigate, but then an explosion rocks the town, causing three deaths, and a new case presents itself.
I loved being back with these characters, even Hornblower, who I kind of hate even though I feel sorry for him. The end of this book sets up for at least one more, which I am thrilled about. With these to two books R.W.R. McDonald has become a favourite of mine and I will happily read anything he writes!
It's been four months since the events of the previous book, and Uncle Pike and Devon are back for another visit. The previous drama has had an effect on all of them, especially Devon, who had lost some of his sparkle. Please note the following spoiler is also a spoiler for the first book: He and Uncle Pike are not getting along that well and Tippy is worried they will break up. She is disappointed that she hasn't been able to find another mystery for The Nancys to investigate, but then an explosion rocks the town, causing three deaths, and a new case presents itself.
I loved being back with these characters, even Hornblower, who I kind of hate even though I feel sorry for him. The end of this book sets up for at least one more, which I am thrilled about. With these to two books R.W.R. McDonald has become a favourite of mine and I will happily read anything he writes!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2021
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
A fashionably hilarious romp into the world of amateur detectives.
Nancy Business by R.W.R. Mcdonald is part murder mystery and part family drama with its larger than life cast. Here we are reunited again with Tippy, Uncle Pike and his partner Devon. I love spending time with these characters so much, they’re heartwarming, extremely colourful and hilariously funny.
Uncle Pike and Devon have just arrived from Sydney, back for the first anniversary of Tippy’s father’s death. They’re renting a ‘stinky’ Airbnb close to town while they renovate their new holiday home. Young Tippy is still reeling to come to terms with her father’s death one year later.
The Nancy’s reform when a bomb rocks the town next to where Tippy’s mother works and three people are killed. The police are firm on who the bomber is but Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon aren’t so sure the police have it right so they set out on their own investigation.
Meanwhile Devon seems to have lost his sparkle and relationship problems are brewing between him and Uncle Pike, will they break up? I found myself flying through the pages to find out what happens next. Tippy learns more about her fathers death, can she ever trust anyone again? Will there be any more bombings?
This sequel to The Nancys has the perfect balance of everything you could wish for, loved the banter, the love and affection shown for Tippy and the emotional journeys of our protagonists. I’m joyful that the ending left us hanging for yet another sequel…..exciting stuff, can’t wait!
Although not necessary, I recommend you read The Nancys first.
Publication Date 1 June 2021
Thank you so much Allen & Unwin for the chance to win a copy of the book
A fashionably hilarious romp into the world of amateur detectives.
Nancy Business by R.W.R. Mcdonald is part murder mystery and part family drama with its larger than life cast. Here we are reunited again with Tippy, Uncle Pike and his partner Devon. I love spending time with these characters so much, they’re heartwarming, extremely colourful and hilariously funny.
Uncle Pike and Devon have just arrived from Sydney, back for the first anniversary of Tippy’s father’s death. They’re renting a ‘stinky’ Airbnb close to town while they renovate their new holiday home. Young Tippy is still reeling to come to terms with her father’s death one year later.
The Nancy’s reform when a bomb rocks the town next to where Tippy’s mother works and three people are killed. The police are firm on who the bomber is but Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon aren’t so sure the police have it right so they set out on their own investigation.
Meanwhile Devon seems to have lost his sparkle and relationship problems are brewing between him and Uncle Pike, will they break up? I found myself flying through the pages to find out what happens next. Tippy learns more about her fathers death, can she ever trust anyone again? Will there be any more bombings?
This sequel to The Nancys has the perfect balance of everything you could wish for, loved the banter, the love and affection shown for Tippy and the emotional journeys of our protagonists. I’m joyful that the ending left us hanging for yet another sequel…..exciting stuff, can’t wait!
Although not necessary, I recommend you read The Nancys first.
Publication Date 1 June 2021
Thank you so much Allen & Unwin for the chance to win a copy of the book
September 3, 2021
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've begun 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.
The cast of supporting characters include several recurring characters from The Nancys, as well as some 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?
My thanks to Allen & Unwin Book Publishers for the provision of an uncorrected proof of this title to read and review.
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've begun 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.
The cast of supporting characters include several recurring characters from The Nancys, as well as some 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?
My thanks to Allen & Unwin Book Publishers for the provision of an uncorrected proof of this title to read and review.
April 22, 2022
This second outing with the Nancys has all of the charm and humour of the first, but without being quite so relentlessly hectic. I enjoyed it very much.
Not long after catching the Riverstone murderer, Pike and Devon have surprisingly bought the murder house and are back in NZ to oversee the renovations being done by (hot) Jack Pepper. They can't live in their holiday home yet, so they're renting a smelly AirBnB in the middle of town, and because Helen - Tippy's mum - is working all hours at the medical centre, Tippy is staying with them. Having trouble sleeping on her first night there, Tippy is propelled from her bed by loud noises and shaking in the early hours. Joining the men in the living room, the three soon realise it's not an earthquake but an explosion! A bomb has gone off in central Riverstone! (I don't think that's a spoiler as there are cartoonish bombs all over the eye-catching cover of the book.) With Helen on a late shift, the trio rushes out to see what's going on and most importantly, to ensure that she is safe. What they discover may seem like an open and shut case to the local police, but not to the Nancys, so before we know it, the Nancys once again have a case to investigate.
All the characters we came to know from the first book are back, minus Sam of course, which is a source of regret for Tippy who misses her old best friend. They are growing, but none more so than Tippy herself, who has a big surprise coming by the end of the book. There are double entendres, haircuts, faarshun, jealousy, an underage driver and a pink dog - what more could a reader ask for! The mystery is strong enough to propel the story along, without being overly complicated, but let's all agree that's not the attraction of this series. We are here for the Nancys! And I loved the ending with more than a hint of the next case for this unique trio.
I won a copy of this book from Allen&Unwin, via a giveaway on carpelibrum.net. Thanks very much to both.
