Murder Down Under

Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte #4

by Arthur W. Upfield

Bony is happy to take on a little informal investigation during his vacation in Western Australia, after a farmer suddenly disappears near a huge wheat field. Despite the lack of evidence, Bony suspects murder--which leads him to uncover some strange goings-on.

Genres: Mystery, Australia, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Audiobook, Historical

301 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Aka 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".

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought my trusty library had let me down and did not have this book I discovered it has an alternative title Mr. Jelly's Business. This was actually a far superior title, and I wonder why it was changed if not to deliberately confuse readers. Anyway I borrowed it whatever it was called and I enjoyed it very much.

In this tale, Bony is supposed to be on vacation in Western Australia but he cannot help getting himself involved in not one but two mysteries. Mr.Jelly is one of them - why does he keep disappearing without explanation for days at a time? The other is a missing farmer who has not come back at all. Interestingly the two cases come together at the end in an intriguing fashion.

I love the sheer Australianness (if that is not a word it should be) of this series. When Bony is out in the bush there is always an atmosphere of heat and dust, and this one with its historical references to the rabbit proof fence and the men who worked out there digging holes and shoveling the red dirt in the boiling sun is fascinating.

This was really a four star book but I am going to give it an extra star for that ending. It was a stunner! Totally unexpected but with hindsight so perfect. I wonder what Bony will do next.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte was visiting Western Australia on leave, from his home state of Queensland when he was made aware of the disappearance of a local man in the small town of Burracoppin in the wheat country. So Bony took on a job working along the rabbit proof fence, where he could do some under cover detecting and hopefully find the missing man, dead or alive. He also made the acquaintance of the Jelly family; Lucy, Sunflower and their father. Mr Jelly was acting strangely and his daughters were worried, and a little frightened. The two mysteries baffled Bony, but he was determined to find the answers.

Murder Down Under is the 4th in the Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte series by Aussie author Arthur W. Upfield and was originally published in 1937. Bony is a brilliant character, even in today's world, and I love how he goes about getting his results. A calm, kind and gentle character - don't underestimate him though, as that can change on a dime! Recommended.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte (known as ‘Bony’) of the Queensland Police was on leave in W.A. when he caught up with an old friend and fellow police officer, who asked for his help in solving the case of a missing man. Farmer George Lucas had gone missing from a country town, east of Perth. Unable to establish whether Mr Lucas had run away from his wife or been killed, it was thought that Bony with his skills for tracking, as well as gently nosing out the truth, might be able to find him.

Bony decided to take a job in the town to keep his identity as a police officer secret as he found people were more likely to talk to him. While looking into the case he also met two lovely young sisters, Lucy and Dulcie Jelly. They confided in him that they were concerned that their father often disappeared suddenly for days and came back with money and in a dark mood. Bony promised them he would help them find out what their father was up to, alongside looking for Mr Lucas (or his body).

Although this was first published in 1937, it still holds up well today. Bony is an interesting character, with a likeable nature, calm and gentle but also very astute and skilled at winkling out clues. There is also often a delightful touch of humour in Bony’s conversations and interactions with people. The description of the Australian landscape is always well done in this series and in this one is very atmospheric with the descriptions of the heat and dust and rocky ruggedness.

[Gu Kun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever interweaving of two mysteries: who is responsible for the disappearance of farmer Loftus, and ... what is mr. Jelly's business? - with a stunning denouement in the very last sentences. Dialogues and descriptions very funny at times, too. Very well read (by unmentioned reader) on Youtube - guess this is what upper-class Australian English sounds like - there are two more of the series. I will definitely read/listen to more of Arthur Upfield.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 reread:
Some aspects of this mystery I either figured out or (more likely) subconsciously remembered. Not my favorite book in the Napoleon Bonaparte series but the reader does get to know a little more about Bony's personal life in this one.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte is on holiday in western Australia when he decides to lend a helping hand to a former protégé--on not one mystery, but two. Detective John Muir had made a mess of his last case--suspecting the wrong man and letting the right one get away. And now he's got a mysterious disappearance on his hands. George Loftus, a local wheat farmer, had wrecked his car one rainy night and promptly disappeared into the ether. Many of the townspeople think Loftus has done a bunk--escaping creditors or his wife...or both. About two weeks have passed and he's found no evidence whatsoever in the case.

