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Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte #8
Bushranger of the Skies
An extraordinary case for Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte opens when a police car is bombed from the air on a lonely outback road by a mysterious pilot who plans to conquer a nation. The trail through the land of burning waters tests Bony's endurance to the limit and takes the detective as close to death as he has ever been. Welcome to Central Australia!
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1940
18 people are currently reading
170 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 40 reviews
August 26, 2025
Book 8 in the Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte series.
The story begins with Bony in the Australian outback walking to a station where he is to meet the local police regarding the deaths of two aborigines and some cattle theft. While he is resting in the shade he observes a plane fly over and bomb a car which actually contains the man he is due to meet. Who could possibly be responsible for such a dreadful attack?
Bony's half caste nature stands him in good stead in this story as he makes use of his native talents to befriend the local tribal chief and pursue the perpetrator. This is a tale of drama and heroics, and good versus evil. A very worth while read.
The story begins with Bony in the Australian outback walking to a station where he is to meet the local police regarding the deaths of two aborigines and some cattle theft. While he is resting in the shade he observes a plane fly over and bomb a car which actually contains the man he is due to meet. Who could possibly be responsible for such a dreadful attack?
Bony's half caste nature stands him in good stead in this story as he makes use of his native talents to befriend the local tribal chief and pursue the perpetrator. This is a tale of drama and heroics, and good versus evil. A very worth while read.
June 9, 2023
No Footsteps in the Bush, otherwise titled Bushranger of the Skies is the 8th in the Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte series by Arthur W. Upfield, and was originally published in 1940. It began with Bony sheltering from the midday sun as he had a meal and cup of tea, when an aeroplane arrived overhead at the same time as a police officer was driving back to his small village of Shaw's Lagoon. The plane dropped a bomb, first on the area Bony was hidden, then on the vehicle, which burst into flames, rolling into a gully. Chief Burning Water was by Bony's side in an instant, while Illprinka men were also seen not far from the wreck.
And so began the most dangerous of Bony's cases, as he set to learning the identity of the pilot who'd killed a police officer, while operating from the homestead of McPherson's Station. What he learned made him realise they were facing a madman who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. But could Bony and Chief Burning Water succeed?
I've had a thoroughly enjoyable encounter with Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte in this, my first of the series. Set in outback Australia, the plot was original and Bony was exceptional. I think I'd better search for more in this series! Highly recommended.
And so began the most dangerous of Bony's cases, as he set to learning the identity of the pilot who'd killed a police officer, while operating from the homestead of McPherson's Station. What he learned made him realise they were facing a madman who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. But could Bony and Chief Burning Water succeed?
I've had a thoroughly enjoyable encounter with Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte in this, my first of the series. Set in outback Australia, the plot was original and Bony was exceptional. I think I'd better search for more in this series! Highly recommended.
July 1, 2023
I don’t normally read mystery/thriller novels, as I will usually fall asleep. It seems to go back to schooling when a geometry teacher decided the only way we could understand mathematics was to read a chapter from a mystery before class each day. Because of this, I grew up to hate both math and mysteries. This year, I am making an effort to read outside my comfort zone (and it’s a fairly large zone). Thus, this book.
Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is, by his own description, an outsider in his field. He is a half-caste working crime cases in Australia, which means he has to deal with the resentment of both sides. In this eighth book of the series, he becomes involved with a plan to take away a homesteader’s station in the bush. The action starts immediately when a local policeman is killed while driving to check on the nefarious happenings. His ambush came from above although the airplane owner is not known. Inspector Bonaparte, however, sees the entire incident and from then on, he resolves to find the killer and the mystery behind the murder.
The Inspector is steely, full of determination and not easily distracted. When he uncovers the great plot, he builds his own alliance of support with adventurous characters full of loyalty and bravado. Chief Burning Water of the Wantella Tribe, for instance, is probably the hero of the story, an older Indigenous Australian who is always a step ahead of everyone else. Captain Loveacre is a WWI flying ace who readily accepts Bony’s request to help in the coming battle. On the opposite side is evil Rex, the spoiled son who wants to steal his own father’s inheritance. He is allied with the Illprinka Tribe who are led by Itcheroo, their spiritual man. Good versus evil without much in-between.
Well, I really enjoyed this tale. It’s not so much mystery as it is adventure with biplanes and heroes and heroines. The author does a wonderful job making the reader involved with the landscape, describing an Australia that was even less populated at the time of writing than it is now. Anything could happen and everyone relies upon the fragile telephone system of the time. Yes, the Inspector has to unravel the crimes and decide who is responsible, but the reader never gets bored. I certainly didn’t so I may try another volume in the series.
