The Mountains Have a Secret explained

The Mountains Have a Secret
Author:Arthur Upfield
Country:Australia
Language:English
Series:Detective Inspector Napoleon 'Bony' Bonaparte
Genre:Fiction
Publisher:Doubleday
Release Date:1948
Media Type:Print
Pages:187 pp
Preceded By:An Author Bites the Dust
Followed By:The Widows of Broome

The Mountains Have a Secret (1948) is a novel by Australian writer Arthur Upfield. It is the twelfth of the author's novels to feature his recurring character Detective Inspector Napoleon 'Bony' Bonaparte. It was originally published in USA by Doubleday in 1948 under their Crime Club imprint.[1]

Abstract

After two young girls disappear near the Baden Park Hotel, a police officer investigating their disappearance is murdered. Napoleon Bonaparte is called in to help solve the mystery.

Location

Set mostly in the Grampians mountain range in western Victoria.

Publishing history

Following the book's initial publication by Doubleday in 1948 it was subsequently published as follows:

and subsequent paperback, ebook and audio book editions.

The novel was also translated into Danish and Spanish in 1957, German in 1990, and French in 1997.[4]

Critical reception

Writing for the Western Mail (Perth) a reviewer found that Upfield "provides the reader withan extraordinary end to the story—quite unsuspected and rather startling.

"To dwell too long on this aspect of the book is unfair to the author and his purpose! Some readers will be delighted at the final sequences; many will feel that they might be much too far-fetched even for thrillers whichare allowed a great deal of latitude.

"Whether the ending is acceptable or not does riot matter. The book is well up to the standard of all the Napoleon Bonaparte stories and better than most."[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Mountains Have a Secret by Arthur Upfield (Doubleday 1948). National Library of Australia. 16 September 2024.
  2. Web site: The Mountains Have a Secret by Arthur Upfield (Heinemann 1952). National Library of Australia. 16 September 2024.
  3. Web site: The Mountains Have a Secret by Arthur Upfield (A&R 1991). National Library of Australia. 16 September 2024.
  4. Web site: The Mountains Have a Secret by Arthur Upfield. Austlit. 16 September 2024.
  5. Web site: "Mountain secrets" . Western Mail. 21 August 1952. Western Mail, 21 August 1952, p8. 16 September 2024.