More delights from Arthur Upfield

Every Upfield Bony story is enjoyable, but some more than others.  Several Bony books, including The Death of a Lake, feature some kind of particularly unusual and characteristically Australian theme such as flash floods, rabbit migrations, fishing for swordfish or, in this case, a lake that forms every 20 years or so due to flooding, and then takes several years, but at an accelerating pace, to evaporate.  Rabbits visit the disappearing lake each night by the thousands, to quench their thirst - the descriptions of this scene and the opportunities it presents for trapping, are grippingly described.  Typically, however, these stories seem almost to have been written because of a strong attraction to the phenomenon, rather than in order to provide a strong setting to feature the mystery. The Death of a Lake has a couple vivid characters,  and there is tension as the lake vanishes as to whether a body that is expected will be found - but it's a limp mystery.

In contrast, The Battling Prophet is terrific - one of the best of the Bony stories.  A the outset, Bony is invited to stay, for a few days of fishing (!), with Mr. Luton, an old but extremely vital, tough man - a former bullock team driver (he's cracking the whip on the book cover).  Mr. Luton believes that his very old friend and boon companion, former bullock team partner and neighbor, Ben Wickham, has been murdered.   After their glory days together on the trail, Wickham, the Battling Prophet of the title, has become famous throughout Australia and the world for developing scientific methods for exceptionally precise weather prediction.  He has gained passionate adherents and bitter enemies - and several people want to get their hands on his methods.

The books starts quickly with an outrageous story about how Wickham died - and the seemingly wacky reason why Luton is convinced it was murder.  The mystery is excellent and the characters fascinating, particularly Luton and Miss Alice McGorr, who is recruited by Bony to pose as Luton's niece for the purpose of protecting him while Bony investigates.  Alice, a former delinquent turned extraordinary police woman is a complete, laugh out loud riot.  Wonderful story!!