Nancy Business

With special guest:

• RWR (Rob) McDonald
  … in conversation with Bill Kable

This story can stand alone. But if you have read the first book in the series, The Nancys, you will be even keener to see what happens in Rob McDonald’s new book Nancy Business.

For anyone who loves the British murder mysteries such as Frost, Inspector Linley, Taggart and all the others Nancy Business is a treat. But there are a few twists that you do not often find. The narrator and main character is a young girl in Otago a small town on the South Island of New Zealand whose father died about a year ago. Her name is Tippy Chan and with her uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon they make a formidable team for solving a mysterious murder mystery.

This is a modern family story and the relationships are explored with all the black comedy and snappy dialogue we might hope for. Given that the author is himself in a “rainbow family” he has special insights and we explore with Rob some of how this type of family compares with other families.

Rob is able to provide first-hand experience of the issues blended families have to face especially when they break up. In Rob’s own family there are two daughters and three families who all want time with their children. Time for a spreadsheet!

When people enjoy this story with all its humour, adventure and at times emotion the good news is that this is one of a trilogy. The first book was the award winning The Nancys. And we can expect the third book in the series in due course.

This book is a heap of fun while at the same time we learn about different types of families in a different country. And our guide is a bold author who has captured the essence and heart of his young narrator.

RWR Rob) McDonald

R.W.R. McDonald (Rob) is an award-winning author, a Kiwi and Queer dad living in Melbourne with his two daughters and one HarryCat. His debut novel,The Nancys, won Best First Novel in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards, as well as being a finalist in the Best Novel category. It was shortlisted for Best First Novel in the 2020 Ned Kelly Awards, and Highly Commended for an Unpublished Manuscript in the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. His second novel, Nancy Business, was a finalist for Best Novel in 2022 Ngaio Marsh Awards.

Song selection by our guest: Maxine by Sharon O’Neill

Note: This program is an encore presentation of the one aired on 2 December 2021.

Podcast (mp3)