He's very surprised and happy to see Bony appear in Perth--even if his mentor does give him a bit of a hard time over his last case.

After all my tuition you took a creek without first ascertaining the depth of the water. You accepted a conclusion not based on logical deduction. You ignored science, our greatest ally after Father Time.

But he immediately offers Muir a way to redeem himself. He tells him exactly where to find the real culprit and how best to effect the capture. Meanwhile, Bony is also going to interest himself in the new disappearance. He soon learns that while Leonard Wallace, owner of the Burracoppin Hotel, was the last to see Loftus alive and even admits to having argued with the man, the hotel owner is more likely to murder his wife than a customer. Wallace says that Loftus had given him a ride after sharing drinks in the bar. The missing man was in a foul mood and after the argument had forced Wallace out of the car. That was last he'd seen of him. An investigation of the crash site (even several weeks later) shows Bony that Loftus left the car alive and traveled a bit along the rabbit fence. But what happened to him then? Where did he go and who did he meet? A cigar stub, the remains of Loftus's red notebook, a few ill-advisedly spent bank notes, a dog's successful rabbit hunt, a well-stacked haystack, and buzzing blowflies are the solid clues that will show Bony (and the reader) who done it and where Loftus is now. But the reader should know who did it long before the clues are found...

This is one of the slowest-paced police procedurals I've read in a long time. I know that one of the tenets of Bony's philosophy of detection is patience, but mine was wearing thin by the time we got round to the grand finale. Once we know it's murder (and, of course it was, otherwise why write a whole detective novel about a man running out on his wife and his debts?), it isn't that difficult to figure out who did it and why. Suspects are not exactly thick on the ground. Unsuspecting readers might be tricked into thinking the one other character who's acting a bit oddly is the murderer (for about two seconds), but, honestly, there's not even a whiff of motive. And that character has been acting oddly in just this way for years.

In fact, the mystery surrounding the oddly-behaving gentleman is a lot more interesting than the disappearance of George Loftus. And Upfield leaves some pretty subtle clues to just what exactly Mr. Jelly is up to. Not that I caught on to them, but they are there. I was much more interested in Bony's efforts to clear up that mystery and relieve the minds of Mr. Jelly's daughters. All the points for this book go to the mystery of Mr. Jelly's Business (the original title is definitely better) and to my appreciation of the character of Bony. ★★ and 1/2 (rounded up here)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.

First posted on my blog

[Jan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up years ago at a used book sale and just had real trouble getting around to reading it. However, once I did, I had trouble putting it down. I took me about 5 days, just reading it on the commute. I kept missing my stop, too.

I believe I will be looking for the others in this series.

Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte is half-caste (half aboriginal and half white) and an Inspector for the Queensland police. He's on vacation when his young acquaintance, John Muir, asks for his help regarding a murder case in Western Australia. Bony is an expert tracker. He mostly works undercover. So he goes undercover for the Rabbit Fence people. They know who and what he is but no one else is supposed to.

This book has also been published under the name "Mr. Jelly's Business". That was part of the mystery - what was his business?

It was a very quick read. I want to read more in this series. Hope some of them are still in print. But I'll be looking for Arthur W Upfield in used book stores, possibly even the library.

A few terms were confusing to me, not having ever been to Australia, but not too many.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

This is the first Upfield mystery I've read and I found it surprisingly readable. The story takes place in 1931 and I always expect to have to climb over language hurdles before I get into the swing of old books. This book was an easy read from the beginning and I enjoyed the simple style of the writing.

