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Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte #5
Winds of Evil
Detective-Inspector Bonaparte struggles to find the solution to two strange murders committed a year earlier in the Australian outback
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
12 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Arthur W. Upfield
70 books109 followersAka Arthur Upfield
Arthur William Upfield (1 September 1890 – 13 February 1964) was an Australian writer, best known for his works of detective fiction featuring Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte ('Bony') of the Queensland Police Force, a half-caste Aborigine.
Born in England, Upfield moved to Australia in 1910 and fought with the Australian military during the First World War. Following his war service, he travelled extensively throughout Australia, obtaining a knowledge of Australian Aboriginal culture that would later be used extensively in his written works. In addition to his detective fiction, Upfield was also a member of the Australian Geological Society and was involved in numerous scientific expeditions. Upfield's works remained popular after his death, and in the 1970s were the basis for an Australian television series entitled "Boney".
Arthur William Upfield (1 September 1890 – 13 February 1964) was an Australian writer, best known for his works of detective fiction featuring Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte ('Bony') of the Queensland Police Force, a half-caste Aborigine.
Born in England, Upfield moved to Australia in 1910 and fought with the Australian military during the First World War. Following his war service, he travelled extensively throughout Australia, obtaining a knowledge of Australian Aboriginal culture that would later be used extensively in his written works. In addition to his detective fiction, Upfield was also a member of the Australian Geological Society and was involved in numerous scientific expeditions. Upfield's works remained popular after his death, and in the 1970s were the basis for an Australian television series entitled "Boney".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 25, 2025
An early book from the Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte series from Arthur Upfield, published in 1937.
I have decided to plant the following on author and character in each of my 'Bony' reviews as background: - Upfield is an interesting writer, British by birth, emigrated to Australia at the age of twenty. He fought in the Australian Army in WWI. Following the war he travelled extensively in Australia working with stock and farming and developed an understanding of the Aboriginal culture which was to inform much of his writing. His 'Bony' character is a Detective Inspector in the Queensland Police Force, and is of mixed parentage - his mother an Aboriginal and his father white. It is rare to have a mixed race Aboriginal character held in high regard, and protagonist of a series of books.
In his book Bony is sent to the remote town of Carie in New South Wales where two people have been murdered in similar circumstances. In typical style, Bony turns up as a swagman, camps nearby and meets with a few other vagrants and locals, get a feel for the local gossip before making contact with the local police when the time is right for him, remaining under cover with all but those who gain his trust.
I won't got further into the plot, but this book matches up with the others I have read, in terms of readability and quality. I enjoy the Detective Inspector who has the cleverness of his white father and the patience of his Aboriginal mother. In this story however, there are no other Aboriginal characters, the local tribe all take off as a result of city police detective sent to solve the crime. Like most people, they disliked Sargent Simone, had little faith in his ability to solve the crime.
A typically enjoyable 3.5 stars.
I have decided to plant the following on author and character in each of my 'Bony' reviews as background: - Upfield is an interesting writer, British by birth, emigrated to Australia at the age of twenty. He fought in the Australian Army in WWI. Following the war he travelled extensively in Australia working with stock and farming and developed an understanding of the Aboriginal culture which was to inform much of his writing. His 'Bony' character is a Detective Inspector in the Queensland Police Force, and is of mixed parentage - his mother an Aboriginal and his father white. It is rare to have a mixed race Aboriginal character held in high regard, and protagonist of a series of books.
In his book Bony is sent to the remote town of Carie in New South Wales where two people have been murdered in similar circumstances. In typical style, Bony turns up as a swagman, camps nearby and meets with a few other vagrants and locals, get a feel for the local gossip before making contact with the local police when the time is right for him, remaining under cover with all but those who gain his trust.
I won't got further into the plot, but this book matches up with the others I have read, in terms of readability and quality. I enjoy the Detective Inspector who has the cleverness of his white father and the patience of his Aboriginal mother. In this story however, there are no other Aboriginal characters, the local tribe all take off as a result of city police detective sent to solve the crime. Like most people, they disliked Sargent Simone, had little faith in his ability to solve the crime.