Not long after catching the Riverstone murderer, Pike and Devon have surprisingly bought the murder house and are back in NZ to oversee the renovations being done by (hot) Jack Pepper. They can't live in their holiday home yet, so they're renting a smelly AirBnB in the middle of town, and because Helen - Tippy's mum - is working all hours at the medical centre, Tippy is staying with them. Having trouble sleeping on her first night there, Tippy is propelled from her bed by loud noises and shaking in the early hours. Joining the men in the living room, the three soon realise it's not an earthquake but an explosion! A bomb has gone off in central Riverstone! (I don't think that's a spoiler as there are cartoonish bombs all over the eye-catching cover of the book.) With Helen on a late shift, the trio rushes out to see what's going on and most importantly, to ensure that she is safe. What they discover may seem like an open and shut case to the local police, but not to the Nancys, so before we know it, the Nancys once again have a case to investigate.
All the characters we came to know from the first book are back, minus Sam of course, which is a source of regret for Tippy who misses her old best friend. They are growing, but none more so than Tippy herself, who has a big surprise coming by the end of the book. There are double entendres, haircuts, faarshun, jealousy, an underage driver and a pink dog - what more could a reader ask for! The mystery is strong enough to propel the story along, without being overly complicated, but let's all agree that's not the attraction of this series. We are here for the Nancys! And I loved the ending with more than a hint of the next case for this unique trio.
I won a copy of this book from Allen&Unwin, via a giveaway on carpelibrum.net. Thanks very much to both.
July 3, 2021
We are back in New Zealand with Tippy, Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon, it is the anniversary of Tippy’s father’s death, will it be a quiet time this visit or will there be a mystery to uncover? It doesn’t take long before there is a bomb blast in Riverstone and The Nancy’s are back in business.
Uncle Pike and Devon have bought a house in Riverstone and plan to use it as a holiday house but for the moment they are renting an Airbnb and seeing as how it is school holidays Tippy is staying with them and now there is a lot of investigating to do, was the bomber working on his own or are there more involved?
Investigating has its problems as Pike and Devon seem to be arguing a lot and Tippy worries they will break up. There seems to be a lot of secrets to get to the bottom of, just how many people are involved in this, the police would say just one but Tippy knows better and her never give up attitude keeps her going even when there are personal problems worrying her.
When I picked this one up it felt like I had just put the last book down it flowed straight on almost and the witty banter is still there and I love how The Nancy’s do their investigating and keep track of all they know. I do love the characters that come to life in this book and I am really looking forward to the next one, yes? bring it on. I do recommend this book if you are looking for a fun mystery to read with fun and fabulous out there characters.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review
Uncle Pike and Devon have bought a house in Riverstone and plan to use it as a holiday house but for the moment they are renting an Airbnb and seeing as how it is school holidays Tippy is staying with them and now there is a lot of investigating to do, was the bomber working on his own or are there more involved?
Investigating has its problems as Pike and Devon seem to be arguing a lot and Tippy worries they will break up. There seems to be a lot of secrets to get to the bottom of, just how many people are involved in this, the police would say just one but Tippy knows better and her never give up attitude keeps her going even when there are personal problems worrying her.
When I picked this one up it felt like I had just put the last book down it flowed straight on almost and the witty banter is still there and I love how The Nancy’s do their investigating and keep track of all they know. I do love the characters that come to life in this book and I am really looking forward to the next one, yes? bring it on. I do recommend this book if you are looking for a fun mystery to read with fun and fabulous out there characters.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review
dnf-abandoned
April 23, 2022DNF. I really enjoyed the first one, but this seems to be dragging and isn't holding my attention at all. I have so many other books I really want to read that I'm going to have to set this aside. Pity, because I loved the first one, and who knows? I might love the next one! They are great characters.
December 27, 2021
Who is ready for some Nancy Business? 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️ Thank you so much to @allenandunwin and @rwrmcdonald for having me on the Blog tour for this fabulous book. Nancy Business is out in Australia and NZ now.
After reading The Nancy's, I was super excited from more of this trios antics and here we are with book 2. I recently listened to an interview with RWR McDonald on @wordsandnerds_podcast where he said he sees this story as a trilogy so fingers crossed for at least one more book 🤞
So, we are back in Riverstone with Pippy, Uncle Pike and Devon. It is coming up to the first anniversary of Pippy's dads death and her favourite uncle and his partner have returned to help them through it. They have also bought a holiday home in town that they are renovating. Not long after they return a bomb goes off in the middle of the night, destroying the town hall and killing 3 people. Now the accused bomber is the most unlikely of bombers and Pippy convinces Pike and Devon that there must be a second bomber, or somebody else responsible - cue another Nancy's investigation.
Once again, RWR McDonald has written a fun and addictive murder mystery. I can't tell you how much I love the character of Devon. He is super camp and adorable! And a hero in this book in more ways than one. He and Pike are fighting quite a bit in the book, which breaks Pippy's heart - and mine if I am honest.
I want to be a Nancy, and you will too after you read these books, And that ending - please book 3, hurry up already!!! This one gets all the stars from me ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After reading The Nancy's, I was super excited from more of this trios antics and here we are with book 2. I recently listened to an interview with RWR McDonald on @wordsandnerds_podcast where he said he sees this story as a trilogy so fingers crossed for at least one more book 🤞
So, we are back in Riverstone with Pippy, Uncle Pike and Devon. It is coming up to the first anniversary of Pippy's dads death and her favourite uncle and his partner have returned to help them through it. They have also bought a holiday home in town that they are renovating. Not long after they return a bomb goes off in the middle of the night, destroying the town hall and killing 3 people. Now the accused bomber is the most unlikely of bombers and Pippy convinces Pike and Devon that there must be a second bomber, or somebody else responsible - cue another Nancy's investigation.
Once again, RWR McDonald has written a fun and addictive murder mystery. I can't tell you how much I love the character of Devon. He is super camp and adorable! And a hero in this book in more ways than one. He and Pike are fighting quite a bit in the book, which breaks Pippy's heart - and mine if I am honest.
I want to be a Nancy, and you will too after you read these books, And that ending - please book 3, hurry up already!!! This one gets all the stars from me ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
June 10, 2021
The Nancy’s are back in R.W.R. McDonald’s fabulous sequel to his fabulous 2019 debut, Nancy Business.
