Nancy Business

R.W.R McDonald

Allen & Unwin

Otago Daily Times, July 31st 2021

St Mary’s Mead, Midsomer, Brokenwood: certain quiet, pastoral locations seem to attract more of their fair share of murderers and Riverstone (“population 3687, less now”), first introduced in RWR McDonald’s award-winning debut The Nancys, is one of them.

A year after her father’s death and four months after her teacher’s beheading, 12-year-old Tippy Chan’s world is rocked by tragedy yet again, this time quite literally: In the early hours of April 19th an explosion rips through the town hall, killing three people and injuring two more. Although the prime suspect is one of the deceased, a local flower grower nicknamed Mr Tulips, Tippy is not sure the police are right. Why would one of the nicest people in Riverstone – at least according to Tippy’s mum – drive into town and blow himself up? Is it just a coincidence that the three victims were next-door neighbours? And if the bomber is dead, who is threatening to blow up the Riverstone Bridge on Anzac Day? This sounds like a case for the Nancys and Tippy, Uncle Pike, and Devon, who are ready, magic markers in hand, to track down the real culprit.

The plot of Nancy Business is as full of twists, turns and red herrings as its predecessor, and many favourite characters, from beauty-queen rebel Melanie to reporter-come-velocoraptor Lorraine, make a welcome return. Uncle Pike and Devon are as fabulous as ever, and the story’s ambivalently affectionate portrait of Riverstone, from its gloriously squalid Airbnb to the way in which nothing personal is private, will be familiar to anybody who has spent time in a small town.

But it is Tippy herself who the heart and soul of the story, and McDonald’s ability to invoke the thoughts and feelings of a girl negotiating the perilous waters between child- and adult-hood is impressive. Already struggling to come to terms with her father’s death, the bombing leaves Tippy terrified that she could lose her mother too. Uncle Pike and Devon are arguing so much that she reconvenes the Nancys as much in the hope of saving their relationship as of preventing further bloodshed. Her previous investigations have, to all intents and purposes, come at the cost of her two best friends. This time round, she uncovers a truth about her father’s death that everybody in town has conspired to hide from her, leaving her struggling to know what, or who, she can trust. Yet, despite it all, Tippy exhibits strength and resourcefulness that would make Nancy Drew proud, emerging with a sense of self-belief and understanding that presages her entry into a grown-up world (although, spoiler alert, she could have done without the very public Menarche party with which her family celebrate her first period). It is impossible to find the proper adjectives to describe the tone of Nancy Business, but its flamboyant blend of comedy, tragedy, innuendo, innocence, generosity of spirit, crime, and sequins are a delight. It is also clear that Riverstone’s darkest secrets remain, and the Nancys will make at least one more appearance. I can hardly wait.