A typically enjoyable 3.5 stars.
March 11, 2025
Book five in the Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte series is set in the outback Australian town of Carie. Three people have been strangled, although one of them survived, and Boney is sent to use his amazing detecting skills. He is very lucky he survives!
What a pleasure it is to read these books. The setting is described so well, the characters are excellent, and there is so much to learn about the history of the Aussie outback. Best of all is that it is so beautifully written. Totally enjoyable and there are about 24 more of them. My idea of heaven.
What a pleasure it is to read these books. The setting is described so well, the characters are excellent, and there is so much to learn about the history of the Aussie outback. Best of all is that it is so beautifully written. Totally enjoyable and there are about 24 more of them. My idea of heaven.
February 10, 2022
Gleeful anticipation describes the approach of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte to an interesting case, and it also describes how any reader familiar with Arthur Upfield’s Bony series begins one of those novels. Winds of Evil is the fifth novel of the series. Bony arrives at the outback NSW town of Carie to investigate the strangling murders of an aboriginal girl and a white man, as well as the attempted strangling of a white woman.
Under the guise of a farm labourer, Bony discovers that all the events occurred during fierce sandstorms. After himself having a narrow escape from the hands of the strangler, he eventually refines his suspect to eleven men. With an interesting cast of characters, Upfield’s usual eloquent descriptions of the surrounds, plenty of twists and turns, and the odd red herring, Winds of Evil is another Upfield masterpiece.
The audio version is narrated by Peter Hosking.
Under the guise of a farm labourer, Bony discovers that all the events occurred during fierce sandstorms. After himself having a narrow escape from the hands of the strangler, he eventually refines his suspect to eleven men. With an interesting cast of characters, Upfield’s usual eloquent descriptions of the surrounds, plenty of twists and turns, and the odd red herring, Winds of Evil is another Upfield masterpiece.
The audio version is narrated by Peter Hosking.
October 3, 2016
Gleeful anticipation describes the approach of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte to an interesting case, and it also describes how any reader familiar with Arthur Upfield’s Bony series begins one of those novels. Winds of Evil is the fifth novel of the series. Bony arrives at the outback NSW town of Carie to investigate the strangling murders of an aboriginal girl and a white man, as well as the attempted strangling of a white woman.
Under the guise of a farm labourer, Bony discovers that all the events occurred during fierce sandstorms. After himself having a narrow escape from the hands of the strangler, he eventually refines his suspect to eleven men. With an interesting cast of characters, Upfield’s usual eloquent descriptions of the surrounds, plenty of twists and turns, and the odd red herring, Winds of Evil is another Upfield masterpiece.
Under the guise of a farm labourer, Bony discovers that all the events occurred during fierce sandstorms. After himself having a narrow escape from the hands of the strangler, he eventually refines his suspect to eleven men. With an interesting cast of characters, Upfield’s usual eloquent descriptions of the surrounds, plenty of twists and turns, and the odd red herring, Winds of Evil is another Upfield masterpiece.
December 13, 2015
An Australian colleague introduced me to the murder mysteries of Arthur Upfield, and his protagonist Napoleon “Bony” Bonaparte. (In return, I got him Florida writers Marjorie Kinnon Rawlings and Tim Dorsey. But I digress.) I've since acquired almost the entire series, and am reading them at a comfortable pace.
Upfield presents an issue for the modern reader. Bony is a “half-caste”, with both white (English descendant) and Aboriginal parentage. On one hand, Upfield is a product of his time, implying and sometimes outright stating that the native Australians are inferior to the whites who came upon the continent relatively recently. On the other, Upfield is progressive for his time, showing Bony to be an incredibly logical and clever individual, able to solve crimes that his contemporaries are unable to resolve.