It’s been four months since The Nancy’s solved the case of the slain schoolteacher and Tippy Chan’s Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon have returned to the small New Zealand town of Riverstone for the first anniversary of Tippy’s father death. Tippy, now twelve, is delighted they have returned though disappointed she is yet to find a new mystery for them to solve. That’s soon remedied however when a car bomb explodes outside Riverstone’s town hall in the early hours of the morning, killing three people, including the alleged bomber, and wounding two. Tippy is at a loss to understand the horror and wants to know who would do such a thing, and why? Though the police seem to have all the answers, when Tippy learns of a letter threatening to blow up the town bridge in five days she convinces Uncle Pike and Devon that the Nancy’s need to investigate.
Whereas I wasn’t quite sold on the mystery in The Nancy’s, I don’t have the same issue here. Though still a rather spectacular crime to occur in a small country town, this time the entire thing feels less Scooby-Doo-like and more grounded in possibility. Establishing The Nancy’s HQ at the ‘murder’ house Pike and Devon have bought on the outskirts of Riverstone, the threesome attempt to figure out if the threat of a second bombing is real, after all, the police have been wrong before. Their usual sources are a little less cooperative this time but that doesn’t stop The Nancy’s nosing around, leading to a jealous husband, a bitey dog, bad smells, and a car chase down Main Street. Solving this case also leads to an unexpected twist with surprising implications for Tippy and her family (and the joy of a third book to look forward to).
McDonald conjures the same magic he created in The Nancy’s with Tippy’s charming narrative, and the witty, often outrageous, dialogue from Pike and Devon, though it has a sharper edge in Nancy Business. The pair don’t seem to be getting along very well, making Tippy anxious about the possibility of further loss. There’s more pathos on show all round in this novel as McDonald continues to explore the theme of grief. Naturally the anniversary of Joe Chan’s death evokes sadness and regret in those who loved him, emotions which are amplified when Tippy learns the truth about her father’s accident. McDonald’s portrayal of Tippy’s devastation in the wake of that revelation is heartrendingly authentic.
Though it’s not strictly necessary to have read The Nancy’s to enjoy this, I would strongly recommend you do. Brilliantly balancing poignancy with hilarity, family drama with mystery, Nancy Business is a wonderfully engaging and entertaining read.
It’s been four months since The Nancy’s solved the case of the slain schoolteacher and Tippy Chan’s Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon have returned to the small New Zealand town of Riverstone for the first anniversary of Tippy’s father death. Tippy, now twelve, is delighted they have returned though disappointed she is yet to find a new mystery for them to solve. That’s soon remedied however when a car bomb explodes outside Riverstone’s town hall in the early hours of the morning, killing three people, including the alleged bomber, and wounding two. Tippy is at a loss to understand the horror and wants to know who would do such a thing, and why? Though the police seem to have all the answers, when Tippy learns of a letter threatening to blow up the town bridge in five days she convinces Uncle Pike and Devon that the Nancy’s need to investigate.
Whereas I wasn’t quite sold on the mystery in The Nancy’s, I don’t have the same issue here. Though still a rather spectacular crime to occur in a small country town, this time the entire thing feels less Scooby-Doo-like and more grounded in possibility. Establishing The Nancy’s HQ at the ‘murder’ house Pike and Devon have bought on the outskirts of Riverstone, the threesome attempt to figure out if the threat of a second bombing is real, after all, the police have been wrong before. Their usual sources are a little less cooperative this time but that doesn’t stop The Nancy’s nosing around, leading to a jealous husband, a bitey dog, bad smells, and a car chase down Main Street. Solving this case also leads to an unexpected twist with surprising implications for Tippy and her family (and the joy of a third book to look forward to).
McDonald conjures the same magic he created in The Nancy’s with Tippy’s charming narrative, and the witty, often outrageous, dialogue from Pike and Devon, though it has a sharper edge in Nancy Business. The pair don’t seem to be getting along very well, making Tippy anxious about the possibility of further loss. There’s more pathos on show all round in this novel as McDonald continues to explore the theme of grief. Naturally the anniversary of Joe Chan’s death evokes sadness and regret in those who loved him, emotions which are amplified when Tippy learns the truth about her father’s accident. McDonald’s portrayal of Tippy’s devastation in the wake of that revelation is heartrendingly authentic.
Though it’s not strictly necessary to have read The Nancy’s to enjoy this, I would strongly recommend you do. Brilliantly balancing poignancy with hilarity, family drama with mystery, Nancy Business is a wonderfully engaging and entertaining read.
June 6, 2021
McDonald stays true to form in Nancy Business. The story is snappy, and the narration is as frank and literal as its main character, Tippy Chan. She has a certain naivete in her observation and expression, which makes the darker aspects of her story more palatable, balanced with keen insights into the human condition that could only come from the mouths of babes.
It was a pleasure to join her, her uncles, and the residents of Riverstone for another heart-felt and hilarious romp in the world of amateur sleuthing.
My full review of Nancy Business appeared first on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
It was a pleasure to join her, her uncles, and the residents of Riverstone for another heart-felt and hilarious romp in the world of amateur sleuthing.
My full review of Nancy Business appeared first on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
May 29, 2021
Grief does not have an expiry date.
Oh, there are many who thinks that’s exactly what it has, a fixed moment in time which, when reached, magically dissolves all the pain, trauma and loss of having to say goodbye to someone infinitely special, taking with it the complex and unpredictable interweaving of emotions that sees you happy one second and a burbling mess the next.
Nor, it is safe to say, is it neat and tidy, expressing itself in compact and exquisitely well-ordered fashion, a tumbling tsunami of emotions all lined up, serving number clutched hopefully in hand, ready to politely and with the utmost decorum and respect, let the world know that what is happened is wrong, unfair and deeply, irrevocably sad.
But why are we even discussing what grief is and is not in a review of a book that comes with a bright orange, inherently playful cover, a title that comes inbuilt with a mischievous wink and a nod and explosive emojis that suggest a colourfully-rendered cartoon-like explosiveness?
Simply because Nancys Business, the second novel by R. W. R. McDonald, the writer who gave us the hilariously but meaningfully-layered delights of the highly-awarded The Nancys (it more than deservedly won the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel), has brilliantly managed with wit, wisdom and incisive thoughtfulness to serve up a novel that is as much a homage to the Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene as it is a highly-affecting and oft times searingly honest exploration of grief.
