ISBN: 0-7887-0030-8 Order from: Recorded Books
Despite a rambling, somewhat pompous detective, this book portrays a fascinating time and place in the dry and stark Australian bush.
Reviewed by David on April 06, 2002
Genre: Mystery (Police Procedural, Australian Aborigine)
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of The Bone is Pointed.
Set in the Australian Bush country, in the years between the world wars, this book describes a pioneer-like, hard but hopeful society quite different and exotic to the modern, North American reader.
Several months ago, Jeffrey Anderson, one of the farm riders, disappeared without a trace. Cruel and malicious, he wasn't missed by most of his acquitances. However, the farm owner was not satisfied. Finally, after months of letter-writing, a respected police inspector was sent to look into the disappearance.
Detective Inspector Napolean Bonaparte is half-aborigine. Combining the education from the white and the black cultures, he is phenomenally effective. He is also very slow, meticulous, insubordinate and pompous—the qualities which his police superiors have learned to tolerate, if not like.
The inspector—called Bony by his friends—is convinced he can solve the mystery, even after five months. He can find faint traces in the arid country, that lead him to believe that Anderson was murdered, and his body hidden. however, not everybody wants the mystery solved, and some of the opposition is deadly.
Full Review: This is a fascinating book, enjoyable and very frustrating at the same time. The basics of Bony's detection process, the dangerous and beautiful country around, and the elements of both Aborigine and settler life, including Australian expressions, are attractive and enjoyable. On the other hand, the pursuasive racism of the era, and especially the long and repetitive monologues are irritating.
Some of the pompous soul-searching is attributable to the character of the detective, but some is clearly an attribute of the book itself. While the Holmes-like detection is impressive, the jumping to conclusions and the weakness of associated evidence seem unusually precarious even for the law enforcement in the 1930's.
Most of the characters seem simplistic, with overly straightfoward motivations, but it is the country stands out as the most important character. Endlessly appealing and exotic, it provides the major source of attraction for this book.
It is interesting to compare this mystery to another series, Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn/Chee series (see, for example, The Ghostway). Both series feature starkly beautiful, and dangerously dry country, both have native cultures with ancient beliefs and ethics encroached by the Whites, both feature careful search for clues. Hillerman's mysteries, however, are spare in wording and rich in character development. Upfield's novels are wordier, and are populated by flatter, almost cartoon-like characters.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 4.5; World-building: 6.5; Originality: 6.5;
Copyright date 1947, Recorded Books, 1994, Audio cassette, 7 cassettes
ISBN: 0-7887-0030-8 Order from: Recorded Books