“Winds of Evil” follows the typical pattern of the Upfield / Bony mysteries. A case has gone cold. Bony is called in to investigate. (“I am not a policeman. I am a detective.”) He arrives using a cover identity to allow him to question the locals without suspicion – and the locals are quite the collection of characters, to be sure. His superiors become concerned about the amount of time he is spending in the location; they have another case that they'd like him to deal with. His wife is frustrated with the amount of time he's already spent away from home.
But despite the formula … they're typically quite enjoyable, thanks in no large part to the variations in detail and to the locations that Upfield sends his detective to. (Still, this is why I only read 1 or so per year – and with Mr. Upfield being long gone, it's not like he's going to get ahead of me by writing more ...)
RATING: 4 stars
Upfield presents an issue for the modern reader. Bony is a “half-caste”, with both white (English descendant) and Aboriginal parentage. On one hand, Upfield is a product of his time, implying and sometimes outright stating that the native Australians are inferior to the whites who came upon the continent relatively recently. On the other, Upfield is progressive for his time, showing Bony to be an incredibly logical and clever individual, able to solve crimes that his contemporaries are unable to resolve.
“Winds of Evil” follows the typical pattern of the Upfield / Bony mysteries. A case has gone cold. Bony is called in to investigate. (“I am not a policeman. I am a detective.”) He arrives using a cover identity to allow him to question the locals without suspicion – and the locals are quite the collection of characters, to be sure. His superiors become concerned about the amount of time he is spending in the location; they have another case that they'd like him to deal with. His wife is frustrated with the amount of time he's already spent away from home.
But despite the formula … they're typically quite enjoyable, thanks in no large part to the variations in detail and to the locations that Upfield sends his detective to. (Still, this is why I only read 1 or so per year – and with Mr. Upfield being long gone, it's not like he's going to get ahead of me by writing more ...)
RATING: 4 stars
January 21, 2009
#5 in the series featuring Napoleon Bonaparte (Bony, as he prefers to be called), the (and I quote the book here) "half-caste" detective who does not like to think of himself as a policeman. These books are set in Australia; Bony had a white father and aboriginal mother, now has children of his own & loves his job: detecting & crime solving. In this installment, he has a rather perplexing mission: he must not only solve a crime that is a year old, but he must prevent another one from happening. It seems that every time the windstorms kick up down at the Wirragatta Station (in the outback), someone gets strangled to death. Bony is sent for and as he arrives, there is an attempted murder done in the same fashion. The policeman in charge is incompetent, so Bony must find the killer before he can strike again.
This one was quite good; there were a large number of suspects from which to choose and it was fun trying to whittle them down. However, I will say, that one part of the mystery was very transparent and I figured it out. But that shouldn't stop anyone (and it didn't me) from enjoying the rest of the story. I love these mysteries and plan to collect the entire set. If you've read these mysteries before, then you'll enjoy this one; if you want something new in a mystery series, then try this one. One caveat: you may feel that the language in these books is racist and disdain the book for that reason, but I ask you to consider the time in which this was written as well as attitudes belonging to that time period before you rush off to condemn this author. These are fun, and I do enjoy Bony's character very much.
This one was quite good; there were a large number of suspects from which to choose and it was fun trying to whittle them down. However, I will say, that one part of the mystery was very transparent and I figured it out. But that shouldn't stop anyone (and it didn't me) from enjoying the rest of the story. I love these mysteries and plan to collect the entire set. If you've read these mysteries before, then you'll enjoy this one; if you want something new in a mystery series, then try this one. One caveat: you may feel that the language in these books is racist and disdain the book for that reason, but I ask you to consider the time in which this was written as well as attitudes belonging to that time period before you rush off to condemn this author. These are fun, and I do enjoy Bony's character very much.
February 27, 2019
A perfect thriller right up to the end, and then ... the letdown: the denouement that beggars belief. (Spoiler alert:) Wikipedia has an article "homicidal sleepwalking" - mentions a handful of cases, but these are all one-offs, unlike in the book (two murders, two attempts) - so I remain unconvinced.
May 16, 2025
Fantastic. A little too fantastic at times, but a page turner nevertheless. Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte investigates a series of murders and a near fatal strangulation carried out under cover of violent sandstorms in outback New South Wales.
