Detective Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte is a fictional character created by Australian novelist Arthur Upfield (1890–1964). Bony is a biracial Aboriginal Australian detective with a reputation for solving difficult cases by finding subtle clues. Upfield introduced the character in his 1929 novel The Barrakee Mystery. He published a total of 29 novels, through 1966, featuring this character.

Upfield said that he based the character on Tracker Leon, a biracial Aboriginal Australian man who worked for the Queensland Police.

Biography In the novel, Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte is the son of an Aboriginal Australian mother and a white father. He was born during a time when an interracial relationship between an Aboriginal and a white person was forbidden. Bony was found in his dead mother's arms, and was taken in and reared by a Catholic mission. They named him Napoleon Bonaparte, after the French military leader who lived from 1769 to 1821.

Bonaparte (nicknamed "Bony") holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queensland University.

He is a detective inspector with the Queensland Police who makes use of all parts of his background. He applies his astounding tracking skills to crime investigation, and has earned a peerless reputation for solving cases. Occasionally, Queensland's criminal investigation department sends him on assignment to another jurisdiction in Australia, if a murder case there confuses the local authorities. Australian Natural History and Human Ecology Page, Just For fans of Arthur Upfield's "Bony" Mysteries

Some of his assignments require him to work undercover. During an undercover operation, he may pose as a station hand or labourer, with only a few senior police aware of his secret identity. He sometimes uses an alias, such as Nat Bonnar or (as in Death of a Swagman) Robert Burns. When he gives his real name, he often adds, "My friends call me Bony".

Bony says that he has been sacked several times for disobeying direct orders from his superiors (most usually Col. Spendor), but adds that he is always reinstated almost immediately. He and his wife, Marie, live in Banyo, a suburb of Brisbane. They have three adult sons; the eldest, Charles, is studying to be a doctor.

Appearances

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

The Sands of Windee While working in the late 1920s on his second 'Bony' novel, published in 1931 as The Sands of Windee, Arthur Upfield discussed plot ideas with his outback companions. He had hit on what seemed to be a foolproof way to hide the evidence of murder. One of his companions who was part of these early discussions was Snowy Rowles.

Rowles was later arrested on charges of murder of one man, but came to be associated with the murder of two other men. He had destroyed the physical evidence, apparently by the method discussed with Upfield. But in the last murder, he had left some evidence and was convicted and sentenced to death. Upfield was forced to testify to their earlier discussions at Rowles's trial.

The ensuing publicity surrounding the sensational Murchison Murders—as they came to be called—greatly improved the sales of Upfield's 1931 novel. The ensuing notoriety helped to catalyze Upfield's rise to fame.

Adaptations There have been multiple adaptations of the Bony books. None of the actors who played the character was Aboriginal.

Radio Wings Above the Diamantina was adapted for radio in 1939 starring Ron Randell as Boney.

The novels were adapted for radio in 1954 by Morris West as Man of Two Tribes. Frank Thring played Bonaparte.

Television Two series of adaptations featuring the Bony character have been made for television. Both starred white actors in the role.

The first adaptation aired for two series between 1971 and 1972. New Zealand actor James Laurenson, a white man, played Bonaparte wearing dark makeup. His casting was controversial, as many people believed that the role should have been filled by an Australian Aboriginal. (Indigenous actor Jack Charles had auditioned for the role.) The character's name was spelt 'Boney' for the series, and some editions of the novels kept this spelling for later editions.

A 1990 telemovie and later a 1992 spin-off TV series (using the original 'Bony' spelling) were also made. These were not related to the novels except for some uses of the lead character. The pilot film depicted the titular protagonist (here named David John Bonaparte) as the grandson of the original Bony. Cameron Daddo played the role and the casting was criticised. In the series his ethnicity was altered: he was identified as a white man who had been raised by Aboriginals.

Cameron Daddo played the character. Burnum Burnum co-starred as Bony's aboriginal mentor Uncle Albert.

See also Fictional detectives List of male detective characters

References

External links