It wasn't explained how Inspector Napolean Bonaparte came by his moniker but I was pleased to find that he prefers to go by "Bony". I get the impression that writing a series featuring a half caste well educated Australian detective was a daring thing for Upfield to do at the time. This book is set in a small Western Australian wheat growing town and I liked the reactions of the exclusively white residents to Bony. I got a bit fed up of hearing that Bony was so good at his job because he'd inherited characteristics from his aborginal mother to add to those inherited from his white father and how this blend made him superior to everyone. I guess the author was making a point and was perhaps brave to do so but I got a bit tired of the repetition.

The main mystery in this book happens when Bony is on holiday and he decides to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a farmer. This case absorbs him so much that he stays on after his leave is over and risks losing his job over it. From other opinions I've heard I gather getting fired and reinstated is a staple of the Bony books but he seemed to take this a bit easily. Mainly my problem was that the case of the missing farmer just isn't that intriguing. There are other things going on that are intriguing and Bony has an interesting and entertaining way of investigating but the basic premise of the book didn't work for me.

I liked the setting and the characters and I'd like to read more about Bony but I was disappointed by the plot and its resolution in this book. Finally, the alternative title Mr Jelly's Business is much better than the one it's published under!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a marvelously atmospheric tale of life in rural Australia is the 1930's. There are two separate but intertwined mysteries for Bony to solve in his inimitable style.

Farmer George Loftus has gone missing. Is he dead or has he done a bunk? Another farmer, Mr Jelly, periodically disappears also but always comes back a few days later refusing to tell anyone where he has been.

Despite his daft name Napoleon Bonaparte, is a great character and greatly underrated in my opinion. The way Upfield describes the minutiae of Bony' s detecting process is brilliant.

Highly recommended.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In spite of awarding only three stars, I enjoyed this book. The setting is Australia of the early 1930s. The detective, Napoleon Bonaparte, is a "half-caste". That he is well-educated and well-spoken is apparently quite unusual. With that, we get a glimpse of the racism that was prevalent at the time, but also that the settlers are more tolerant than we might expect.

This was written about the time of some of the Agatha Christie's I've read recently. I couldn't help but make a comparison. Bony, as he is called, is not more humble than Hercule Poirot - far from it - just not as willing to sit in the limelight. I think Upfield is a better writer; that is, his prose is more complex and interesting. Christie provides a better mystery, no doubt about it in my mind. That they each have at least one advantage over the other means I'll probably keep reading both.

[Dana Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first of the Australian detective, Napoleon Bonaparte books by Arthur Upfield that I’ve read and I love the characters and details of the settings! Very involved, like a good mystery should be!!

[Steve Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant novel featuring Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, beautifully read by Peter Hosking.
 
The Australian bush and characters come to life at the hands of expert storyteller Arthur W Upfield. Aussie crime at its best.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Jelly's Business by Arthur W. Upfield is the fourth book of the Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte mystery series, set in the wheat country of Western Australia in 1931. Two mysteries intertwine to keep Bony guessing: the disappearance of George Loftus and secret trips taken by Mr. Jelly without notice.

On November 2nd, Loftus left Perth to return home to Burracoppin, 180 miles east. Only Loftus' disappearance warrants police attention, but Bony is also committed to providing Mr. Jelly's daughters peace of mind. Bony does his best investigating undercover, so he gets a job as a 'Rabbitoh' (Rabbit Department employee). At 1350 miles, the Rabbit Fence is the longest fence in the world. Replacing fence posts is an excellent cover for tracking Loftus' trail.

Bony is from Queensland, unfamiliar with local slang (as a reader may be also): a "Water Rat" maintains the pipeline, often needing to work in deep water when a pipe bursts. "Snake Charmers" are permanent-way men (railroad maintenance). New and different to Bony is the constant noise of wheat harvesters, the general busy life in wheat country, and the "Albany Doctor" - a strong cool wind "swept from the coast inland with the regularity of a clock at this time of night, during this time of year. The sound of the coming wind was like the roar of surf".

