Wings Above the Diamantina: The 1941 Radio Serial

Written by Arthur W. Upfield

Narrated by Peter Hosking

The original 1941 radio dramatisation of Inspector Bonaparte Mystery - featuring Bony, the first Aboriginal detective. The discovery of a stolen red monoplane on the dry, flat bottom of Emu Lake meant many things for different folks. For Elizabeth Nettlefold, the chance to nurse its strangely ill passenger meant renewed purpose in life. For Dr Knowles, brilliant physician and town drunk, it meant the revival of a romantic dream. For some it meant a murder plan gone awry, and for Bonaparte, it meant one of the toughest cases of his career…

• Language: English
• Publisher: ETT Imprint
• Release date: May 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781922473967

Reviews for Wings Above the Diamantina

[rosalita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is called in when a small plane is found abandoned on a sheep station in a remote area of Queensland. The plane doesn't appear to have crashed, but there's no pilot inside (or footprints outside to indicate anyone climbed out of the plane). There is a young woman strapped into the passenger seat but she's no help in solving the mystery: She's conscious but incapable of movement or speech.The plot's fine as far as it goes, though perhaps a bit far-fetched with all the flying around and some questionable interpersonal relationships. But there are two set pieces that showcase some spectacular aspects of the Australian bush climate — one a giant sandstorm and a climactic rainstorm that is apocalyptic in nature. We see both of these through the eyes of Bony, who is caught out in the elements both times and must use his intelligence guided by experience to survive.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A early Bony mystery in a classic outback setting. A plane lands in a waterless lake in western Queensland (Bony's home state where he made his erly career) --a dtugged young woman is found in the plane, but no pilot.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am changing my rating from 3 to 4 stars after this reread (June 2016). I know that I have read this book before (something I can't say about all the books on my shelves!) but even now I am finished, it was like I was reading it for the first time. A bit surprising as I thought that I knew all of this series well!This is an early entry in the Inspector Bonaparte series (1936) and Upfield hadn't quite gotten to his best work yet - relying on Bony's friend and mentor Illawalli to save the day is a bit of a 'cheat' but didn't detract from my enjoyment. I admire how well Upfield shows us enough of Bony's thought process that the reader feels like he is solving it along with the Inspector yet doesn't make it obvious.

[joannsmithainsworth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. Enjoyed it to the end. Very much the flavor of ‘60’s Australia.

[bcquinnsmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once again, it is Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, known to most as Bony, to the rescue. This is the third installment of this series by Arthur Upfield, and it begins with a very strange occurrence. An airplane lands and there is no pilot; just a girl who is unconscious. There are no footprints anywhere, so it seems that the plane has just dropped out of the sky with its passenger. The young woman is quickly taken in by the Nettlefold family, where she remains unconscious, sliding toward death. Bony must solve the mystery of who she is, how she got there, and what type of drug is causing her illness before she dies.I like these books, although I must say that modern readers may find Upfield's depiction of the local Australian aborigines somewhat racist. I am okay with it since he writes within the context of a time when racism was the reality and whites felt superior (not that I think that's right; I just understand that it was the times), but some may find it offensive. Other than that caveat, I love these books for their look at the raw Australian outback of the 1930s.recommended