First published 1967
Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte arrives in the pearling town of Broome to find two widows already dead, both strangled by an unknown killer. The local police have no leads and no clues to follow. The murderer strikes with precision, leaving behind no trace of his identity or methods. Bonaparte must navigate the small town dynamics and piece together the connection between the victims before the killer claims another life. When a third widow falls victim to the strangler, the murderer finally makes his first mistake. Bonaparte seizes on this single error to unravel the case that has terrorized the community. Set in northern Australia after World War II, the investigation tests Bonaparte's legendary detective skills against a methodical killer who seems to target the town's most vulnerable residents.
Genres: australia, 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, methodical-killer
Setting: Broome
Period: Post-World War II
256 pages · Hardcover · William Heinemann