Distinctive characters populate the story: "The Spirit of Australia" - an enormous man of "courage, strength, power, dependability, purpose and unbreakable flexibility". Rumored to be in his late eighties, "Age rested on him as a crown of jewels, not as fetters of lead". Then there's Mrs. Wallace, a "14 stone" woman who watched her husband "very much as a goanna watches a trap-door spider". She scolds him for being a "slow-coach" (probably akin to "slowpoke").

Bony is the son of an Englishman, with an aborigine mother. Life as a "half-caste" is tough, but Bony feels it is also his unique strength: "superlative genius" and love of learning from his father, tremendous bush skills and infinite patience from his mother. He feels that all-white policemen are hampered by a lack of patience, careless and too hasty in closing cases. "Never race Time. Make Time an ally, for Time is the greatest detective that ever was or ever will be".

To a detective he had mentored, who let a criminal escape, Bony delivers a gentle professional scolding: "After all my tuition, you took a creek without first ascertaining the depth of its water. You accepted a conclusion not based on logical deduction. You ignored Science, our greatest ally since Father Time."

Yes, Bony has a huge ego! "Always has my soul been thrilled by mystery." However, he gets results.

More slang phrases that were fun to encounter: "Hooroo!" (goodbye), "Good-oh!" (happy exclamation), "well down by the stern" (drunk), "raining 30 points" (heavily?), "By the Great Wind" (surprise).

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Down Under by Arthur W. Upfield is the 4th book in the Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Mystery series. Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, known as Bony, while on vacation in Western Australia investigates the disappearance of a farmer. Bony is a wonderful character, able to utilize his aboriginal skills to help him solve the mysteries. I love the author's descriptions of the Australian country setting and some of the typically Australian characters that we meet. A superb classic Australian historical mystery.

[Jane (Avid reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever mystery only marred by the racist pseudo-scientific theories of Social Darwinism and phrenology.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel with a lousy US release title (Murder Down Under) and some incidental detecting. Mostly, it is a lovely evocation of a time (the 30s) and place (rural Western Australia) unfamiliar to us yanks. The strengths are a fascinating detective (think a mixed race Hercule Poirot), a fluid writing style, and a beautifully rendered setting. The weakness some may perceive is that Upfield has a 30s white guy understanding of racial questions, and some dubious racial ideas crop up in the narration, even though the author's heart is clearly in the right place. The other weakness are the "mysteries" themselves, which are vaguely disappointing, even though the solution of the secondary mystery is postponed, rather brilliantly, to the last line of the book.

The story is told in a fairly leisurely fashion until the final confrontation between villain and detective, which is very suspenseful. Definitely worth a read, and I am going to hunt down other books by this author, who was unknown to me.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Loftus wrecked his car a couple miles from home and vanished.
Mr. Jelly gets a telegram and leaves town without telling his daughters he is going. When he gets back, he shuts himself up in his room speaking and seeing no one for days.
Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is on leave when he is told about the disappearance. He immediately asks to work the case. Then he meets Sunflower Jelly and promises to solve the mystery of her father.
Did Loftus vanish voluntarily or was he murdered? It was raining that night. Tracks are wiped out. Bony is sure he was murdered, but who did it? Why? Where is the body?
Why is Mr. Jelly fascinated by the executions of murderers?
Even though the culprits and reason are guessable, the story keeps the reader enthralled. It is a cat and mouse game up until the very end.
This book is set in an area of Australia where wheat is grown. It is easy to read, fun to read.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written, and the first two thirds was enjoyable, but then it became increasingly unpleasant, at least for me. What started as a cosy-ish mystery soon became...well, what it became. Two parallel mysteries that Bony is convinced are related--Mr Loftus' disappearance into thin air a few hundred yards from his home, and Mr Jelly's periodic disappearances for days at a time from his home, only to return and shut himself up for several days in his study. He's obsessed with murder trials, to the point of having studio photos of killers in frames on the study walls.

