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Wings Above the Diamantina (A Scribner Crime Classic)

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This is but yet another Grand Slam for Arthur Upfield. His numerous Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte mysteries are each a joy to the mystery reader, especially for those who particularly savor the works of Christie, Tey, Sayers, Rinehart, and Ellery Queen.

Here the half-caste inspector (he's half Aborigine, half Caucasian) is called in to investigate a small (and stolen) plane that has landed in the Australian Outback with one passenger, a young lady who was apparently comatose when it landed! But the plot thickens as this gal's condition continues to deteriorate and "Bony" (as all his friends call him) is working against time to save her life.

A drunken physician, a suspicious foreman, two indigenous farm hands, and many other colorful characters serve to heighten the reader's delight in this suspenseful tale. And it's not a spoiler to all Upfield fans to know in advance that Bony always solves his cases.

This entry is at least as good as Murder Down Under. Highly recommended!

First published in 1936, Wings above the Diamantina is a feast of daring skullduggery, bizarre Outback weather and exotic Aboriginal folkways.

Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte (Bony) is sent out to the Coolibah homestead to investigate an astonishing occurrence. A little red monoplane, stolen from the flying circus, was found in a dry lake with a young woman strapped inside. She appears to be asleep but, in fact, a strange paralysis has gripped her. Only a subtle gleam in her eyes reveals that her mind is still functioning.

It soon becomes clear that the aeroplane was meant to go up in flames, and the young lady with it. Her survival is a kind of aerodynamic miracle, and as long as she lives, she's in grave danger.

Bony is the best detective in Australia, a half-caste with talents drawn from both the white race and the Aboriginal. But he'll also draw on the talents of others to overcome the obstacles in this case. The young woman's identity is a mystery, as is her condition. There are no tracks by the plane. And he'll have to subdue the racial prejudices of everyone around him to get the cooperation he needs.

At every turn, freakish weather slows down the investigation, but floods, storms and sand clouds are thrillingly described. Upfield rewards the reader not just with a perplexing mystery, but also with amazing verbal snapshots of the weird weather and cruelly beautiful landscapes of the Outback.

There's a fascinating cast of characters, including quirky lawmen, a drunken flying doctor, giant pet lizards, a resourceful villain, a loveable old Aborigine chief, and a dauntless pair of Aborigine trackers.

Upfield's work is an endangered species, fast going out of print. Won't some enlightened publisher please, please reprint all the fabulous Bony mysteries? In absence of that, I'd advise vintage mystery lovers to grab up all the Upfield novels they can find. This is a great one.

Before Tony Hillerman's justly popular Native American police officers, we had Arthur W. Upfield's (1888-1964) "Bony", the "half-caste" genius of the Australian police force. Never has he failed successfully to wrap up a case, almost always he has earned the respect of the "white" Australians, other than the criminals, who have been involved. These books are all well-written, with interesting backgrounds, and adequate plots within which Bony" can strut his stuff. It is a series dated in no respect, except, perhaps, in the attitudes displayed by some of his antagonists and, even, law-abiding citizens of the day. I can commend the whole series to any reader, of mysteries or other genres of light fiction, for its characters and ambiance.
This is a 1936 entry in the series, requiring our master detective not only to find the thieves of an airplane but also the perpetrators of some type of assault upon an innocent young woman found paralyzed in the plane. It is possible that the average reader may unravel the puzzle of what ails the woman as her physicians cannot, but it makes no difference to one's involvement with the story and its characters. As usual, the nature of life in parts of Australia more than 70 years ago shares the spotlight with the featured and supporting players and the plot. i think you will enjoy it.

If you like detective novels you should enjoy this one. It is well written. Set in the Australian outback, the detective, Napoleon Bonaparte, is half white, half aborigine and makes full use of his native skills. He informs the reader of the progress he is making in solving the mystery as he discovers the clues, while still maintaining the suspense. This is an interesting and complex mystery.