Reflecting the setting and times (1930s), language used by some characters to describe indigenous people will not sit comfortably with many people. Apart from Inspector Bony/Boney, there are no other indigenous voices, the original inhabitants having fled following the first murder of a ‘half caste’ girl.
However, we should allow for the possibility that Upfield intended that the reader understand the ‘vanity’ of European attitudes through the sometime dubious basis of character assessments and misjudged conclusions of our hero as he channels his white father on matters of indigeneity, ‘breeding’ and class.
Overall indigeneity is treated with surprising empathy. Aspects of indigenous spirituality are evoked, most notably in the form of a malevolent bunyip. Similarly, the skill set of Aboriginal people attuned to their environment such as the fine observational skills involved in tracking and deciphering events occurring within the landscape are brought to bear by Boney in the investigation of the murders.
The story is well written, at times bordering on the fantastic, such as a climactic sequence involving a cross dressing accused murderer wearing a metal collar covered in hand burning acid and parading as bait for the strangler. Boney’s earlier encounter with the strangler is a master class in nail-biting suspense.
While I had suspected the culprit from his earliest appearance in the novel, the twists, turns and layering of complex details left plenty of room for doubt. My interest was also fanned by the anticipation of understanding the backstory of the main characters and the antecedents of the murderer. A very Christiesque conclusion.
A feature is the landscape and climate of the Broken Hill region. In particular it’s many colours, beauty and gritty harshness rendered simply in the palette of a Namatjira watercolour. Yet observations of the violent dramatic changes wrought on the environment and appearance of the landscape due to the rapid expansion of European agriculture in a fragile ecosystem do not go unstated. It is not hard to understand the Winds of Evil as symbolic of the destructive consequences of these changes.
Reflecting the setting and times (1930s), language used by some characters to describe indigenous people will not sit comfortably with many people. Apart from Inspector Bony/Boney, there are no other indigenous voices, the original inhabitants having fled following the first murder of a ‘half caste’ girl.
However, we should allow for the possibility that Upfield intended that the reader understand the ‘vanity’ of European attitudes through the sometime dubious basis of character assessments and misjudged conclusions of our hero as he channels his white father on matters of indigeneity, ‘breeding’ and class.
Overall indigeneity is treated with surprising empathy. Aspects of indigenous spirituality are evoked, most notably in the form of a malevolent bunyip. Similarly, the skill set of Aboriginal people attuned to their environment such as the fine observational skills involved in tracking and deciphering events occurring within the landscape are brought to bear by Boney in the investigation of the murders.
The story is well written, at times bordering on the fantastic, such as a climactic sequence involving a cross dressing accused murderer wearing a metal collar covered in hand burning acid and parading as bait for the strangler. Boney’s earlier encounter with the strangler is a master class in nail-biting suspense.
While I had suspected the culprit from his earliest appearance in the novel, the twists, turns and layering of complex details left plenty of room for doubt. My interest was also fanned by the anticipation of understanding the backstory of the main characters and the antecedents of the murderer. A very Christiesque conclusion.
A feature is the landscape and climate of the Broken Hill region. In particular it’s many colours, beauty and gritty harshness rendered simply in the palette of a Namatjira watercolour. Yet observations of the violent dramatic changes wrought on the environment and appearance of the landscape due to the rapid expansion of European agriculture in a fragile ecosystem do not go unstated. It is not hard to understand the Winds of Evil as symbolic of the destructive consequences of these changes.
March 19, 2019
The wind is hot and picks up the sand blowing it into an immense cloud. The grains rub together creating static electricity. And in Wirragatta Station, murder is committed. Two people are dead. Another barely survived.
Napoleon Bonaparte arrives as a swagman, one who travels from place to place working on one station or another. He faces a tough case. The wind sweeps all traces of the crimes away. All he has to go on is a list of the people living in the area. And the attempt on his life during another sandstorm.