If you recall, the events of The Nancys, where young Tippy Chan and her irreverently flamboyant guncles (gay uncles) Pike and Devon get their fabulous amateur detective on, takes place in the months after the tween has had to deal with the death of her father in a car accident, an event so catastrophically sudden and destructively wrenching for her and her nurse mother Lennie (Pike’s sister) that their once idyllic life in the small town of Riverstone, New Zealand is never the same again.
For all of the gorgeous nostalgic fun of massive Nancy Drew fans going full Miss Marple and doing it with style, grace and matching T-shirts, The Nancys unflinchingly examined what it is like to face the death of a close loved one and how, despite our best efforts, the attendant grief that comes with their passing seems to resist any and all attempts at obvious banishment.
Nancy Business, an inspired title which once again nods its famously clever head to both Ms. Drew’s adventures and the reclamation of a pejorative name for gay men with which this reviewer is far too well acquainted thanks to persistent childhood bullies, continues this empathetic look at the pain and loss of grief but also, rather hopefully, what can happen when you inadvertently begin healing by the most unexpected of means.
But it goes one impressively step further this time around.
McDonald’s happily engaging, expertly layered second novel goes in deep and hard on the fact that while there is a spirited debate to be had about stand-up vs. sit-down meetings (the latter if you please, and we do), and that Nancy Drew was a whole lot darker and weirder than we give it credit for, the more important discussion that needs to be had is what do you do when you reach the anniversary of your loved one’s death, in this case Tippy’s much-loved and greatly-missed dad, and the gnawing sense of loss still seems to be present in highly uncomfortable quantities?
Well, you dive into another mystery of course.
It’s not necessarily what the grief doctor ordered as Lennie, Tippy and Pike and Devon, who are not as happily coupled as they once were, mark the one-year since their cosily domestic world, admittedly in a town Pike hates and raced to Sydney as a youth to get far away from, but it arrives just as everyone (bar Lennie) needs it.
It is, like many things in Nancy Business not as lightly fun as you think it might be but that is wholly a good thing in a novel that shades in light, dark, charm and emotional truthfulness in compellingly wonderful amounts, allowing you to watch on with glee and hand-clapping excitement as Tippy, Pike and Devon set out to solve the mystery of who bombed and destroyed Riverstone’s town hall and much of its downtown district and killed three people in the process (with the frightening possibility of more to come) while also soberly witnessing the effect that death can have on lives that felt giddily light and endlessly possible until its arrival.
It’s a consummately well-executed blend of the bleak and the blithe, the deadly serious (quite literally as it turns out) and the designer fabulous, and it is never less than inherently meaningful and thoughtfully insightful in a book that manifestly deserves its riotously bold and orange cover, explosive emoji and all but which holds your heart, grabs your hand and sits with you as tears roll down your, or rather Tippy, Pike, Lennie and Devon’s faces.
It’s that captivatingly good blend of adventurous fun, witty word play and boldly honest humanity that elevates Nancy Business far beyond being a nostalgia-inspired piece of playful sleuth-heavy storytelling (it is that, by the way, and it is gloriously good at being that but that is, happily, not all it is).
Very much in keeping with the Scandinavian idea of bright and light packaging with a darkly knowing inner core (think many of ABBA’s songs as just one example), Nancy Business is in the mystery solving game, not just to have some deliciously camp fun, but to look death and grief in the eye and say we know what you are like and we are prepared to live with you if that’s what it takes to find our way to life again.
It is so richly rewarding to read a novel that gets what grief is, really gets it, and knows that while therapy and introspection in this space is vitally important, it is not the only way that people come to terms with tremendous loss.
In fact, as Tippy discovers when all kinds of secrets come to the surface causing her to wonder if her entire life is one big cruel, carefully concealed lie, it’s when you get back to living life while investigating death’s quite serious ramifications (and remembering to take photos of all your clue mapping out; oh wait, you didn’t? Oops) that healing kind of happens, somewhat accidentally, in the places in-between.
The heart-happy, queer-rich delight of Nancy Business is that it knows life can be devastatingly sad and that grief doesn’t magically disappear through sheer will or the passage of time (and that was once good may not ever be so good again); it knows deep in its storytelling DNA that life has a mischievously fun way of defying the very worst of things and making them better but only after all kinds of risks have been taken, darkly challenging things faced, and debates had, and yes, this is very serious, on whether asparagus is even a colour.
Oh, there are many who thinks that’s exactly what it has, a fixed moment in time which, when reached, magically dissolves all the pain, trauma and loss of having to say goodbye to someone infinitely special, taking with it the complex and unpredictable interweaving of emotions that sees you happy one second and a burbling mess the next.
Nor, it is safe to say, is it neat and tidy, expressing itself in compact and exquisitely well-ordered fashion, a tumbling tsunami of emotions all lined up, serving number clutched hopefully in hand, ready to politely and with the utmost decorum and respect, let the world know that what is happened is wrong, unfair and deeply, irrevocably sad.
But why are we even discussing what grief is and is not in a review of a book that comes with a bright orange, inherently playful cover, a title that comes inbuilt with a mischievous wink and a nod and explosive emojis that suggest a colourfully-rendered cartoon-like explosiveness?
Simply because Nancys Business, the second novel by R. W. R. McDonald, the writer who gave us the hilariously but meaningfully-layered delights of the highly-awarded The Nancys (it more than deservedly won the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel), has brilliantly managed with wit, wisdom and incisive thoughtfulness to serve up a novel that is as much a homage to the Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene as it is a highly-affecting and oft times searingly honest exploration of grief.
If you recall, the events of The Nancys, where young Tippy Chan and her irreverently flamboyant guncles (gay uncles) Pike and Devon get their fabulous amateur detective on, takes place in the months after the tween has had to deal with the death of her father in a car accident, an event so catastrophically sudden and destructively wrenching for her and her nurse mother Lennie (Pike’s sister) that their once idyllic life in the small town of Riverstone, New Zealand is never the same again.
For all of the gorgeous nostalgic fun of massive Nancy Drew fans going full Miss Marple and doing it with style, grace and matching T-shirts, The Nancys unflinchingly examined what it is like to face the death of a close loved one and how, despite our best efforts, the attendant grief that comes with their passing seems to resist any and all attempts at obvious banishment.
