Book #4 in the Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte series finds Bony in Western Australia for a change, working undercover to investigate the disappearance of a local farmer. There's no evidence of foul play, but Bony's instincts tell him it was murder and he sets out to prove there was a crime, to begin with, and then to find the culprit. Along the way, he takes on the puzzle of figuring out where another local farmer, Mr Jelly, goes when he disappears periodically, leaving his young daughters at home for days or a week at a time. The two cases seem unrelated, but are they?

Highlights in this one were the key role played by Australia's famed "rabbit-proof fence" and the twist ending that I at least did not see coming but found supremely satisfying in tying up a number of loose ends. Overall, a fine outing for our favorite half-caste detective. ( )

2020 reread:
Some aspects of this mystery I either figured out or (more likely) subconsciously remembered. Not my favorite book in the Napoleon Bonaparte series but the reader does get to know a little more about Bony's personal life in this one. ( )

Bony takes on the case of George Loftus' disappearance as a favour to a friend, and gets a job working on the Rabbit Proof Fence so he can keep the locals under observation and work out what has happened to Loftus. Mr Jelly is convinced that Loftus has been murdered by his wife and her lover, but he is surrounded by his own mystery. He gets telegrams that summon him to Perth for at least a week at a time. Given his personal hobby that involves keeping extensive files on murderers, Mr Jelly's daughters are convinced that his job must be something to be ashamed of. Bony promises Mr Jelly's daughters that he will find out what their father does during his absences.

This novel is filled with Upfield's own philosophy about what creates murderers. We also find out a lot about aboriginal tracking methods, as well as more information about Bony's family background. ( )

An early Bony novel set in a small town in the wheat fields of Western Australia along the Great Rabbit Fence. A protege of Bony's is baffled by a case, so Bony arranges to take it over, and gets a job on the Rabbit Fence.
A local farmer, George Loftus, allegedly got drunk and ran his car into a ditch near the Rabbit Fence and vanished. Bony investigates several colorful local characters, one of whom, Mr. Jelly, is obsessed with Australian murderers and their executions. (This story has also been published as Mr. Jelly's Business. I recall the family collection used to have a copy under that title.) There is a brief new introduction in this edition by Edward Marston, author of a good series of mysteries set in the Elizabethan theater of Shakespeare's time. ( )

Complexe... (complexe de l'écrivain qui veut faire complexe?) ( )