Reading order · 29 books · 1929 to 1966 · Set in the Australian outback
Napoleon Bonaparte Books in Order
Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, known as Bony, of the Queensland Police, is the son of an Aboriginal mother and a white father. He solves crimes across outback Australia with patience, bushcraft and the ability to read the land. Written between the 1920s and 1960s, the books are rich in the landscape of their time, though some attitudes are dated.
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Series facts
- Books
- 29
- Published
- 1929 to 1966
- First book
- The Barrakee Mystery
- Latest
- The Lake Frome Monster (1966)
- Setting
- Set in the Australian outback
The reading order
Every Napoleon Bonaparte book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
29 books · Set in the Australian outback
- 1The Barrakee Mystery1929With Napoleon BonaparteAn Aboriginal man is murdered on Barrakee station beside the Darling River, and Bony is sent to investigate.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Sands of Windee1931With Napoleon BonaparteA man vanishes from a sheep station in western New South Wales, and Bony looks for the clues a careful killer left behind.Buy on Amazon
- 3Wings Above the Diamantina1936With Napoleon BonaparteAn abandoned aeroplane is found on a remote cattle station, with an unconscious young woman inside.Buy on Amazon
- 4Mr Jelly’s Business1937With Napoleon BonaparteIn the wheat country of Western Australia, beside the rabbit-proof fence, a farmer has gone missing.Buy on Amazon
- 5Winds of Evil1937With Napoleon BonaparteIn the dust-storm country of western New South Wales, a killer strikes when the wind rises.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Bone Is Pointed1938With Napoleon BonaparteA cruel stockman disappears in Queensland, and when Bony investigates, the bone is pointed at him.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Mystery of Swordfish Reef1939With Napoleon BonaparteA fishing boat vanishes off the south coast of New South Wales.Buy on Amazon
- 8Bushranger of the Skies1940With Napoleon BonaparteA settler family in the far west is torn apart by a wayward brother who deals death from the air, and Bony must unravel the deaths of a policeman and his offsider.Buy on Amazon
- 9Death of a Swagman1945With Napoleon BonaparteBony gets himself put in the lock-up of a small town in New South Wales, so he can quietly investigate the death of a swagman.Buy on Amazon
- 10The Devil’s Steps1946With Napoleon BonaparteBony goes undercover at a guest house in the mountains of Victoria.Buy on Amazon
- 11An Author Bites the Dust1948With Napoleon BonaparteA well-known author dies at a gathering of a literary society in Victoria.Buy on Amazon
- 12The Widows of Broome1950With Napoleon BonaparteTwo widows have been murdered in the pearling town of Broome, in Western Australia.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Mountains Have a Secret1950With Napoleon BonaparteTwo young women go missing on a hiking trip in the Grampians of Victoria.Buy on Amazon
- 14The New Shoe1951With Napoleon BonaparteA body is found hidden in the wall of a lighthouse on the coast of Victoria.Buy on Amazon
- 15Venom House1952With Napoleon BonaparteBony investigates twin murders on a coastal Queensland property owned by the strange Answerth family, and becomes deeply entangled in their lives.Buy on Amazon
- 16Murder Must Wait1953With Napoleon BonaparteBabies are being taken in a country town in New South Wales.Buy on Amazon
- 17Death of a Lake1954With Napoleon BonaparteAs a lake in western New South Wales dries up in the heat, Bony waits for it to give up its secrets.Buy on Amazon
- 18Cake in the Hat Box1955With Napoleon BonaparteA police constable is shot dead in the Kimberley, and an Aboriginal tracker is missing.Buy on Amazon
- 19The Battling Prophet1956With Napoleon BonaparteA famous weather forecaster is dead and a friend suspects foul play, as secret agents hunt for his papers.Buy on Amazon
- 20Man of Two Tribes1956With Napoleon BonaparteA woman acquitted of murder vanishes from a train crossing the Nullarbor Plain, and Bony is sent into the desert to find her.Buy on Amazon
- 21Bony Buys a Woman1957With Napoleon BonaparteA woman is killed on a property near Lake Eyre and her young daughter disappears, while a local man who has also vanished falls under suspicion.Buy on Amazon
- 22The Bachelors of Broken Hill1958With Napoleon BonaparteElderly men are being poisoned in the mining town of Broken Hill.Buy on Amazon
- 23Bony and the Mouse1959With Napoleon BonapartePosing as a horse-breaker and later a barman, Bony investigates several murders in a close-knit outback town in Western Australia.Buy on Amazon
- 24Bony and the Black Virgin1959With Napoleon BonaparteBony searches for clues in drought-stricken country after two men are beaten to death.Buy on Amazon
- 25Bony and the Kelly Gang1960With Napoleon BonaparteIn a New South Wales valley Bony goes undercover among the local Irish community to investigate the killing of an excise officer.Buy on Amazon
- 26Bony and the White Savage1961With Napoleon BonaparteBony pursues a murderer wanted in South Australia who may be hiding on the southern coast of Western Australia.Buy on Amazon
- 27The Will of the Tribe1962With Napoleon BonaparteA white man’s body is found inside a meteorite crater in the remote Kimberley.Buy on Amazon
- 28Madman’s Bend1963With Napoleon BonaparteTrapped by floodwaters on the Darling River that are washing away the clues, Bony must find out who killed a violent man.Buy on Amazon
- 29The Lake Frome Monster1966With Napoleon BonaparteAlong the dingo fence on the South Australian border, Bony investigates the mystery of a so-called monster, in a novel completed from Upfield’s notes.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Each book stands alone, so start anywhere. The Sands of Windee, The Bone Is Pointed and Death of a Swagman are good places to begin.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Napoleon Bonaparte |
|---|---|
| 1 The Barrakee Mystery | LLead |
| 2 The Sands of Windee | LLead |
| 3 Wings Above the Diamantina | LLead |
| 4 Mr Jelly’s Business | LLead |
| 5 Winds of Evil | LLead |
| 6 The Bone Is Pointed | LLead |
| 7 The Mystery of Swordfish Reef | LLead |
| 8 Bushranger of the Skies | LLead |
| 9 Death of a Swagman | LLead |
| 10 The Devil’s Steps | LLead |
| 11 An Author Bites the Dust | LLead |
| 12 The Widows of Broome | LLead |
| 13 The Mountains Have a Secret | LLead |
| 14 The New Shoe | LLead |
| 15 Venom House | LLead |
| 16 Murder Must Wait | LLead |
| 17 Death of a Lake | LLead |
| 18 Cake in the Hat Box | LLead |
| 19 The Battling Prophet | LLead |
| 20 Man of Two Tribes | LLead |
| 21 Bony Buys a Woman | LLead |
| 22 The Bachelors of Broken Hill | LLead |
| 23 Bony and the Mouse | LLead |
| 24 Bony and the Black Virgin | LLead |
| 25 Bony and the Kelly Gang | LLead |
| 26 Bony and the White Savage | LLead |
| 27 The Will of the Tribe | LLead |
| 28 Madman’s Bend | LLead |
| 29 The Lake Frome Monster | LLead |
Characters in the Napoleon Bonaparte books
1 character from Arthur Upfield’s chart, with the number of Napoleon Bonaparte books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Napoleon BonaparteDetective Inspector known as Bony | 29 | The Barrakee Mystery 1929 |