Book Season = Summer (grey dust and saltbush)
Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is, by his own description, an outsider in his field. He is a half-caste working crime cases in Australia, which means he has to deal with the resentment of both sides. In this eighth book of the series, he becomes involved with a plan to take away a homesteader’s station in the bush. The action starts immediately when a local policeman is killed while driving to check on the nefarious happenings. His ambush came from above although the airplane owner is not known. Inspector Bonaparte, however, sees the entire incident and from then on, he resolves to find the killer and the mystery behind the murder.
The Inspector is steely, full of determination and not easily distracted. When he uncovers the great plot, he builds his own alliance of support with adventurous characters full of loyalty and bravado. Chief Burning Water of the Wantella Tribe, for instance, is probably the hero of the story, an older Indigenous Australian who is always a step ahead of everyone else. Captain Loveacre is a WWI flying ace who readily accepts Bony’s request to help in the coming battle. On the opposite side is evil Rex, the spoiled son who wants to steal his own father’s inheritance. He is allied with the Illprinka Tribe who are led by Itcheroo, their spiritual man. Good versus evil without much in-between.
Well, I really enjoyed this tale. It’s not so much mystery as it is adventure with biplanes and heroes and heroines. The author does a wonderful job making the reader involved with the landscape, describing an Australia that was even less populated at the time of writing than it is now. Anything could happen and everyone relies upon the fragile telephone system of the time. Yes, the Inspector has to unravel the crimes and decide who is responsible, but the reader never gets bored. I certainly didn’t so I may try another volume in the series.
Book Season = Summer (grey dust and saltbush)
June 6, 2017
দুই দুইবার দুইটা ফৌজ শত্রুপক্ষরে ধাওয়া করে একটুর জন্য ধরতে পারে নাই, ফাঁকি দিয়ে শত্রুর দল একবার বিমানে আর আরেকবার - স্পয়লার না দেই - এ ঢুকে গেছে, এই লেখক, আর্থার আপফিল্ড, একজন সামন্তযুগীয় অ্যাডভেঞ্চার লেখকের অকৃত্রিম উদাহরণ।
সচরাচর নাকী এই সিরিজের বইগুলি গোয়েন্দা কাহিনীর দিকে ধায়, অ্যাডভেঞ্চার-রোমাঞ্চের দিকে না, কিন্তু এই নেপোলিয়ন বোনাপার্ট সিরিজ আমি আবার কই পাবো, কবে পাবো কে জানে। এই একটাই পড়লাম, এইটার রহস্য প্রথম আশি পাতায় পুরো খুলে বলে দিলো, আরো দুইশ সাত পাতা বাকী, বিরক্ত হতে হয়। কিন্তু এরপর বেশ ভালো একটা অ্যাডভেঞ্চার আসে, শত্রুরে ধরতে, বেশ বলেকয়েই - চরিত্রেরাই বলাবলি করে, অন্য সময় হলে রহস্য শেষ, চলেই যেতাম, তবে বইয়ের যখন বাকী আছে কিছু -
একটু গতে বাঁধা, একটু রাখঢাক, শত্তুর নায়িকারে ধরে নিয়ে গিয়ে হাতপা বেঁধে রেখে দিয়েছে, ছুঁইতেছে না, ইত্যাদি। তবুও শেষ বিচারে ভালোই লাগলো - কারণ ১৯৪০-এর অস্ট্রেলিয়ায় বসে লেখা উপন্যাস এর আগে পড়ি নাই, সেখানকার মাঝখানটায় যে এত বড় বিরান ভূমি, তার অধিবাসীদের বর্ণনাও পড়ি নাই এর আগে। হইতে পারে অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের ফাঁকে ফাঁকে আসতেছে, অল্প অল্প করে, কিন্তু সে-ও বেশ একটা, এবং সেই বিরান ভূমিতে হামা দিয়ে এগুনোর বয়ানও সেই। এছাড়াও লেখকও ভয়াবহ রকম বর্ণবিদ্বেষ-বিহীন, যদিও কিছুটা ঐ যারে খোঁচা দিয়ে বলা যায় পলিটিকালি কারেক্ট বা রাজনৈতিক শুদ্ধলোক, এই যেমন গল্পের নায়ক একজন হাফ কাস্ট, মানে কী না বাপে শাদা মায় কালা, বড় হয়েছি চার্চের হাতে, তাই কী না সে আবার খ্রিষ্টানও, বিয়েও করেছে তার মতই এক হাফ কাস্টেরে - সে দেখতে শুনতে চলতে ফিরতে ব্যক্তিত্বে আর রাজনৈতিক শুদ্ধিতে প্রায় বারাক ওবামার মত!
