Inspector Bonaparte books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Inspector Bonaparte series?"

"There are 40 books in the Inspector Bonaparte series, published between 1929 and 1966."

Q: "What is the first book in the Inspector Bonaparte series?"

"The first book in the Inspector Bonaparte series is Barrakee Mystery, published in 1929."

Q: "Do the Inspector Bonaparte novels need to be read in order?"

"The Inspector Bonaparte novels are mostly standalone mysteries that can be read in any order. Each book features a new case in a different part of Australia. There is some character development across the series, and Bony's family life comes up occasionally, but each mystery is self-contained. Many readers start with The Sands of Windee or Mr Jelly's Business rather than the first book."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	Barrakee Mystery	1929	Arthur Upfield	N/A
2	The Barrakee Mystery / The Lure of the Bush	1929	Arthur Upfield	Buy
3	The Sands of Windee	1931	Arthur Upfield	Buy
4	Wings Above The Diamantina	1936	Arthur Upfield	N/A
5	Wings Above the Diamantina / Wings Above the Claypan	1936	Arthur Upfield	Buy
6	Mr. Jelly’s Business/Murder Down Under	1937	Arthur Upfield	Buy
7	Murder Down Under	1937	Arthur Upfield	N/A
8	Winds of Evil	1937	Arthur Upfield	Buy
9	The Bone is Pointed	1938	Arthur Upfield	Buy
10	The Mystery of Swordfish Reef	1939	Arthur Upfield	Buy
11	Bushranger of the Skies / No Footprints in the Bush	1940	Arthur Upfield	Buy
12	No Footprints in the Bush	1940	Arthur Upfield	N/A
13	Death of a Swagman	1945	Arthur Upfield	Buy
14	The Devil’s Steps	1946	Arthur Upfield	Buy
15	An Author Bites the Dust	1948	Arthur Upfield	Buy
16	The Mountains Have a Secret	1948	Arthur Upfield	Buy
17	The Widows of Broome	1951	Arthur Upfield	Buy
18	The Bachelors of Broken Hill	1950	Arthur Upfield	Buy
19	The New Shoe	1951	Arthur Upfield	N/A
20	The New Shoe/The Clue of the New Shoe	1951	Arthur Upfield	Buy
21	Venom House	1952	Arthur Upfield	Buy
22	Murder Must Wait	1953	Arthur Upfield	Buy
23	Death of a Lake	1954	Arthur Upfield	Buy
24	Sinister Stones	1954	Arthur Upfield	N/A
25	Sinister Stones/Cake in the Hat Box	1954	Arthur Upfield	Buy
26	The Battling Prophet	1956	Arthur Upfield	Buy
27	Man of Two Tribes	1956	Arthur Upfield	Buy
28	Bony Buys a Woman	1957	Arthur Upfield	N/A
29	Bony Buys a Woman / The Bushman Who Came Back	1957	Arthur Upfield	Buy
30	Bony and the Mouse	1959	Arthur Upfield	N/A
31	Bony and the Mouse / Journey to the Hangman	1959	Arthur Upfield	Buy
32	Boney and the Black Virgin	1959	Arthur Upfield	N/A
33	Bony and the Black Virgin / The Torn Branch	1959	Arthur Upfield	Buy
34	Bony and the Kelly Gang	1960	Arthur Upfield	N/A
35	Bony and the Kelly Gang / Valley of Smugglers	1960	Arthur Upfield	Buy
36	Bony and the White Savage	1961	Arthur Upfield	Buy
37	The Will of the Tribe	1962	Arthur Upfield	Buy
38	Madman’s Bend / The Body at Madman’s Bend	1963	Arthur Upfield	Buy
39	Madmans Bend	1963	Arthur Upfield	N/A
40	The Lake Frome Monster	1966	Arthur Upfield	Buy

Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte of the Queensland Police is one of the most distinctive detectives in crime fiction. Half-Aboriginal and half-white, Bony (as everyone calls him) combines a university education with traditional tracking skills learned from Aboriginal elders. He never gives up on a case, a trait that gets him into trouble with his superiors since he refuses to work on anyone’s timetable but his own.

Each novel drops Bony into a different corner of rural Australia. He investigates murders on cattle stations, in small desert towns, along remote coastlines, and deep in the bush. Upfield’s years of traveling the outback show in the precise, lived-in descriptions of the land. The settings are not just backdrops but part of the puzzle. Weather patterns, animal behavior, and the marks people leave on dry ground often matter as much as witness statements. The series ran from The Barrakee Mystery (1929) through The Lake Frome Monster, which was completed after Upfield’s death and published in 1966.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Inspector Bonaparte series?

There are 40 books in the Inspector Bonaparte series, published between 1929 and 1966.

What is the first book in the Inspector Bonaparte series?

The first book in the Inspector Bonaparte series is Barrakee Mystery, published in 1929.

Do the Inspector Bonaparte novels need to be read in order?

The Inspector Bonaparte novels are mostly standalone mysteries that can be read in any order. Each book features a new case in a different part of Australia. There is some character development across the series, and Bony’s family life comes up occasionally, but each mystery is self-contained. Many readers start with The Sands of Windee or Mr Jelly’s Business rather than the first book.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order