Again the setting takes center stage in this book. The area has trees, grasslands. It is being swallowed up by sand. The sandstorms remind me of the Dust Bowl pictures.
The book is a fast, easy read. It is a typical cozy mystery as are all in this series. The setting is what makes this one and the others in the series special.
Napoleon Bonaparte arrives as a swagman, one who travels from place to place working on one station or another. He faces a tough case. The wind sweeps all traces of the crimes away. All he has to go on is a list of the people living in the area. And the attempt on his life during another sandstorm.
Again the setting takes center stage in this book. The area has trees, grasslands. It is being swallowed up by sand. The sandstorms remind me of the Dust Bowl pictures.
The book is a fast, easy read. It is a typical cozy mystery as are all in this series. The setting is what makes this one and the others in the series special.
November 4, 2018
Goodish puzzle in the telling, let down by the denouement. Unfortunately Upfield is already recycling motifs from the first in the series, and the ending had me rolling my eyes. We are also treated to some 1930s crime tropes, such as being told that "in America" they already had the ability to lift fingerprints from clothing--which, at that time, they did not. It didn't even begin to be possible until 2011. But it sounds good, to a certain type of author and possibly his readership. Boney is less of a Gary Stu in this volume, though we're back to his super vision and super hearing and superstitions warring with his white father's reason.
Only once does a person "become seated" in this volume; that at least is something.
Only once does a person "become seated" in this volume; that at least is something.
August 11, 2025
Bony lets us down a little by not being omniscient in this episode - you shoulda checked those hands, mate! -, but, mostly, he is his usual intelligent, clever, compassionate self. Working undercover in outback NSW, Bony is on the track of a person who has killed twice, & almost succeeded a third & fourth time; a murderer who has the residents of Carie & Wirragatta both flummoxed & frightened.
These books are such wonderful pictorials of the Australian country, & the people who populated the outback a century ago. I'm happy to have not experienced one of those dust-storms. Well-written & very entertaining.
These books are such wonderful pictorials of the Australian country, & the people who populated the outback a century ago. I'm happy to have not experienced one of those dust-storms. Well-written & very entertaining.
January 31, 2021
Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte, a detective from Queensland is sent to the Outback of northwestern New South Wales at Carie to determine why a murderer is most active at night during the wind storms. As a half breed in origins, schooled and successful and a renowned detective, this case is a particularly difficult one to solve. He takes the identity of Joe Fisher to work on a farm owned by a wealthy lady. Lots of secrets prod him to set up tricky events. Another great story! I thoroughly enjoy these mysteries with detective Bony.
October 10, 2019
I love these Napoleon Bonaparte mysteries. This is one of the best I have read so far. All of these books are set pre-WWII in outback Australia. They are not PC - Upfield uses gender and ethnic language as it would have been used at that time. But the hero is a half caste detective and is a brilliant detective who moves between white and aboriginal cultures.
January 23, 2021
Like all Upfield's 'Boney' novels this paints a fabulous picture of outback Australia and has a view of indigenous Australians which is decades ahead of its time. In this plot the half-caste detective Napoleon Bonaparte is tracking down a person who strangles people during violent dust storms. Improbable as that sounds it is a great plot. Superb suspense scenes!
September 10, 2018
A book I will not soon forgot, with a half-caste detective solving a series of crimes in outback New South Wales, Australia.
The psychology behind the crimes is suspect but I love the details, the pacing, everything else about this book.
The psychology behind the crimes is suspect but I love the details, the pacing, everything else about this book.
February 24, 2022
Spine tingling!
Was delighted when came across these brilliant detective novels again after 40 years. This episode of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte was so cleverly crafted (as are all Mr. Upfield's stories). Extremely gripping and extremely scarey!
Was delighted when came across these brilliant detective novels again after 40 years. This episode of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte was so cleverly crafted (as are all Mr. Upfield's stories). Extremely gripping and extremely scarey!
January 30, 2024
I love this series and this one did not disappoint. Bony is a marvel and a hero of culture and kindness as he sleuths to find a strangler who is in the midst of a ranch in the outback. I loved it. I am a fan of Arthur W. Upfield.