Nancy Business, an inspired title which once again nods its famously clever head to both Ms. Drew’s adventures and the reclamation of a pejorative name for gay men with which this reviewer is far too well acquainted thanks to persistent childhood bullies, continues this empathetic look at the pain and loss of grief but also, rather hopefully, what can happen when you inadvertently begin healing by the most unexpected of means.
But it goes one impressively step further this time around.
McDonald’s happily engaging, expertly layered second novel goes in deep and hard on the fact that while there is a spirited debate to be had about stand-up vs. sit-down meetings (the latter if you please, and we do), and that Nancy Drew was a whole lot darker and weirder than we give it credit for, the more important discussion that needs to be had is what do you do when you reach the anniversary of your loved one’s death, in this case Tippy’s much-loved and greatly-missed dad, and the gnawing sense of loss still seems to be present in highly uncomfortable quantities?
Well, you dive into another mystery of course.
It’s not necessarily what the grief doctor ordered as Lennie, Tippy and Pike and Devon, who are not as happily coupled as they once were, mark the one-year since their cosily domestic world, admittedly in a town Pike hates and raced to Sydney as a youth to get far away from, but it arrives just as everyone (bar Lennie) needs it.
It is, like many things in Nancy Business not as lightly fun as you think it might be but that is wholly a good thing in a novel that shades in light, dark, charm and emotional truthfulness in compellingly wonderful amounts, allowing you to watch on with glee and hand-clapping excitement as Tippy, Pike and Devon set out to solve the mystery of who bombed and destroyed Riverstone’s town hall and much of its downtown district and killed three people in the process (with the frightening possibility of more to come) while also soberly witnessing the effect that death can have on lives that felt giddily light and endlessly possible until its arrival.
It’s a consummately well-executed blend of the bleak and the blithe, the deadly serious (quite literally as it turns out) and the designer fabulous, and it is never less than inherently meaningful and thoughtfully insightful in a book that manifestly deserves its riotously bold and orange cover, explosive emoji and all but which holds your heart, grabs your hand and sits with you as tears roll down your, or rather Tippy, Pike, Lennie and Devon’s faces.
It’s that captivatingly good blend of adventurous fun, witty word play and boldly honest humanity that elevates Nancy Business far beyond being a nostalgia-inspired piece of playful sleuth-heavy storytelling (it is that, by the way, and it is gloriously good at being that but that is, happily, not all it is).
Very much in keeping with the Scandinavian idea of bright and light packaging with a darkly knowing inner core (think many of ABBA’s songs as just one example), Nancy Business is in the mystery solving game, not just to have some deliciously camp fun, but to look death and grief in the eye and say we know what you are like and we are prepared to live with you if that’s what it takes to find our way to life again.
It is so richly rewarding to read a novel that gets what grief is, really gets it, and knows that while therapy and introspection in this space is vitally important, it is not the only way that people come to terms with tremendous loss.
In fact, as Tippy discovers when all kinds of secrets come to the surface causing her to wonder if her entire life is one big cruel, carefully concealed lie, it’s when you get back to living life while investigating death’s quite serious ramifications (and remembering to take photos of all your clue mapping out; oh wait, you didn’t? Oops) that healing kind of happens, somewhat accidentally, in the places in-between.
The heart-happy, queer-rich delight of Nancy Business is that it knows life can be devastatingly sad and that grief doesn’t magically disappear through sheer will or the passage of time (and that was once good may not ever be so good again); it knows deep in its storytelling DNA that life has a mischievously fun way of defying the very worst of things and making them better but only after all kinds of risks have been taken, darkly challenging things faced, and debates had, and yes, this is very serious, on whether asparagus is even a colour.
June 3, 2021
Let me just start by saying, when I grow up I want to be 12 year old Tippy Chan. Or at least occupy her world along with her pragmatic mother Helen, her eccentric Uncle Pike and his mostly over-the-top partner (and Tippy's honorary sissy) Devon.
It's so easy to get lost in the world RWR McDonald creates, that it seems very real. I feel sad at the thought of leaving them behind each time I turn the last page. Although – in reality – it feels as if it's I'm the one being left behind.
I adored The Nancys; McDonald's 2019 debut novel introducing us to Nancy Drew-lover Tippy and her family. In my review of that book my only qualm was that I felt the 'mystery' under investigation by The Nancys was perhaps a little weak - particularly in comparison to the amazing characters and witty dialogue on offer.
It's certainly not the case here however, and the who and why-dunnit is complex and deeply rooted in town secrets.
4. 5 stars
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
It's so easy to get lost in the world RWR McDonald creates, that it seems very real. I feel sad at the thought of leaving them behind each time I turn the last page. Although – in reality – it feels as if it's I'm the one being left behind.
I adored The Nancys; McDonald's 2019 debut novel introducing us to Nancy Drew-lover Tippy and her family. In my review of that book my only qualm was that I felt the 'mystery' under investigation by The Nancys was perhaps a little weak - particularly in comparison to the amazing characters and witty dialogue on offer.
It's certainly not the case here however, and the who and why-dunnit is complex and deeply rooted in town secrets.
4. 5 stars
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
Read
May 29, 2021Nancy Business was a hoot that had me laughing the whole way through. Full review and author interview to come.
July 10, 2021
I really hope R.W.R McDonald is writing his arse off because I’ve just finished Nancy Business and I’m itching to read the next (and final?) book in the Nancy series.
Nancy Business (and the first instalment, The Nancys) is your favourite childhood Nancy Drew-style detective novel with all the grittiness of a noir combined with a dose of glitter, fabulous uncles, pre-teen adventure, M15+ content and lots of heart.
When you’ve had enough of the doom and gloom of living in a pandemic, get online to your favourite independent bookseller, organise a click and collect for The Nancys and Nancy Business, and have a fabulous weekend.
And, I LOVED the maps in the front
Nancy Business (and the first instalment, The Nancys) is your favourite childhood Nancy Drew-style detective novel with all the grittiness of a noir combined with a dose of glitter, fabulous uncles, pre-teen adventure, M15+ content and lots of heart.
When you’ve had enough of the doom and gloom of living in a pandemic, get online to your favourite independent bookseller, organise a click and collect for The Nancys and Nancy Business, and have a fabulous weekend.
