Ann C. (auntant) reviewed on 2/15/2007 + 103 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Arthur Upfield's Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Mystery series was written between the late 1930's and the early 1960's. His protagonist, "Bony," is an intelligent, talented police inspector in Australia. He is also "half-caste," half caucasian and half aborigine. Because of the time period when these novels were written, there's a certain amount of racism depicted in them. Bony feels a certain insecurity in his bi-racial status, and yet Upfield depicts him as dignified and sure of his abilities as a detective. Bony leaves no case unsolved. Upfield's mysteries are informative about a very different time and culture, and are good mysteries with satisfying (if sometimes unexpected) endings.

In DEATH OF A LAKE, Bony goes undercover as a horsebreaker to investigate the probable death of a lottery winner who went for a swim in Lake Otway one night and never came back.

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