June 21, 2025
A Murder Mystery to solve when even the Murderer does not know who dunnit
The quintessential Inspector Bonaparte novel of serial bush murders committed by a Bunyip who climbs trees in sandstorms. Impressive and hard to solve. Very enjoyable.
The quintessential Inspector Bonaparte novel of serial bush murders committed by a Bunyip who climbs trees in sandstorms. Impressive and hard to solve. Very enjoyable.
June 7, 2017
A mysterious murderer who seemingly moves through the trees and drops on his victims has Bony questioning his ability to solve the mystery. Another great story.
January 22, 2018
Excellent.
January 16, 2020
More like 3.5 stars. Very interesting mystery and I didn’t see the ending coming at all, but it was a bit tragic, otherwise I would have rated it higher.
January 5, 2021
A little sluggish this one. Still most enjoyable as I am happy to embrace the patience extolled by Bony.
July 1, 2021
Another enjoyable Inspector Bonaparte book I enjoyed on audio.
September 15, 2022
Always gorgeous descriptions of the natural world in this series set in the Australian outback of the 1930s. Very clever mysteries!
December 25, 2022
There was one murderer and many twists and turns before Bony could solve this. I had hints of the solution, but the reader and Bony weren't given all the information.
July 17, 2022
Winds of Evil by Arthur W. Upfield is the fifth book of the Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte "Bony" historical mystery series set in the Australian outback. Bony is "half-caste": a white father, aboriginal mother. He considers himself the best of both: superior patience, ability to read the clues in nature, a tracker par excellence; with the analysis and reasoning from a good education.
Bony comes to Carie in northern New South Wales to work undercover as a "swagman" (laborer). He's excited by the challenge of two 'cold cases' and a recent attempted murder, all likely done by the same criminal. Bony has tremendous self esteem, full confidence he will succeed - he always does.
The murders happen at night during the very fiercest windstorms, only when the storm lasts two days. The crime scene is always the same: under the trees along a creek. Many people believe the "bunyip" (creek monster of aboriginal mythology) is responsible. On a "stakeout" along the creek at night, Bony wars with his maternal heritage (fear from deep-seated superstition) vs. paternal (analytic reasoning and zeal to solve the crimes).
Bony starts with a suspect list of all residents and visitors during the murders and attempted murder (it's a good thing Carie is an extremely small town!). Gradually he whittles down the list to eleven names.
Universally hated police detective Simone comes from Broken Hill to investigate the attempted murder. He arrests a young man Bony believes to be innocent. In his role as swagman Joe Fisher, Bony can't contradict Simone with the facts of the case. Simone treats Bony with contempt.
Bony hasn't found enough evidence to positively shorten his list, even after he's attacked himself. He agrees to coordinate with the local constable and the accused young man to set a trap for the murderer. Bony did learn and deduce quite a few town secrets, which are revealed in the final denouement. Bony's self-identity “I am not a policeman. I am a detective.” allows him to close the case in an atypical way.
For maximum enjoyment, keep in mind the attitudes are true to the time and place (early 1900s NSW outback, not current PC), and focus on the vividly described setting and details of life in the outback long ago. Extend the pleasure by taking time to look up unfamiliar terms, wildlife and mythology. Extend the pleasure by taking time to look up unfamiliar terms, wildlife and mythology.
Bony comes to Carie in northern New South Wales to work undercover as a "swagman" (laborer). He's excited by the challenge of two 'cold cases' and a recent attempted murder, all likely done by the same criminal. Bony has tremendous self esteem, full confidence he will succeed - he always does.
The murders happen at night during the very fiercest windstorms, only when the storm lasts two days. The crime scene is always the same: under the trees along a creek. Many people believe the "bunyip" (creek monster of aboriginal mythology) is responsible. On a "stakeout" along the creek at night, Bony wars with his maternal heritage (fear from deep-seated superstition) vs. paternal (analytic reasoning and zeal to solve the crimes).