And, I LOVED the maps in the front
May 31, 2021
This was a delightful, light hearted read! I really enjoyed RWR McDonald's first novel, The Nancys, so I was very much looking forward to the sequel, Nancy Business.
If you haven't read The Nancys yet, I suggest reading it first before reading Nancy Business. The characters are very well developed, and you get more of a sense of them by reading The Nancys first - I think that not as much time was spent introducing the characters in Nancy Business (although I don't think it'd be an issue if you want to go straight into Nancy Business).
McDonald did a fantastic job of the narration through 12 year old Tippy Chan. I enjoyed the references to her Chinese heritage, which I thought were done well, and accurately. Tippy is a very 'woke' young girl, and through her, many current issues for young women are explored.
As expected from his first novel, I loved Tippy's gay uncle Pike and boyfriend Devon. The banter between the three of them - The Nancys - as they solve a crime was hilarious. Dialogue is definitely a strength of this book. The songs that are played in their car were also a humorous touch - it did feel like you were reading along with a soundtrack. It was such a throwback to 'hear' The Corrs!
The only thing I did question was the relationship between Tippy and journalist Lorraine. It didn't seem as though their conversations would be something that would happen in real life, but otherwise the characters and plot were very believable.
As with his first book, the plot was very clever. It all came together in the end, in a very satisfying way. There's even a line that makes you anticipate a third instalment of the Nancys - I certainly hope so! If you're after something light and funny, this is the perfect book for that!
*I was gifted this copy from RWR McDonald. I don't know him in person, but he is someone I've interacted with on social media for a couple of years, so this review may be positively biased although I've tried to be balanced*
If you haven't read The Nancys yet, I suggest reading it first before reading Nancy Business. The characters are very well developed, and you get more of a sense of them by reading The Nancys first - I think that not as much time was spent introducing the characters in Nancy Business (although I don't think it'd be an issue if you want to go straight into Nancy Business).
McDonald did a fantastic job of the narration through 12 year old Tippy Chan. I enjoyed the references to her Chinese heritage, which I thought were done well, and accurately. Tippy is a very 'woke' young girl, and through her, many current issues for young women are explored.
As expected from his first novel, I loved Tippy's gay uncle Pike and boyfriend Devon. The banter between the three of them - The Nancys - as they solve a crime was hilarious. Dialogue is definitely a strength of this book. The songs that are played in their car were also a humorous touch - it did feel like you were reading along with a soundtrack. It was such a throwback to 'hear' The Corrs!
The only thing I did question was the relationship between Tippy and journalist Lorraine. It didn't seem as though their conversations would be something that would happen in real life, but otherwise the characters and plot were very believable.
As with his first book, the plot was very clever. It all came together in the end, in a very satisfying way. There's even a line that makes you anticipate a third instalment of the Nancys - I certainly hope so! If you're after something light and funny, this is the perfect book for that!
*I was gifted this copy from RWR McDonald. I don't know him in person, but he is someone I've interacted with on social media for a couple of years, so this review may be positively biased although I've tried to be balanced*
August 18, 2021
The Nancy books are fabulous. Take some serious subject matter & wrap it in a seriously fun read & you have the The Nancy’s & Nancy Business. Looking forward to the next book by R.W.R McDonald.
June 1, 2021
Thank you Allen & Unwin and Rob for sending us a copy to read and review.
The Nancy’s are back to solve their next small town mystery while dealing with everyday issues and growing up.
Four months have passed since the tragic events in the first book and Tippy, Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon have reunited for the anniversary of Tippy’s fathers death.
One morning they are woken from an explosion that rocks the town but many questions go unanswered and Tippy believes it’s a new case for them.
Many truths arise and the boyfriends seem to be at each other’s throats but Tippy engages them all to solve the present mystery.
A fun, witty and quirky read that brings all the giggles while showcasing a mystery and family drama plot.
Told from the point of view of young teen Tippy, sometimes it can come across a little immature but in the form of this book, it works really well.
Overall the story has a great feel, the pace is excellent, a colourful cast and the banter between characters is engaging and comical.
With mishaps, grudges, touching interactions, emotion and lots of fun there’s much to enjoy here and in the end, it’s all wrapped up in a neat bow with the hint of another story on the pipeline.
A bit of slapstick, mixed with queer celebration and family relationships with lots of laughter and drama.
Engaging writing style and an hooking irresistible storyline.
A very infectious read.
The Nancy’s are back to solve their next small town mystery while dealing with everyday issues and growing up.
Four months have passed since the tragic events in the first book and Tippy, Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon have reunited for the anniversary of Tippy’s fathers death.
One morning they are woken from an explosion that rocks the town but many questions go unanswered and Tippy believes it’s a new case for them.
Many truths arise and the boyfriends seem to be at each other’s throats but Tippy engages them all to solve the present mystery.
A fun, witty and quirky read that brings all the giggles while showcasing a mystery and family drama plot.
Told from the point of view of young teen Tippy, sometimes it can come across a little immature but in the form of this book, it works really well.
Overall the story has a great feel, the pace is excellent, a colourful cast and the banter between characters is engaging and comical.
With mishaps, grudges, touching interactions, emotion and lots of fun there’s much to enjoy here and in the end, it’s all wrapped up in a neat bow with the hint of another story on the pipeline.
A bit of slapstick, mixed with queer celebration and family relationships with lots of laughter and drama.
Engaging writing style and an hooking irresistible storyline.
A very infectious read.
September 30, 2021
Raucous, hilarious, charming, exuberant: not the descriptors you regularly call on as a crime fiction critic, but Melbourne author RWR McDonald had me reaching for them all with his exquisite debut The Nancys a couple of years ago. Now ‘the Nancys’ are back for more (mis)adventures in a sequel that provides an even richer version of the special sauce.
While Nancy Business opens in sombre fashion at a roadside memorial, before dishing out new deaths, McDonald once again strikes a wonderful balance of light and dark, mixing humour, charm, and serious issues. On the anniversary of her father’s car crash, 12-year-old Tippy Chan is glad of the arrival from Sydney of her Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon. When their small South Otago of Riverstone is rocked by an explosion that kills three locals the trio reform their mystery solving club ‘The Nancys’ to uncover the truth behind the tragedy. But past traumas create fissures, and some hard truths must be faced.
