Library's review
A remote section of New South Wales has seen some baffling tragedies over the past 18 months or so. Two people — a woman and a man — have been found strangled to death in the area. The murders occur during fierce sandstorms that last for more than day, thus wiping out any tracks or evidence
It's a setup tailor made for Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, a half-caste detective who once again goes undercover to try to ferret out the culprit. The cold case heats up quickly when another storm provides cover for a third attack. Can Bony piece together the puzzle before the winds rise again?
I find the exotic (to me) setting endlessly fascinating, and the characters are finely drawn. There was a plot twist that I saw coming from a mile away but I won't subtract any points as I suspect the reader is meant to catch on long before the twist is revealed.
In this, the fifth book in the series, the formula that Upfield employed has come into focus, though recognizing that doesn't really diminish my enjoyment of the books much. Bony always goes undercover; his magnetic personality magically overcomes the reflexive racism of pretty much every white person he counters, and the weather plays a supporting role in the plot. Oh, and there is a beautiful young woman and a mysterious Englishman who is clearly living and working below his station; if you guessed that the two are destined to end up together I can only assume you've read one of the earlier books.
I might be projecting based on a limited experience with mysteries of this era, but in that inevitable romantic subplot I see echoes of Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver series, which also featured star-crossed lovers whose happy ending could be seen from a mile away, even in a sandstorm.
Show More
that the killer might have left behind.It's a setup tailor made for Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, a half-caste detective who once again goes undercover to try to ferret out the culprit. The cold case heats up quickly when another storm provides cover for a third attack. Can Bony piece together the puzzle before the winds rise again?
I find the exotic (to me) setting endlessly fascinating, and the characters are finely drawn. There was a plot twist that I saw coming from a mile away but I won't subtract any points as I suspect the reader is meant to catch on long before the twist is revealed.
In this, the fifth book in the series, the formula that Upfield employed has come into focus, though recognizing that doesn't really diminish my enjoyment of the books much. Bony always goes undercover; his magnetic personality magically overcomes the reflexive racism of pretty much every white person he counters, and the weather plays a supporting role in the plot. Oh, and there is a beautiful young woman and a mysterious Englishman who is clearly living and working below his station; if you guessed that the two are destined to end up together I can only assume you've read one of the earlier books.
I might be projecting based on a limited experience with mysteries of this era, but in that inevitable romantic subplot I see echoes of Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver series, which also featured star-crossed lovers whose happy ending could be seen from a mile away, even in a sandstorm.
Show Less
Genres
Collections
Description
The incomparable Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is back - and now he must solve one of his most baffling cases. When Bony sets out to investigate two bizarre murders at Wirragatta Station, deep in the Australian outback, all the odds are against him. The crimes were committed a year before, the scent is now cold, and any surviving clues have been confused by a bumbling policeman. As Bony gets closer to the trail, the mysterious murderer sets out to stop him. Can Bony stop the killer first?
Language
Original publication date
1937