কিছু জায়গায় কাষ্ঠল সব সংলাপের পরও তাই একেবারে মন্দ লাগলো না '৪৯-এর এই সংস্করণটা।
সচরাচর নাকী এই সিরিজের বইগুলি গোয়েন্দা কাহিনীর দিকে ধায়, অ্যাডভেঞ্চার-রোমাঞ্চের দিকে না, কিন্তু এই নেপোলিয়ন বোনাপার্ট সিরিজ আমি আবার কই পাবো, কবে পাবো কে জানে। এই একটাই পড়লাম, এইটার রহস্য প্রথম আশি পাতায় পুরো খুলে বলে দিলো, আরো দুইশ সাত পাতা বাকী, বিরক্ত হতে হয়। কিন্তু এরপর বেশ ভালো একটা অ্যাডভেঞ্চার আসে, শত্রুরে ধরতে, বেশ বলেকয়েই - চরিত্রেরাই বলাবলি করে, অন্য সময় হলে রহস্য শেষ, চলেই যেতাম, তবে বইয়ের যখন বাকী আছে কিছু -
একটু গতে বাঁধা, একটু রাখঢাক, শত্তুর নায়িকারে ধরে নিয়ে গিয়ে হাতপা বেঁধে রেখে দিয়েছে, ছুঁইতেছে না, ইত্যাদি। তবুও শেষ বিচারে ভালোই লাগলো - কারণ ১৯৪০-এর অস্ট্রেলিয়ায় বসে লেখা উপন্যাস এর আগে পড়ি নাই, সেখানকার মাঝখানটায় যে এত বড় বিরান ভূমি, তার অধিবাসীদের বর্ণনাও পড়ি নাই এর আগে। হইতে পারে অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের ফাঁকে ফাঁকে আসতেছে, অল্প অল্প করে, কিন্তু সে-ও বেশ একটা, এবং সেই বিরান ভূমিতে হামা দিয়ে এগুনোর বয়ানও সেই। এছাড়াও লেখকও ভয়াবহ রকম বর্ণবিদ্বেষ-বিহীন, যদিও কিছুটা ঐ যারে খোঁচা দিয়ে বলা যায় পলিটিকালি কারেক্ট বা রাজনৈতিক শুদ্ধলোক, এই যেমন গল্পের নায়ক একজন হাফ কাস্ট, মানে কী না বাপে শাদা মায় কালা, বড় হয়েছি চার্চের হাতে, তাই কী না সে আবার খ্রিষ্টানও, বিয়েও করেছে তার মতই এক হাফ কাস্টেরে - সে দেখতে শুনতে চলতে ফিরতে ব্যক্তিত্বে আর রাজনৈতিক শুদ্ধিতে প্রায় বারাক ওবামার মত!
কিছু জায়গায় কাষ্ঠল সব সংলাপের পরও তাই একেবারে মন্দ লাগলো না '৪৯-এর এই সংস্করণটা।
September 9, 2014
The writing is not remarkable but the sense of place is so strong that it really doesn't matter. The degree to which Upfield ably conveys a feeling of the bush, coupled with the presence of his unusual protagonist, Bony, more than make up for what would otherwise be an ordinary police procedural. The narrator is again very good.
September 16, 2021
Four and a half stars.
This is not really a detective story; it is more a " Boys Own" adventure yarn and a very good one at that. As always, Upfields' descriptions of the Bush and the indigenous people are superb. A real page-turner with loads of action. I would have given it five stars but it was a little far-fetched at times although this didn't spoil my enjoyment of it at all. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.
This is not really a detective story; it is more a " Boys Own" adventure yarn and a very good one at that. As always, Upfields' descriptions of the Bush and the indigenous people are superb. A real page-turner with loads of action. I would have given it five stars but it was a little far-fetched at times although this didn't spoil my enjoyment of it at all. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.
May 20, 2016
This mystery is foundational to the character of Bony, the half aborigine Detective-Inspector. Upfield's amazing detective is a product of will, a Jackie Robinson like determination to succeed in an environment where he is surrounded by jealousy and its chief symptom, prejudice. This novel in particular delves into the psyche of this unassuming yet deeply charismatic man who takes command by being the best man in the room (or in the outback).
No Footprints in the Bush was a fairly early volume in the series and one gets the feeling that Bony was fully formed in the mind of his creator and is simply being revealed in increasing complexity rather than evolving from book to book. All that said this is what it was meant to be, a fabulous mystery, page turning action, full of insight into aboriginal culture as part of the greater human culture with with its motives for murder that cunningly span all subcultures and all boundaries of human history.
No Footprints in the Bush was a fairly early volume in the series and one gets the feeling that Bony was fully formed in the mind of his creator and is simply being revealed in increasing complexity rather than evolving from book to book. All that said this is what it was meant to be, a fabulous mystery, page turning action, full of insight into aboriginal culture as part of the greater human culture with with its motives for murder that cunningly span all subcultures and all boundaries of human history.
