Part of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, book 5
First published 1987
Napoleon Bonaparte returns to a case that has grown cold. Two bizarre killings occurred twelve months ago in Australia's remote interior, and the mixed-race detective inspector must now piece together what happened. The harsh outback landscape holds its secrets close, and the trail has gone dead. Bonaparte applies his unique methods to crimes that baffled local authorities. He studies the land itself, reads the stories written in dust and stone, and follows leads that others missed or abandoned. The murders were unusual enough to stump conventional police work. Bonaparte must determine not just who committed these acts, but why they happened in such a desolate place. Time works against him as evidence fades and witnesses scatter. The detective draws on his Aboriginal heritage and European training to see patterns invisible to others. He knows the outback can preserve traces of violence long after urban crimes disappear without a trace. Bonaparte faces the challenge of reconstructing events from fragments and half-truths, pursuing justice in a landscape that seems to swallow human intentions whole.
Genres: australia, 20th-century, adventure, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, deduction, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Australia, Australia's Remote Interior
Period: 12 Months Ago
256 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Collier Books