Can the Nancys survive, let alone solve the case? McDonald shows a masterful touch for a tricky tone, delivering grin-inducing moments throughout while also exploring grief and other serious issues. Nancy Business is a wonderful mixture of mystery and coming of age: at-times raucous and delightfully camp, a tale that’s as much about its characters as the crime solving
While Nancy Business opens in sombre fashion at a roadside memorial, before dishing out new deaths, McDonald once again strikes a wonderful balance of light and dark, mixing humour, charm, and serious issues. On the anniversary of her father’s car crash, 12-year-old Tippy Chan is glad of the arrival from Sydney of her Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon. When their small South Otago of Riverstone is rocked by an explosion that kills three locals the trio reform their mystery solving club ‘The Nancys’ to uncover the truth behind the tragedy. But past traumas create fissures, and some hard truths must be faced.
Can the Nancys survive, let alone solve the case? McDonald shows a masterful touch for a tricky tone, delivering grin-inducing moments throughout while also exploring grief and other serious issues. Nancy Business is a wonderful mixture of mystery and coming of age: at-times raucous and delightfully camp, a tale that’s as much about its characters as the crime solving
August 1, 2021
So much fun, I loved hanging out with The Nancys!
June 23, 2021
Nancy Business is the sequel to The Nancys that won the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel
In it we return to the South Island of New Zealand and the small town of Riverstone. Uncle Pike and Devon have come back to oversee the renovation of the old “murder house” that they’ve bought to be near Tippy and her Mum. Tippy is struggling with the loss of her Dad, her Mum is struggling to make ends meet and Pike and Devon are struggling with each other. When the town hall is blown up, the Nancys reassemble for a new case, but can they still work together when everyone is keeping secrets from one another?
I loved being back with Tippy and The Nancys. Whilst the story didn’t shy away from dealing with themes of grief and suicide the author manages to hold some difficult realities in the middle of an absolutely joyous story that is chock full of heart. The capture of small town New Zealand and some its eccentricities was brilliantly done. I was very excited to spot at the end that we might expect another adventure and also to hear that The Nancys has been optioned for screen 🎉🎉🎉 Thank you to the author and publisher for my gifted copy
In it we return to the South Island of New Zealand and the small town of Riverstone. Uncle Pike and Devon have come back to oversee the renovation of the old “murder house” that they’ve bought to be near Tippy and her Mum. Tippy is struggling with the loss of her Dad, her Mum is struggling to make ends meet and Pike and Devon are struggling with each other. When the town hall is blown up, the Nancys reassemble for a new case, but can they still work together when everyone is keeping secrets from one another?
I loved being back with Tippy and The Nancys. Whilst the story didn’t shy away from dealing with themes of grief and suicide the author manages to hold some difficult realities in the middle of an absolutely joyous story that is chock full of heart. The capture of small town New Zealand and some its eccentricities was brilliantly done. I was very excited to spot at the end that we might expect another adventure and also to hear that The Nancys has been optioned for screen 🎉🎉🎉 Thank you to the author and publisher for my gifted copy
June 5, 2021
It’s been 4 months since the trio were last together and they have reunited for the first anniversary of Tippy’s fathers death. They get back to business when Riverstone is hit with an explosion that kills 3 people and destroys the town hall.
Tippy suspects the accused bomber isn’t guilty and maybe there could be a second bomber? There is now another threat of a second bombing and it’s once again up to the Nancy’s to catch the culprit or culprits. Relationships are strained and whilst looking into the past Tippy’s finds the hard truth to a secrets everyone’s been keeping from her. Can the trio band together and save the day or will the killer strike again before they can solve the case?
I loved the Nancy’s and Nancy’s Business. It finishes with an almighty cliff hanger and I’m picking we might have book 3 coming in the future, @rwrmcdonald you are a genius.
Tippy suspects the accused bomber isn’t guilty and maybe there could be a second bomber? There is now another threat of a second bombing and it’s once again up to the Nancy’s to catch the culprit or culprits. Relationships are strained and whilst looking into the past Tippy’s finds the hard truth to a secrets everyone’s been keeping from her. Can the trio band together and save the day or will the killer strike again before they can solve the case?
I loved the Nancy’s and Nancy’s Business. It finishes with an almighty cliff hanger and I’m picking we might have book 3 coming in the future, @rwrmcdonald you are a genius.
May 31, 2021
I must admit I was wary going into this as I had enjoyed The Nancy’s so much when I read it. I was so afraid of being disappointed, but I can happily report I may have even enjoyed this one more. Nancy Business has you laughing out loud one minute and tearing up the next. I love the characters, I love the plot and storylines, I just love it all.
A must read series that I will now be bombarding even more people with.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for my advance copy.
A must read series that I will now be bombarding even more people with.
Thank you to Allen & Unwin for my advance copy.
May 14, 2021
A brilliant, poignant sequel that holds all the tension, suspense and scope of the first, plus more!! Absolutely fabulous 💫🌈💫
June 22, 2021
I love the Nancys so much. They have so much heart, and there is loads of character development as they investigate their second big case. Can’t wait for book number three!
September 7, 2021
I am a huge fan of this author and I loved, LOVED The Nancy’s and I loved Nancy Business. I love the characters of Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon. I love their relationship and the love they have for Tippy and the support they give her, it’s heartwarming. The second instalment had me hooked, the humour, the way the story is written, the dialogue, the mystery and the intrigue. I couldn’t put this book down, I needed to know how it was going to end. I love the characters and it made me sad when Uncle Pike and Devon argued or weren’t talking. In Nancy Business, Tippy, with the help of her uncle and his boyfriend, have another mystery to solve. It is coming to the one year anniversary of the death of Tippy’s dad, Uncle Pike and Devon have bought a holiday house in Riverstone. Before long, a bomb goes off in the middle of the night, destroying the town hall and killing 3 people. Tippy is convinced that the accused couldn’t have been the bomber and that there must be a second bomber or someone else responsible. She convince her uncle and Devon, and another investigation ensues. I am very much looking forward to the next instalment, I can not wait.
October 4, 2021
Sadly, despite my absolute love of the first Nancy book, this one just missed the mark for me, I got to half way and returned it. I have my fingers crossed that he writes another as fun as the first one.
