The Barrakee Mystery

Arthur W. Upfield

Feb 2015 · An Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Mystery Book 1 · Bolinda · Narrated by Peter Hosking

5.0

1 review

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8 hr 16 min

Unabridged

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About this audiobook

Why was the redoubtable King Henry, an aborigine from Western Australia, killed during a thunderstorm in New South Wales? What was the feud that led to murder after nineteen long years had passed? And who was the woman who saw the murder and kept silent? This first story of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, the half-aborigine detective, takes him to a sheep station in the Darling River bush country where he encounters those problems he understands so well ‒ mixed blood and divided loyalties. PLEASE NOTE: Part of the appeal of Arthur Upfield’s stories lies in their authentic portrayal of many aspects of outback Australian life in the 1930s and through into the 1950s. These books reflect and depict the attitudes and ways of speech of that era particularly with regard to Aborigines and to women. In reproducing this book the publisher does not endorse the attitudes or opinions they express.

Ratings and reviews

5.0

1 review

John Butler

February 1, 2023

I first read some of the Bony books back in the 60s. Now, 60 years later I'm re-reading some of them. True, some of the attitudes wouldn't pass the political correctness test of the 2020s but I find the series an excellent reminder of my youth and an entertaining, if a bit awkward, read (listen). It's interesting to look back and see how attitudes have changed since these books were written. Even the style of writing. However, life in outback parts of Australia are still the same, and in my opinion, well presented by Arthur Upfield in the Bony series.

About the author

Arthur W. Upfield (1890–1964) wrote twenty-nine Bony mystery stories between 1929 and 1962, as well as several other books including mysteries, romances, and an autobiography. Arthur W. Upfield was born in England, but moved to Australia and adopted it as his homeland. He travelled throughout the country and tried his hand at many trades, including boundary rider and station hand. His travels lent him a wealth of first-hand experiences that make his books fascinating and believable. He captures the majesty of Australia, especially the outback country, and its people.

Peter Hosking is an actor with 40 years of stage, film and television experience and has narrated over 160 audiobooks. He toured Australia with the stage show Certified Male, appeared on television in Blue Heelers and on-screen in Pride, Siam Sunset, The Wogboy and Razor Eaters. Now living in Europe, he has toured with stage shows within Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the USA and Egypt as well as filming in the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Canary Islands and Poland. He continues to record for Bolinda from his base in Prague.

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