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morganmcc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
5.0
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/website )
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/nancy-business-rwr-mcdonald
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/website )
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/nancy-business-rwr-mcdonald
lou_robertson's review against another edition
4.0
Nancy Business // R.W.R. McDonald
⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️
Another gem from the insanely talented R.W.R. McDonald!
Sequel to ‘The Nancys’, we reunite with beloved characters Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon on another mystery around the township of Riverstone. A devastating event has occurred to rock the small village and the clues just aren’t adding up.
Driven by their dogged need to solve the latest town tragedy, The Nancys put their amateur sleuthing skills to the test in order to uncover the truth and save their home from another possible disaster. But will they solve the mystery before it’s too late?
Peppered with nostalgic references and drawing from the smart, resourceful and independent fictional character Nancy Drew, this novel - like the first novel - was so much fun and an absolute joy to read! I can’t wait for another instalment in this series!
⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️
Another gem from the insanely talented R.W.R. McDonald!
Sequel to ‘The Nancys’, we reunite with beloved characters Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon on another mystery around the township of Riverstone. A devastating event has occurred to rock the small village and the clues just aren’t adding up.
Driven by their dogged need to solve the latest town tragedy, The Nancys put their amateur sleuthing skills to the test in order to uncover the truth and save their home from another possible disaster. But will they solve the mystery before it’s too late?
Peppered with nostalgic references and drawing from the smart, resourceful and independent fictional character Nancy Drew, this novel - like the first novel - was so much fun and an absolute joy to read! I can’t wait for another instalment in this series!
nina_reads_books's review against another edition
4.0
Nancy Business is the follow up book to The Nancys which I read and loved earlier this year.
Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon are back together in Riverside and before too long there’s another mystery to solve! When an explosion in the middle of the night destroys the Town Hall and kills three people, the Nancys get back together. Tippy is convinced that the accused bomber can’t really be guilty. What if the rumour of a second bomber is true? Can they follow the clues and find the killer? And how can the Nancys stay on task if Uncle Pike and Devon keep fighting and breaking up?
In Nancy Business you get a heart-warming, hilarious mystery novel unlike anything you’ve picked up before. This book is a joy to read. Tippy is wise and knowing beyond her twelve years and Uncle Pike and Devon are just the best couple even when they aren’t getting along. Together they are a hoot even if some of the jokes are borderline inappropriate for twelve years old! I was also very excited to read the final page which definitely sets up book 3!
If you are after a feel good read with characters you just want to hug then I can highly recommend the Nancys series. Can’t wait for the next book.
Thanks so much to @allenandunwin for my #freegift copy.
Tippy, Uncle Pike and Devon are back together in Riverside and before too long there’s another mystery to solve! When an explosion in the middle of the night destroys the Town Hall and kills three people, the Nancys get back together. Tippy is convinced that the accused bomber can’t really be guilty. What if the rumour of a second bomber is true? Can they follow the clues and find the killer? And how can the Nancys stay on task if Uncle Pike and Devon keep fighting and breaking up?
In Nancy Business you get a heart-warming, hilarious mystery novel unlike anything you’ve picked up before. This book is a joy to read. Tippy is wise and knowing beyond her twelve years and Uncle Pike and Devon are just the best couple even when they aren’t getting along. Together they are a hoot even if some of the jokes are borderline inappropriate for twelve years old! I was also very excited to read the final page which definitely sets up book 3!
If you are after a feel good read with characters you just want to hug then I can highly recommend the Nancys series. Can’t wait for the next book.
Thanks so much to @allenandunwin for my #freegift copy.
alanadeluca's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
whatsup24601's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rojaed's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
indoorg1rl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
After reading and loving The Nancys, I was very excited to pick this one up. I was so ready to continue reading about the magnificent Tippy Chan and her uncle!
It had been four months since Tippy Chan, Uncle Pike and Devon got together for Christmas in the previous book. They came back together for the first anniversary of Tippy’s father’s death. Riverstone was shaken as a bomb detonated in the early morning, killed three people and destroyed the town hall. Time for the Nancys to get their act together!
I didn’t think I would love this more than The Nancys, but I did! Most of the side characters I loved from the first book made a comeback, and in this one we immediately went into the fast-paced action mode. I loved that the stake was higher in this one.
My favourite scene was still Melanie and her ‘water’. It made me chuckle every single time.
I’m now so ready for the next adventure of Tippy Chan! I hope I’ll get to see more of nainai too!