June 4, 2015
Inspector Bonaparte pursues an Outback pilot as intelligent as himself, but who took the opposite road. His investigation begins as he witnesses the bombing of a police officer, centers around a rich, isolated station, and weaves through the family of The McPherson and his allied tribe of aborigines. All would have gone much worse without the dedication and heroism of Chief Burning Water.
Admirable characters and flawed ones bind the reader to McPherson's Station under siege.
Admirable characters and flawed ones bind the reader to McPherson's Station under siege.
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September 16, 2013I actually liked this one the least of all of the Bony books I've read thus far. I really, really disliked the murderer, Rex. Something about the book just left me feeling, well, uneasy I guess. Still, can't wait to keep reading the series!
June 30, 2020
A slightly different take on a Bony story. Good fun.
June 8, 2020
A fast read and engaging story but the ending was a bit hard to believe and there were no strong female characters.
March 3, 2022
Non-Australians like me equate "ranger" with "Texas Rangers", a form of police. In Australia however a "bushranger" is a bandit. Maybe that's why the title was changed to No Footprints in the Bush. Maybe.
Not my favourite Boney novel. I'll start by saying I had to take a couple of runs at this book to get into it, and the only reason I bothered is that I'm a bit of a completionist. Upfield's obsession with the supposed evils of miscegenation comes to the fore in this tale as he pits the "good" half-caste (Boney the law abiding police detective) against the "evil" half-caste Rex McPherson. Just to round that one out, Boney of course was a poor orphan while Rex was born to the purple--or at least the tartan. It would have been better if Upfield could have just told the story and let the reader reach their own conclusions, but no, he has to batter us over the head with it in so many words. Repeatedly. At one point he also speaks of one of the "bad" Aborigine women repeating a couple of phrases in English "which she had been taught" and yet when Rex speaks to her in English about anything at all, it's clear that she understands every word he says. ??? Upfield clings to some of the bits of "Aboriginal culture" which he himself apparently invented, as not a single reference to "the mulga wire" (Aboriginal telepathy and long-distance thought transference) can I find online anywhere at all; he also has Boney reading a document on how to get fingerprints from clothing, in 1940! Margery Allingham also mentions this possibility as fact, though it just started to become feasible in 2011 or so. In those days no reader would be able to check up on their facts of course. He also seems to think that knotting the two ends of a broken phone cable together will restore the phone connection--that's a neat trick but it would never work. Boney continues to be a total Gary Stu But then I doubt many Aboriginal people read this stuff then or now.
Upfield's English continues erratic as well, and I'm not referring to Australian terminology. He speaks repeatedly of The McPherson wanting "to acquit himself of an annoyance" instead of "to quit himself" or "to be quit of an annoyance" which is what normal, if antiquated, people might have said in 1940. He also refers to "a presentment" (a legal deposition in court) instead of "a presentation" (of a plaque, award etc) which is obviously what was meant. But these are minor Upfieldisms.
Not really a police procedural, not really a whodunit, as we know who and how from the beginning. It read like a 1940s action movie crossed with a Western, all those horses racing the airplane that's taking off etc. The ending was...well, there it was.
Not my favourite Boney novel. I'll start by saying I had to take a couple of runs at this book to get into it, and the only reason I bothered is that I'm a bit of a completionist. Upfield's obsession with the supposed evils of miscegenation comes to the fore in this tale as he pits the "good" half-caste (Boney the law abiding police detective) against the "evil" half-caste Rex McPherson. Just to round that one out, Boney of course was a poor orphan while Rex was born to the purple--or at least the tartan. It would have been better if Upfield could have just told the story and let the reader reach their own conclusions, but no, he has to batter us over the head with it in so many words. Repeatedly. At one point he also speaks of one of the "bad" Aborigine women repeating a couple of phrases in English "which she had been taught" and yet when Rex speaks to her in English about anything at all, it's clear that she understands every word he says. ??? Upfield clings to some of the bits of "Aboriginal culture" which he himself apparently invented, as not a single reference to "the mulga wire" (Aboriginal telepathy and long-distance thought transference) can I find online anywhere at all; he also has Boney reading a document on how to get fingerprints from clothing, in 1940! Margery Allingham also mentions this possibility as fact, though it just started to become feasible in 2011 or so. In those days no reader would be able to check up on their facts of course. He also seems to think that knotting the two ends of a broken phone cable together will restore the phone connection--that's a neat trick but it would never work. Boney continues to be a total Gary Stu But then I doubt many Aboriginal people read this stuff then or now.
