Part of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, book 23
First published 1970
Three murders have shaken Daybreak, a remote Western Australian town. Each killing was carried out differently, leaving Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte puzzled about what connects them. The local Aboriginal people mysteriously disappear from town whenever death strikes. Meanwhile, suspicion falls heavily on Tony Carr, the community's notorious troublemaker. Bonaparte faces a problem. Daybreak is too small and insular for an official police investigation to succeed. The residents will close ranks against any outside authority. Bonaparte devises a solution. He abandons his detective identity and transforms himself into Nat Bonnar, a drifter looking for work. As a fellow down-on-his-luck Australian, he can slip past the community's defenses. Bonaparte must navigate the town's web of secrets and prejudices while maintaining his cover. The Aboriginal community's strange behavior suggests they know something about the murders. Bonaparte needs to discover whether their absences are coincidence, fear, or something more significant.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, undercover
Setting: Daybreak, Western Australia
Period: 20th-century
188 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Scribner Paper Fiction