The Barrakee Mystery by Arthur Upfield

Publisher's Synopsis

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? — 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.

My Review of The Barrakee Mystery by Arthur Upfield

The first book in the Napoleon “Bony” Bonapart series, The Barrakee Mystery was first published in 1929 and was later also published in the US under the title “The Lure of the Bush”. Bony is a part-aboriginal policeman gifted with some extraordinary abilities such as tracking, reading the land and an innate deductive ability. He’s also up against the extreme types of prejudice against the black man that was common for the day and a tightrope that must be carefully walked.

An aboriginal man is murdered on the Barrakee Station property, owned by the Thornton family, killed by a blow to the top of the head. The only witness is Frank Dugdale, the sub-overseer of Barrakee. He was returning from an evening’s fishing and heard what must have been the killing blow. But it was dark, a storm was approaching and he saw very little before finding the dead man.

Bony doesn’t make his appearance until at least the second third of the story. When he does there’s a definite change of pace. He’s confident, self-assured and even commanding in his presence. There’s little doubt in his mind that he will solve the murder and in short order we’re given a taste of his uncanny knack for uncovering the truth.

For us, there’s no real mystery surrounding the murder. We’re treated to all the information required in the lead up to the crime to easily figure out the whodunnit aspect. Where things get interesting is the process of running the man to ground. This is where Bony’s unique tracking skills come in handy and a protracted chase in deteriorating conditions ensures an eventful and tense story.

The story is set in the north-western part of outback New South Wales on the Darling River, somewhere near Wilcannia. The remote nature of the property means the landowners take on the role as the ruling class, everyone tends to look upon them as the community leaders. In many respects, the story centres around the family, their interpersonal relationships and the way they’re looked upon by the wider community. There’s a definite commentary on class and the perceived natural order of things, with the aboriginals at the bottom.

Secrets and scandals are key to much of the drama in the book. The motives for the main murder, the emotional turmoil being suffered by the members of the Thornton family and the angst over allocation of available land in the much sought after land lottery being conducted by the government dominate this intricate plot.

Once you excuse the racist attitudes and bigoted behaviour of the central characters in the book, after all, they’re representative of the views of the day, it’s possible to enjoy the skill with which the story is presented and developed.

Although this is the first time Bony appears, and although he clearly livens up every scene he appears in, his role is only a minor one. There’s a great deal more to enjoy in later books, I’m sure, and we only get a brief taste in The Barrakee Mystery but there’s enough here to compel me to track down and read more from the series.