Upfield's English continues erratic as well, and I'm not referring to Australian terminology. He speaks repeatedly of The McPherson wanting "to acquit himself of an annoyance" instead of "to quit himself" or "to be quit of an annoyance" which is what normal, if antiquated, people might have said in 1940. He also refers to "a presentment" (a legal deposition in court) instead of "a presentation" (of a plaque, award etc) which is obviously what was meant. But these are minor Upfieldisms.
Not really a police procedural, not really a whodunit, as we know who and how from the beginning. It read like a 1940s action movie crossed with a Western, all those horses racing the airplane that's taking off etc. The ending was...well, there it was.
May 25, 2024
Bushranger of the Skies by Arthur W. Upfield (also published as No Footprints in the Bush) is the 8th book in the long-running Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte "Bony" mystery series set in 1920s Australia.
Bony teams up with aboriginal chief Burning Water. There are men of every colour and race who stand high above their fellows by reason of the greatness of spirit lifting them to positions of leadership. In the affairs of the aboriginal tribes of Australia, no less than in the affairs of the allegedly more civilized white and yellow people, such men are found. This was Burning Water.
Together they match wits against a cunning "black sheep" son of an outback station owner. Rex McPherson has no respect for life or laws, will stop at nothing to remove impediments to his grandiose scheme to "be somebody".
The setting plays a major role in "Bony" mysteries. Bony and Burning Water must travel over a hundred miles to pursue their quarry, on foot at night to avoid detection. When Bony sends for a colleague with an airplane, the pilot is held back by a fierce windstorm, a common occurrence in the outback. Regardless of the danger of his mission, Bony can't help but appreciate the beauty of the vast landscape before him. The hill range beyond the valley was painted with russets and purple. Away to the east ten thousand acres were covered with yellow buttercups stretching up the bordering slopes. The green buckbush covered thousands of acres lying towards the centre of the plain, and a tiny purple-flowering creeper lay like a magic carpet of old Arabia over the summit of one of the distant hills.
Normally during a case, Bony is supremely confident of his abilities. He has a successful career track record, which he credits to being half-caste: the acute senses of an aborigine plus the formal education of a white. Suave and polished when in contact with white civilization, he was able when in his beloved bush to tense his senses to the acuteness of the aborigines, to see and hear and reason as they do, to be as close to their background as they themselves.
But Bony worries about failure during this case. Himself always master of an investigation, he now suspected that, were he not not particularly "alive", he would become but a minor participant in it, in which case a blow might be given his vanity, with dire results to those dependent on him, as well as himself. Like the illustrious man whose name he bore, his first failure would mark the beginning of the end of Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte and the emergence from that personality of a half-caste nomad of the bush. Success had become a drug: failure of the supply would spell the end of a brilliant career.
Nuggets of wisdom a la Bony:
To be discreet in the face of adverse odds is to be wise, not fearful.
What is the secret of life? The answer is discipline.
All things are for the brave--even a big slice of luck.
Defeat is a school in which truth always grows strong.
More likely to succeed but not likely to succeed, wherein lay a subtle difference.
Bony teams up with aboriginal chief Burning Water. There are men of every colour and race who stand high above their fellows by reason of the greatness of spirit lifting them to positions of leadership. In the affairs of the aboriginal tribes of Australia, no less than in the affairs of the allegedly more civilized white and yellow people, such men are found. This was Burning Water.
Together they match wits against a cunning "black sheep" son of an outback station owner. Rex McPherson has no respect for life or laws, will stop at nothing to remove impediments to his grandiose scheme to "be somebody".
The setting plays a major role in "Bony" mysteries. Bony and Burning Water must travel over a hundred miles to pursue their quarry, on foot at night to avoid detection. When Bony sends for a colleague with an airplane, the pilot is held back by a fierce windstorm, a common occurrence in the outback. Regardless of the danger of his mission, Bony can't help but appreciate the beauty of the vast landscape before him. The hill range beyond the valley was painted with russets and purple. Away to the east ten thousand acres were covered with yellow buttercups stretching up the bordering slopes. The green buckbush covered thousands of acres lying towards the centre of the plain, and a tiny purple-flowering creeper lay like a magic carpet of old Arabia over the summit of one of the distant hills.
Normally during a case, Bony is supremely confident of his abilities. He has a successful career track record, which he credits to being half-caste: the acute senses of an aborigine plus the formal education of a white. Suave and polished when in contact with white civilization, he was able when in his beloved bush to tense his senses to the acuteness of the aborigines, to see and hear and reason as they do, to be as close to their background as they themselves.