I was mildly amused by the 1930s idea that "murder is hereditary" and, in Upfield's case, that murderers all carry certain physical characteristics. Mr Jelly is convinced that he can tell a murderer just by looking at them--or feeling their heads. Phrenology, they called that in the 19th century. Supposedly you can read a person's character and personality by feeling their skull. Up until at least the mid 1990s, there was a phrenologist's consulting room in my city of 800,000 people, so there is apparently still a market for it. Curiously enough, according to Jelly petty crime like stealing etc. is down to environment, but murder is inborn--nature versus nurture, and no room left for free will or self-control!

Chasing down the killer reminded me of The Petrified Forest. This book came out at about the same time; maybe Upfield had seen it. The ending was well done, and a good twist, but it reminds me of my reaction to certain films: "It's very good, which is why I don't like it." Therefore three stars.

[Benedict Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I read the many incredibly racist paragraphs in this book, it reminded me that a mainstream white liberal view rarely goes far enough and time normally results in this view as being seen as shockingly backwards/similar to the contemporary reactionary stance. Arthur Upfield was seen as a progressive when he was writing this book in 1937, having as his detective a "half caste" Aboriginal man. Some charaters are shown to be untrustworthy because they talk down to this protagonist, Bony. All well and good. However Bony keeps referring to his battle within between his base Aboriginal half and his superior European half.
In many ways the writing seemed to be a cross between Agatha Christie and John A Lee. We get a detective who makes big jumps in his reasoning due to their moral judgements of people along with a few actual physical clues and we get stories of early 20th century colonial life.
The plot moved slowly with this reader reaching each conclusion many chapters ahead of Bony's conclusions (something I rarely manage with Christie, Marsh or Allingham), but the characterisations are good with a real sense of Australian rural life. I have to admit to being surprised that this author managed to break through in the USA market with his character of Bony, but perhaps the racial dynamics fitted a USA literal world-view well in the 1940s. Looking at the 1970s TV series reminded me how far we've come in 50 years. I'm actually surprised that this book continues to be published and available as it is every bit a racist as Tintin in the Congo and other similar books which have rightly slipped off publishers current lists.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would of never known about "the rabbit fence" without having read this! Great craic!
Boney is just one of my favorite detectives of all time, an emotionally torn "half-caste" battling between his Caucasian and Aboriginal sides, one a western educated intellectual that feels the noise and trappings of a civilized world and its infringements into his quiet, spiritual and more animalistic side. Which leaves some readers thinking this very progressive writer for 1936 a bit racist, I fail to see it, if you read deeper into its really not, but many of the characters are, as were and are towards the aboriginals to this day, to think any of the many indigenous peoples of the world don't feel conflicted about living in 2 very different realities, placing good and bad characteristics to each is just a bit ignorant, anyhow I felt the need to add that because I think a lot of badly educated people get knee jerk attitudes with today's standards attached to a man(white) writing a character that is "half caste" in 1936, I personally think he goes miles out of his way to show respect to the Aboriginals(whom)he lived with for many years in a positive light, but yes was writing in an era gone.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am having a bit of an Arthur Upfield (1890-1964) binge at the moment. I love this author's 1930s Australian settings, his main character Bony the detective, the gentle humour, the clever plotting and his easy-to-read, laconic writing style. Upfield was almost a forgotten author until he was rediscovered and his books reprinted. I believe he is up there with the best of English crime/mystery writers of the 1930s such as Edmund Crispin, Michael Innes and Francis Isles (Anthony Berkley). 'Mr Jelly's Business' has all the usual ingredients plus the bonus of being set in my home state Western Australia in the tiny wheat belt town of Burracoppin. Clues, red herrings, likeable and not-so-likeable characters and a keen sense of place all make for a suspenseful story. Being written in 1937 it reflects the prevailing attitudes and language in regard to Aborigines and women, but as long as you are aware of this, the story is a slow-paced mystery that is a joy to read.

