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An Inspector Bonaparte Mystery # 27 featuring Bony, the first Aboriginal detective. It is in a harsh and eerie landscape - the crater formed by the meteor they called The Stranger - that another stranger is found dead. In an area where the presence of every outsider is announced by the bush telegraph, how had this man passed unreported? Who was he? How had he died? No tracks around the crater and no stranger in town. It soon becomes obvious to Bony that both the locals and the Aboriginals are guarding a secret - until the will of the Tribe breaks their silence
This is undoubtedly Upfield's strongest book, for a number of reasons:
1) Bony is at his best in his detective work.
2) Upfield is at his best in studying the social and cultural situations of the white and the Aboriginals.
3) though the physical setting is less intense than in some other works, it is strong here.
4) Upfield's symbolism - especially in the use of the metaphor of clothes vs nakedness - is extraordinarily complex.
There is no doubt that this particular book is a masterpiece in every way. Ray Browne, The Spirit of Australia.
About the Author
Arthur William Upfield (1 September 1890 - 13 February 1964) was an Australian writer, best known for his works of detective fiction featuring Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte ('Bony') of the Queensland Police Force, a half-caste Aborigine.
Born in England, Upfield moved to Australia in 1910 and fought with the Australian military during the First World War. Following his war service, he travelled extensively throughout Australia, obtaining a knowledge of Australian Aboriginal culture that would later be used extensively in his written works. In addition to his detective fiction, Upfield was also a member of the Australian Geological Society and was involved in numerous scientific expeditions. Upfield's works remained popular after his death, and in the 1970s were the basis for an Australian television series entitled Boney.