But Bony worries about failure during this case. Himself always master of an investigation, he now suspected that, were he not not particularly "alive", he would become but a minor participant in it, in which case a blow might be given his vanity, with dire results to those dependent on him, as well as himself. Like the illustrious man whose name he bore, his first failure would mark the beginning of the end of Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte and the emergence from that personality of a half-caste nomad of the bush. Success had become a drug: failure of the supply would spell the end of a brilliant career.
Nuggets of wisdom a la Bony:
To be discreet in the face of adverse odds is to be wise, not fearful.
What is the secret of life? The answer is discipline.
All things are for the brave--even a big slice of luck.
Defeat is a school in which truth always grows strong.
More likely to succeed but not likely to succeed, wherein lay a subtle difference.
January 5, 2021
Written in 1940 and set some little time before WWII I think, this book is a little different. Bony is thrown out of his usual approach and is pitted against a villain who flies. The plot is a major diversion from a procedural to something more akin to a thriller. The key question is not 'Who is the murderer?' but 'How will Bony catch him?'
The action takes place somewhere in South Australia/Northern Territory. Upfield uses this remotest of settings to depict contrasting outcomes of First Nation contact with British culture. I find it fascinating that, writing in 1930s & 1940s, Upfield refers again and again to 'wild' aborigines. It's not that long ago. I also find his attitude to aborigines enlightening - reassuring me that there were folk, despite their cultural upbringing, who decried the terrible toll 'civilization' had on these people. I found this passage particularly arresting:
‘The bodies of Australian aborigines had rotted to dry dust in the hot sands of the deserts, had slowly perished in creeks and waterholes, had swelled with the effect of white man’s poison and festered with the effects of the white man’s bullets. They had been flogged at Sydney, hanged at Brisbane, loaded with chains at Adelaide and Perth, had sunk into the ferntree gullies in Tasmania. The aborigines had been debased, outraged, jibed at and the butt of both coarse and refined wit. They had been drawn into the shadow of a civilization which, compared to theirs, was a riot of criminal lunacy.’
The action takes place somewhere in South Australia/Northern Territory. Upfield uses this remotest of settings to depict contrasting outcomes of First Nation contact with British culture. I find it fascinating that, writing in 1930s & 1940s, Upfield refers again and again to 'wild' aborigines. It's not that long ago. I also find his attitude to aborigines enlightening - reassuring me that there were folk, despite their cultural upbringing, who decried the terrible toll 'civilization' had on these people. I found this passage particularly arresting:
‘The bodies of Australian aborigines had rotted to dry dust in the hot sands of the deserts, had slowly perished in creeks and waterholes, had swelled with the effect of white man’s poison and festered with the effects of the white man’s bullets. They had been flogged at Sydney, hanged at Brisbane, loaded with chains at Adelaide and Perth, had sunk into the ferntree gullies in Tasmania. The aborigines had been debased, outraged, jibed at and the butt of both coarse and refined wit. They had been drawn into the shadow of a civilization which, compared to theirs, was a riot of criminal lunacy.’
September 30, 2025
More thriller than mystery, or maybe an action adventure; it certainly has the most violent & shocking beginning of the series so far. It begins with a peaceful scene in a cabbage tree grove where Bony has made camp "with contentment bordering on ecstasy", and suddenly erupts into horror as his location is bombed, then another is dropped onto a moving vehicle, killing those inside.
Although the perpetrator is easily known, this is a really tough case for Bony to bring to resolution because of the nature of the relationships between the white station people & local indigenous tribe, & that between two different Aboriginal tribes, Wantella & incomers Illprinka. Writjitandil, or Burning Water, chief of the Wantella, is instrumental in Bony's ultimate success, & is almost as fascinating as Bony himself.
I was irritated by Flora McPherson's stupidity which led to Chief Burning Water's sacrifice, but I suppose it was inevitable as something had to force things to a conclusion. The denouement is shocking &, like Bony, I could hardly believe that the whole thing had only taking nine days.
Not the best of the series, but fascinating. 3.5★ rounded up.
Although the perpetrator is easily known, this is a really tough case for Bony to bring to resolution because of the nature of the relationships between the white station people & local indigenous tribe, & that between two different Aboriginal tribes, Wantella & incomers Illprinka. Writjitandil, or Burning Water, chief of the Wantella, is instrumental in Bony's ultimate success, & is almost as fascinating as Bony himself.
I was irritated by Flora McPherson's stupidity which led to Chief Burning Water's sacrifice, but I suppose it was inevitable as something had to force things to a conclusion. The denouement is shocking &, like Bony, I could hardly believe that the whole thing had only taking nine days.
Not the best of the series, but fascinating. 3.5★ rounded up.
December 28, 2022
A Christmas present read. Years ago I used to love the Bony books, many of them (29 in the series) are still an enjoyable read. This, surprisingly, is one I had never come across. Perhaps more a thriller than a mystery as the reader knows very early who is the perpetrator. The element that lifts these books into the memorable group is the depth of understanding the Australian First Nations people, the nuances between Aboriginies and European settlers, indeed even between people of similar background. As, myself, a keen lover of Jean M Auel's Earth's Children books, the resonance between Jean's descriptions of the culture of the Neanderthals and that of the Australian First Nations is wonderful.
A word of caution here, this book was first published in 1940; some of the views expressed and language used would be considered unacceptable today. Upfield was a British born Australian who did a lot of geological work in the Outback and is used as an authorative source by the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian Colloquialisms.
A word of caution here, this book was first published in 1940; some of the views expressed and language used would be considered unacceptable today. Upfield was a British born Australian who did a lot of geological work in the Outback and is used as an authorative source by the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian Colloquialisms.
October 28, 2023
I found this book something of a drag. There was no mystery. After the first couple of chapters, all was plainly spelled out. No one was in the dark about anything. It was simply an adventure story. Then, I just couldn’t feel any suspense over any looming dangers or any worry over the fate of any of the characters. Maybe, Bony, The McPhearson, and Burning Water were lauded much too much too early on. They were all so perfect that there was never any doubt as to their success.
Not that there weren’t any poignant, clever, or suspenseful moments. It’s just that the suspense didn’t build well. Maybe, that was partially the fault of my jumping into the series with book eight. I did feel that I was missing something by not having read the previous books. It did stand on its own, but other books were referenced frequently. Maybe, it was because large sections were more social commentary than either mystery or adventure. Either way, I found it straggled along rather slowly.
There were several ‘mild’ curse words.
Not that there weren’t any poignant, clever, or suspenseful moments. It’s just that the suspense didn’t build well. Maybe, that was partially the fault of my jumping into the series with book eight. I did feel that I was missing something by not having read the previous books. It did stand on its own, but other books were referenced frequently. Maybe, it was because large sections were more social commentary than either mystery or adventure. Either way, I found it straggled along rather slowly.
There were several ‘mild’ curse words.
August 26, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed my second foray into the world of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte. I loved the bush of Australia and the culture of the aborigines that came through in this story. It was great and I look forward to reading my 3rd Bony book. It's a great series. I'm glad that I got into it. If you are a fan of Tony Hillerman, you might enjoy this series. It is an older series and is a bit dated, but I find it interesting.
June 7, 2017
Aka "Bony fights the air terror" and similar to "The Sands of Windee". It's another long, detailed story, about a family of settlers way out West. A wayward brother who flies around dealing death from the skies, the local Indigenous Aussies and Bony. This Bony has his work cut out, solving the hows and whys concerning the death of a policeman and his sidekick.
July 1, 2022
The incomparable Detective Inspector Napolean Bonaparte travels to far west New South Wales to find out who has bombed an occupied police car.
With the usual superb story telling one expects from Arthur Upfield, this novel doesn't disappoint. I listened to the audio book which is just over 8 hours and read by the brilliant Peter Hosking.
With the usual superb story telling one expects from Arthur Upfield, this novel doesn't disappoint. I listened to the audio book which is just over 8 hours and read by the brilliant Peter Hosking.
June 5, 2023
I read all the Arthur Upfield books back in the 70's and 80's. I have been rereading these since Covid. This one was published in 1940. Set in the Outback. Not the best Boney book but very enjoyable. I love reading about the past in fiction. Being an American I wasn't educated on Australian history. This series gives a history in a fascinating setting with great characters.
June 6, 2018
It is fantastic discovering books in a favourite collection that I haven’t read!
I always enjoy Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte’s adventures. He is such an interesting and agreeably cocky character with admirable detective skills.
I always enjoy Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte’s adventures. He is such an interesting and agreeably cocky character with admirable detective skills.
September 17, 2019
AKA Bushranger of the skies
February 7, 2023
Adventures with airplanes!
Read
November 11, 2023Pas pour moi. Je n’ai pas réussi à rentrer dedans, et honnêtement j’ai pas grand chose à dire dessus
December 13, 2023
Ah, Bony, Bony, Bony. I can't get enough of this Aboriginal Detective!
January 22, 2025
Holy smokes, I loved this. Exciting and fast-paced, with a genuinely moving end.
February 12, 2025
A nice break from the usual plotline; this time the "villain"/culprit is identified early on, and what follows is a cat-and-mouse chase to bring him to justice.
