Death
of a Lake by Arthur W. Upfield: A review by Warren Bull
Originally published in 1954,
Upfield’s Detective Inspector Napolean Bonaparte described as a “half-caste”
has seven suspects, any of whom might have murdered a worker and stolen his
money. The man went swimming in a lake created by a flood. As the lake returns
to its state as a depression in a lonely desert sheep station, the people who
lived at the station at the time of his death watch each other with frightful
intensity. Two are women who delight in causing trouble between the five men in
the group. Will a body be revealed
by the evaporating water? If so will there be signs of foul play? And what
happened to the wad of cash the dead man kept in his locked suitcase?
As with Upfield’s other works the
landscape of the Australian outback is as important as the setting and nearly a
character itself. The redoubtable Bonaparte is equal to the challenge. As a
reader I had all clues but I did not suss out the solution.
This novel has my highest
recommendations. If you have not read Arthur’s work, it is well worth seeking
one of his novels out. This novel would provide a good introduction.
It's interesting that you pointed out that the Outback is and almost like a character. I just read a book set at a research station at the South Pole and thought how important the setting was to the story. Set anywhere else and it wouldn't have been as effective.
ReplyDeleteIn Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series, there is one book based on a cold case--which presents itself during a drought. It was a fascinating book. I don't know if the plot in Upfield's book is similar, but if it was anything like Robinson's book, it was a good read. Thanks for bringing Upfield to our attention.
ReplyDeleteI've not read this author and thank you for introducing me to him.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Warren. You come up with some really great reads I never would have encountered otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Warren - adding this to my to-read list!
ReplyDeleteI agree, setting playing the role of a character always makes for a compelling read. We're watching the "Jack Irish" PI DVD's about Australia. Fascinating country.
ReplyDeleteAnother good book I need to put on my list to read.
ReplyDelete