March 11, 2022
I love Tippy and her family! Another “cosy crime” caper but Rob is so good at weaving in big themes along with funny generational differences between the young lead and her mum and uncles. Keen for the third installment!
July 6, 2023
❤️ one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
June 8, 2021
I'm not sure it's expected to be reading a crime fiction novel, and go from laughing out loud (waking everyone in the nearby vicinity) to sniffling. Or to find yourself going from immersed in a tricky and clever plot, to worrying yourself into an early grave over the possibility of the perfect partnership falling apart, but this is NANCY BUSINESS by R.W.R. McDonald and if there's anything to take away from this series of books (THE NANCY'S and NANCY BUSINESS) then expect the unexpected might be a cliche, but it's the most apt description I can come up with.
These novels are amazing really. Cleverly constructed, populated with wonderful characters and relationships, and a great sense of small town New Zealand, they are crime fiction with such heart, joy, love and acceptance that it may come as somewhat of a surprise that there are lessons to learn here along the way. The lessons about acceptance, inclusion and love are there from the first novel, but NANCY BUSINESS also gets into the outcomes of loss, grief, and the struggle for understanding that a little girl goes through after her father dies suddenly. Made worse when she discovers the secrets that have been kept.
Secrets being the entire point of NANCY BUSINESS. From the blurb, you get a feeling for the plot of this novel, from the opening pages you get a feel for the style of story telling, which is light, funny and oh so daring in many ways. McDonald uses light, fun and silly to remind us that life can be quite daft really, whilst bumping along underneath is the darkness of loss, and the damage that secrets can cause. There's lots of secrets here - some that cause a town to be terrorised, and people to die, some threaten loving relationships, and in particular, secrets that make it so much harder for a little girl to come to terms with the premature death of her father.
It may very well be possible to read NANCY BUSINESS at the happy, funny level, and go with the plot elements, maybe considering the evolution of the relationships and community and family dynamics at a later point, or never at all. For this reader the laughter never died away completely, but the tears were always there, and the worry about relationships falling apart instead of evolving never quite disappeared from my middle brain. It's these layers that made NANCY BUSINESS for this reader, and have turned the possibility of a third novel into something longed for.
(Some of you may be aware that whilst this novel was being written, some wonderful people came up with the idea of #AuthorsForFireys on Twitter - a way of raising money during the bushfire crisis of 2020. I was lucky enough, along with Agnes Lingane, Bram Presser, Jo Canham and Stella Glorie, to form the #ferretschnautzercartel and Stella-Jo, King Brammy, Hugo and another familiar name were woven into the the narrative in exchange for a donation to the effort - for more on just how well that entire thing went see: https://authorsforfireys.wixsite.com/... )
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
These novels are amazing really. Cleverly constructed, populated with wonderful characters and relationships, and a great sense of small town New Zealand, they are crime fiction with such heart, joy, love and acceptance that it may come as somewhat of a surprise that there are lessons to learn here along the way. The lessons about acceptance, inclusion and love are there from the first novel, but NANCY BUSINESS also gets into the outcomes of loss, grief, and the struggle for understanding that a little girl goes through after her father dies suddenly. Made worse when she discovers the secrets that have been kept.
Secrets being the entire point of NANCY BUSINESS. From the blurb, you get a feeling for the plot of this novel, from the opening pages you get a feel for the style of story telling, which is light, funny and oh so daring in many ways. McDonald uses light, fun and silly to remind us that life can be quite daft really, whilst bumping along underneath is the darkness of loss, and the damage that secrets can cause. There's lots of secrets here - some that cause a town to be terrorised, and people to die, some threaten loving relationships, and in particular, secrets that make it so much harder for a little girl to come to terms with the premature death of her father.
It may very well be possible to read NANCY BUSINESS at the happy, funny level, and go with the plot elements, maybe considering the evolution of the relationships and community and family dynamics at a later point, or never at all. For this reader the laughter never died away completely, but the tears were always there, and the worry about relationships falling apart instead of evolving never quite disappeared from my middle brain. It's these layers that made NANCY BUSINESS for this reader, and have turned the possibility of a third novel into something longed for.
(Some of you may be aware that whilst this novel was being written, some wonderful people came up with the idea of #AuthorsForFireys on Twitter - a way of raising money during the bushfire crisis of 2020. I was lucky enough, along with Agnes Lingane, Bram Presser, Jo Canham and Stella Glorie, to form the #ferretschnautzercartel and Stella-Jo, King Brammy, Hugo and another familiar name were woven into the the narrative in exchange for a donation to the effort - for more on just how well that entire thing went see: https://authorsforfireys.wixsite.com/... )
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
July 4, 2021
Whilst I absolutely loved the first book, this book wasn’t my favourite. I wasn’t as glued to it as I was with the first but I still enjoyed the writing.
That is until, THE CIS MALE AUTHOR WROTE ABOUT AN 11 YEAR OLD GIRL’S FIRST HAND ACCOUNT OD GETTING HER PERIOD.
As I lay here with cramps writing this it really disturbs and upsets me. We talk about the importance of BIPOC and LGBTQIAP+ stories coming from own voices. Because they have lived experiences that only they can write about. Others can empathise but at the end of the day we will never know what it’s really like to go through somebody else’s loved experience. WELL THE SAME GOES FOR WOMEN!! We have been suppressed by male voices for literally centuries and we are only just started to be able to use our voices. Puberty and periods (especially at 11!!!!) Is a LIVED experience and absolutely something that should NOT be written about by a middle-aged man!
That is until, THE CIS MALE AUTHOR WROTE ABOUT AN 11 YEAR OLD GIRL’S FIRST HAND ACCOUNT OD GETTING HER PERIOD.
As I lay here with cramps writing this it really disturbs and upsets me. We talk about the importance of BIPOC and LGBTQIAP+ stories coming from own voices. Because they have lived experiences that only they can write about. Others can empathise but at the end of the day we will never know what it’s really like to go through somebody else’s loved experience. WELL THE SAME GOES FOR WOMEN!! We have been suppressed by male voices for literally centuries and we are only just started to be able to use our voices. Puberty and periods (especially at 11!!!!) Is a LIVED experience and absolutely something that should NOT be written about by a middle-aged man!
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