Bony starts with a suspect list of all residents and visitors during the murders and attempted murder (it's a good thing Carie is an extremely small town!). Gradually he whittles down the list to eleven names.
Universally hated police detective Simone comes from Broken Hill to investigate the attempted murder. He arrests a young man Bony believes to be innocent. In his role as swagman Joe Fisher, Bony can't contradict Simone with the facts of the case. Simone treats Bony with contempt.
Bony hasn't found enough evidence to positively shorten his list, even after he's attacked himself. He agrees to coordinate with the local constable and the accused young man to set a trap for the murderer. Bony did learn and deduce quite a few town secrets, which are revealed in the final denouement. Bony's self-identity “I am not a policeman. I am a detective.” allows him to close the case in an atypical way.
For maximum enjoyment, keep in mind the attitudes are true to the time and place (early 1900s NSW outback, not current PC), and focus on the vividly described setting and details of life in the outback long ago. Extend the pleasure by taking time to look up unfamiliar terms, wildlife and mythology. Extend the pleasure by taking time to look up unfamiliar terms, wildlife and mythology.
February 25, 2017
An excellent read and an excellent book!
I enjoyed every minute of it! It reminded me a great deal of the Tony Hillerman novels, which I enjoyed very much.
I enjoyed every minute of it! It reminded me a great deal of the Tony Hillerman novels, which I enjoyed very much.
October 3, 2016
As always, an intriguing and clever Napoleon Bonaparte mystery. This one was a little poignant. And it was nice to come across some characters from the previous book.
January 31, 2024
US crime writer Elmore Leonard once set down his ten rules for good writing. The first of them was: Never open a book with weather. Here Arthur Upfield does just that. In fact he goes on for some pages about the high winds and the accompanying sand storms. So much so that you start to wonder if he’s trying too hard to set up the correct circumstances for his plot.
I suppose Upfield could be forgiven for doing so as these natural phenomena play a major role in the reason why two people have been murdered, and another almost, near a large station in Outback New South Wales. Bony arrives unannounced and in disguise, as seems to be his usual way, and sets about solving the case that has mystified authorities for nearly two years. He states at one point that this is the most baffling case he has ever encountered, with few clues, too many possible suspects and no help from the natural environment as all traces of activity are wiped out by the high winds. If it’s baffling for Bony then the reader certainly has no chance as the reason for the crimes lies in an inherited case of madness which seemed to me to be more than a bit silly.
This is probably the weakest of the Bony novels so far, though there is still much to like about this one. Just don’t get too annoyed with the way the crime is solved, and the reasons behind it. R: 3.0/5.0
I suppose Upfield could be forgiven for doing so as these natural phenomena play a major role in the reason why two people have been murdered, and another almost, near a large station in Outback New South Wales. Bony arrives unannounced and in disguise, as seems to be his usual way, and sets about solving the case that has mystified authorities for nearly two years. He states at one point that this is the most baffling case he has ever encountered, with few clues, too many possible suspects and no help from the natural environment as all traces of activity are wiped out by the high winds. If it’s baffling for Bony then the reader certainly has no chance as the reason for the crimes lies in an inherited case of madness which seemed to me to be more than a bit silly.
This is probably the weakest of the Bony novels so far, though there is still much to like about this one. Just don’t get too annoyed with the way the crime is solved, and the reasons behind it. R: 3.0/5.0
October 25, 2013
First I had read of this classic-era mystery. Originally written in the 1930s, the mystery has the unique setting of the Australian outback and a detective who had an Aborigine mother. Bony, the detective, is in the church of the great detective, very self assured of his abilities and unique observational skills, but an entirely different pew, since his talents lie in his Aboriginal roots and his ability to track and read the signs of nature, besides intuit human behavior. The attitude of others towards Bony is amazingly egalitarian, considering I know there were (are) prejudices towards aboriginals. There are a few places where dated stereotypes intrude. But a refreshing step back in time to a location not overused in mysteries.
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