Part of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, book 3
First published 1986
A crimson monoplane sits abandoned on the cracked bed of Emu Lake, its presence rippling through the small Australian town in unexpected ways. Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte arrives to investigate what appears to be a simple case of aircraft theft, but the discovery quickly reveals darker currents beneath the surface. Elizabeth Nettlefold finds herself drawn into events that will reshape her entire existence. Dr. Knowles, the town's gifted but alcoholic physician, sees an opportunity to reclaim long-buried aspirations from his past. Someone with murderous intentions watches their carefully laid plans crumble into chaos. Bonaparte must untangle the web connecting the aircraft to a killing that went wrong, facing one of the most challenging investigations of his distinguished career. The flat, unforgiving landscape of the Diamantina region holds its secrets close, forcing Bonaparte to dig deeper than usual to uncover the truth about why the plane came to rest in this desolate place and who was willing to kill for it.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, investigation, small-town-mystery
Setting: Diamantina, Emu Lake
Period: 20th-century
312 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Collier Books/Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc.