BONY AND THE BLACK VIRGIN

The harsh Australian Outback is the dramatic setting for Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte’s (Bony) latest case. In a distant, desolate sheep station, two men have been brutally murdered, and Bony is just the sleuth for the job. He is half Aborigine and uses his deep understanding of the land, the people, and the country’s strange and unusual flora and fauna as he finds minute, seemingly insignificant, evidence buried in the dusty soil. This communion with nature in Upfield’s vivid imagery, paired with colorful idioms, often leads to the most telling of clues. Peter Hosking’s performance reflects the harsh Outback with his melodious Australian accent, overlayed by gruff, husky expression. One can almost hear the parched essence of the backcountry drought in his crackled speech. A.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2011]