Part of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, book 26
First published 1988
Karl Mueller sleeps off his drink by a remote roadside in southwestern Western Australia when footsteps and whistling wake him. What the old-timer sees fills him with terror. The figure approaching through the wilderness is Marvin Rhudder, a former theology student turned convicted rapist who has escaped custody. Rhudder now roams the harsh outback as a dangerous fugitive. The police summon Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte to track down this violent escapee. Bony must use every skill he possesses to hunt Rhudder through the unforgiving landscape. The case will test all of Bonaparte's legendary abilities as both detective and tracker. Rhudder has transformed from a man of God into something savage and unpredictable. The pursuit becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse across the remote Australian wilderness, where one mistake could prove fatal.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, deadly-game, manhunt
Setting: Australia, Western Australia
Period: 20th-century
230 pages · Paperback · Angus & Robertson (UK)
Content warnings: violence