"Jeffrey Anderson was a big man with a foul temper–a sadist and an ugly drunk. When his horse, The Black Emperor, an animal as mean as its owner, came home riderless, no one cared. And no one cared when no trace of the man could be found. But five months later, Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is called in--and he is determined to solve the mystery. With his usual tenacity he takes up the cold trail. What happened to Anderson, to his hat, to his stockwhip, to his horse's neck rope? Bony must rely on his eyes and his wits to help him find the answers, for the local inhabitants, both black and white, are keeping their own secrets." - from the 1988 Angus & Robertson "Eden" edition.

"This is vintage Upfield, with all the qualities that have placed him in the forefront of the world's mystery writers.
That engaging detective Napoleon ("Bony") Bonaparte, again exercises his extraordinary combination of man-hunting talents in the great Australian outback, but this time the mystery, though absorbing, is less important than the setting and its inhabitants–the lonely country whose very nature makes criminal investigation peculiarly difficult; the aboriginal tribe whose deadly bone-pointing is crucial to the story; and the rabbits, whose amazing migration is unforgettably described. These elements alone would guarantee the book's appearl to those who like their mystery with a difference." - from the jack of the 1966 Angus & Robertson edition

"Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte of the Queensland Police arrives at Opal Town on a fine warm September 23rd to enquire into the possible murder of Jeffery Anderson, who disappeared on the 18th of April. His efforts to solve the problem are hampered by many factors. The case is many months old, there is evidence that Bony is being constantly shadowed and that aborigines with blood-and-feather encased feet have him under constant surveillance to make sure he finds out as little as possible. Finally, when it is apparent that Bony will not give up until he finds the body, the reason for the murder, and the murderer himself, Bony has the bone pointed at him. The aborigine and white in him struggle against his dreadful fate and he becomes very ill, gaunt and weak. It seems that this time the bush will win–but Bony, as always, conquers. I think this must be Bony's most hated case, and one ofUpfield's best books." – from "The Armchair Detective"

Location: Opal Town (fictonal), St. Albans, Queensland

The Bone is Pointed was published in 1938 by Angus and Robertson of Sydney and A.J. Saunders of Toronto. Hamish Hamilton published the first British edition in 1939. The first American edition was released as part of the Doubleday Crime Club in 1947. Pictured above is the 1988 Eden edition printed by Angus and Robertson.