[Catsalive · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the atmosphere of these books, the country, heat, dust & flies are almost palpable. Bony is his usual inimitable self, although we do see a little of his darker side at one point when Lucy Jelly is in danger.

There are two mysteries here: Is George Loftus dead &, if so, who killed him? And why does Mr. Jelly suddenly leave home only to return a different man for several days? The first is a police matter, the second a friend's matter when Lucy & Dulcie "Sunflower" Jelly ask for his help. Bony's slow, methodical process is as entertaining as ever.

That last chapter is very powerful, as is "The Rabbit - and the Hunters" chapter, although we can't depend on a person's conscience or demons doing what this murderer's did in the end, not in these conscienceless days. I agree with Bony's take on the torturers of children, they "should be pegged down on an ants' nest".

A very good read.

[Maria Longley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inspector Bonaparte, or Bony as he's known as, is on holiday (without his family) gets involved in trying to solve a mystery in Western Australia. Bony is half white and half Aboriginal and a stranger in this small wheat-belt farming town so can come in as a casual labourer and start investigating without being 'out' as police. His friendship with the Jelly family quickly lands him in another mystery as he's investigating the disappearance of George Loftus.

There are quite a few elements of its time in the novel, phrenology included, which are quite grating. It's a servicable detective story, although most of the interest for me came from the setting.

[Jennifer Morefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Inspector Boneparte series. Bony is an amazing detective who is able to use the gifts of his Aboriginal mother and his white father to help him ferret out the bad guys and protect the innocent. He is brilliant and gallant. The perfect gentleman if you will. He is a great hero and the characters in the story were interesting whether they were good our bad. This was the timeless story of a wife becoming bored with her husband and doing him in for the handsome hired man. A great story and though this series is nearly 100 years old, it certainly is a timeless tale. This was another great read by Arthur W. Upfield.

[John Sheahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The binge on Bony continues!
Written in 1937, this novel is set in WA in the wheatbelt. The landscape depicted is foreign to me, as it was to Bony. Again, part of my enjoyment of the read is down to the glimpses of a community both recognisable and foreign. Sadly, the prejudices of our socially privileged have changed little.
Subtitled 'Mr Jelly's Business', the mystery's two main threads are most engaging, tying off in the final scene in one of those wonderful conclusions that cause me to take time to sift through the novel again from this different perspective.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burracoppin's a town near the rabbit-proof fence in Western Australia, a town that holds secrets. Bony does a swap with his pal John Muir for the chance of a mystery to suit his talents while on holiday. Mr Jelly disappears and reappears mysteriously during the hours of darkness. What's he up to? Resourceful Bony seems to have met his match, will he be able to solve this, perhaps his greatest case?

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a fan of book series, but this one enjoyable and a “stand-alone read. There was mention made of a previous case, that I think we as from an earlier book, but it wasn’t a part of the mystery in this one. I enjoyed the character of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte (Bony). He is part Aboriginal and uses his tracking abilities to aid him in solving cases. I enjoyed the surprise at the very end! I am giving the book a 3 because I felt it was slow at times.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd time I've read this one. I think the first time was about 40 years ago. I love it as much if not more than that 1st time. Set during the depression in Austrillia. Bony the most unusual detective inspector has multiple mysteries to solve. Completely fun. Instead of Historical Romance this is Historical Detective story. It is interesting to read a book written over 80 years ago. It's nice to get a sense of the era.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel comes (appropriately) with a language warning as it uses terms in relation to Australian aboriginal people that were common when it was writing but are considered offensive today. If you can get beyond that this is a good detective story and an interesting perspective on attitudes to indigenous people at the time. Add to that some great outback descriptions of people and places.

[Jane Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fetching tale set in Western Australia and full of interesting tales about the rabbit fence and other area features in a hot agricultural town. An interesting, lightly, but sweetly described, detective. My first read of this series and will read others. But, warning, the novel reflects the racism of the time.