January 7, 2016
Published in 1940 this was one of Upfield's earlier novels and also one of his better I think. There is more Aboriginal lore than most. Although it is a spoiler for part of the plot, I want to make some quotes from a scene, as I think it is some exceptional writing. The scene is riders and horses racing across the desert to save a heroine who has been knocked unconscious and being loaded on to an airplane in the distance by the villain. The riders are Bony the detective, a ranchhand, the Fiance Doctor, and several Aborigines:
"The aborigine who had been wearing the blue shirt.... now mounted on a stocky bay, passed Bony on his right side like a gust of wind. He was standing in the stirrups, flailing his horse with a gum-tree switch. The shirt tail streamed outward above the empty saddle. He was screaming at the top of his voice and his teeth were snapping like those of a vicious dog. Steadily he drew ahead. He wore no trousers. Bony could see the horses's ears between the fellow's spindly legs. He never forgot the picture....
"Blue shirt still kept the lead. He still was screaming, riding his horse like a man will ride standing with each foot on the broad back of a horse. Burning Water was racing only a head behind, and length behind came Bony, Dr. Whyte, and a lubra riding a roan gelding with the lines of a racehorse.
"Bony saw hope and triumph in the doctor's glaring eyes - and pity filled his heart. His own horse appeared to be standing still. The lubra crept up and began to pass him. Her straggly black hair was flying out behind her head, straggly because of the demand for hair with which to make string. She was shreiking as though in the vilest of torment, but she rode hard to saddle and seemed to be but a back-muscle of the animal she rode....
"There was no iron-bound emotional control of the doctor's features, no icy composure in the face of crisis, no cool calculation in the face of death itself. Training, hereditary reaction to personal danger was now non-existent. Hope had vanished. Triumph had become a mocking devil. His face was fearful to look upon.
"The lubra's horse was winded. She dropped back to Bony, dropped farther to the rear. He could hear her shrieks of fury, and wondered how she would behave had she been under the ban of silence. He wondered how she came to be there at all. And the greatest wonder of all to him was that he thought of her....
"[The airplane escapes and] Bony watched its size dwindle to a grain of sand. He wondered why the lubra was still shrieking with fury, why Dr. Whyte was sobbing, why he himself was still shouting."
"The aborigine who had been wearing the blue shirt.... now mounted on a stocky bay, passed Bony on his right side like a gust of wind. He was standing in the stirrups, flailing his horse with a gum-tree switch. The shirt tail streamed outward above the empty saddle. He was screaming at the top of his voice and his teeth were snapping like those of a vicious dog. Steadily he drew ahead. He wore no trousers. Bony could see the horses's ears between the fellow's spindly legs. He never forgot the picture....
"Blue shirt still kept the lead. He still was screaming, riding his horse like a man will ride standing with each foot on the broad back of a horse. Burning Water was racing only a head behind, and length behind came Bony, Dr. Whyte, and a lubra riding a roan gelding with the lines of a racehorse.
"Bony saw hope and triumph in the doctor's glaring eyes - and pity filled his heart. His own horse appeared to be standing still. The lubra crept up and began to pass him. Her straggly black hair was flying out behind her head, straggly because of the demand for hair with which to make string. She was shreiking as though in the vilest of torment, but she rode hard to saddle and seemed to be but a back-muscle of the animal she rode....
"There was no iron-bound emotional control of the doctor's features, no icy composure in the face of crisis, no cool calculation in the face of death itself. Training, hereditary reaction to personal danger was now non-existent. Hope had vanished. Triumph had become a mocking devil. His face was fearful to look upon.
"The lubra's horse was winded. She dropped back to Bony, dropped farther to the rear. He could hear her shrieks of fury, and wondered how she would behave had she been under the ban of silence. He wondered how she came to be there at all. And the greatest wonder of all to him was that he thought of her....
"[The airplane escapes and] Bony watched its size dwindle to a grain of sand. He wondered why the lubra was still shrieking with fury, why Dr. Whyte was sobbing, why he himself was still shouting."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2011
No Footprints in the Bush is the 8th novel in the Bony series by Australian mystery writer, Arthur Upfield. The scene is set with Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte witnessing the bombing from a small plane of a car. The car was carrying the police sergeant that Bony was to meet in regard to the recent murders of two aboriginal stockmen during the theft of cattle. Bony makes friends with the Wantella tribe's chief, Burning Water, and, against the wishes of the local land owner, Donald MacPherson, sets about investigating the three murders. The motive and the culprit are discovered quite early in the book; Bony departs from his usual behaviour of leaving the capture to "real" police when he learns about the murderer’s parentage. Upfield makes some comment on the treatment of and future of the Aborigine in this novel. As usual, the plot is original: aeroplanes, kidnapping, mixed marriages, a power-hungry half-caste with delusions of grandeur, smoke signals, tracking, grass castles, snakebites, a beautiful niece and some disloyal workers all feature. Classic Upfield.
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