THE BACHELORS OF BROKEN HILL

Australian Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte (Bony) is a singular character. When elderly bachelors are being poisoned one by one, Bony is sent to Broken Hill to get to the bottom of it. His personality and unconventional methods of detection arouse people's curiosity. All the victims have in common is having been single and having had a tendency to gobble their food, making for messy clothing. Narrator Peter Hosking's melodious voice covers roguish characters, Aussie, Irish, and Aboriginal. He enhances Bony's technique of using hypnosis to coax witnesses to remember clues. Barmaids, burglars, and a magician are cleverly presented by Hosking. Upfield and Hosking keep listeners guessing until the last minute of this oddly fascinating mystery. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 06]