The Bone Is Pointed

 

By Arthur W. Upfield

First, a note about the title. "Pointing the bone" is a kind of magic the native people in the story use to curse their enemies to death: death by suggestion. 

Detective Napoleon Bonaparte aka Bony comes to the outback to investigate the disappearance of a jackeroo (ranch hand) Jeffery Anderson. He was out riding the fence line on the Lacy station, Karwir, and failed to return home. His horse came back riderless. Karwir is a large station (what Americans would call a ranch) and although they searched as best they could, no trace could be found of Anderson. But the owner of the station, called Old Lacy, wants to know what happened to him. Enter Bony to solve the mystery of a disappearance that is several months old.

After such a long span of time, not much in the way of trace evidence remains to be investigated. But Bony does his best, spending much of his time scouring the land searching for the minute clues that will lead him to the answer. His investigations cause the local native people to turn against him and they place a curse on him called pointing the bone. This is where they will an enemy to death mainly by informing the target that the curse has been placed on him. It really only works with people who believe it will work. Unfortunately, Bony, due to his native blood, is one of those who believes even though he tries to convince himself he doesn't believe in curses. Will he be able to solve the mystery before the curse does its deadly work?

Fascinating story, not for the mystery, really, but for the picture of life on Australian sheep and cattle stations in the 1940s. Bony, of course, solves the mystery which turns out to be not that mysterious. The only thing I really didn't care for was the silliness involving the curse. I thought Bony was above those kind of superstitions. 

In a Sunburned Country

By Bill Bryson

Australia: perhaps the most exotic place in the world. Full of flora and fauna found nowhere else on our planet, some of which is dangerous and/or toxic. Much of it is inhospitable, uninhabited and pretty much unexplored. Parts of the interior have never been closely surveyed and may possibly contain unknown  reserves of mineral wealth.
Australia is nearly the same size as the continental United States but sparsely populated, with most of the people living in cities on the  southern and eastern coasts.  The coasts have the best climate, with lush forests and land suitable to grow crops. The interior is desert of the harshest, most deadly kind.
Bill Bryson has a love affair with Australia, despite its much touted dangers. He set off on a tour of the civilized places, visiting some of Australia's most outstanding and amazing attractions. Throughout his trip he finds the people welcoming and helpful and the natural wonders simply amazing. He rarely has a harsh word to say and is looking forward to returning in the future.

I enjoyed the book a lot. Bryson has a lovely sense of humor and doesn't mind poking fun of himself. I laughed out loud several times as Bryson describes some of the predicaments he gets himself into.
But besides the humor, Bryson's descriptions made me long to visit Australia some day. If I could, I would go there without hesitating, eager to see all the sights that Bryson does such an excellent job describing.

For another review, see https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7679-0385-1.

Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living

By Carrie Tiffany

Jean and Robert meet on a train, a special train. This train travels 1930s Australia educating farmers in techniques to improve yield & improve their lives. Robert is a soil scientist. He has the unique ability to taste a sample of soil and tell where it came from. He is on the train to instruct farmers on growing better wheat. Jean is a seamstress. She is on the train to instruct farm wives on how to sew better clothing. Jean say she is not looking for love and yet she finds herself drawn to the taciturn Robert. He is the one who came up with the "Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living." They are 1. Contribute to Society for the achievement of mutual benefits. 2. The only true foundation is a fact. 3. Keep up-to-date. 4. Avoid mawkish consideration of history & religion. 5. Keep the mind flexible through the development & testing of new hypotheses. 6. Cultivate the company of wiser men -- men who are stickers -- not shirkers. 7. Disseminate. The labors and achievements of men of science must become the permanent possession of many. 8. Bring science into the home.
Robert has a dream. He wants to set up an experimental wheat farm and use his scientific knowledge to produce a better, more bountiful crop. He seduces Jean and they get married and move to a farm in the Mallee region of Australia and Robert goes about proving his hypothesis that science can produce better crops for farmers. But Robert founds out that farming isn't really science when the Mallee is plagued by drought for years and by infestations of mice.
It is hard to understand just what Jean sees in Robert. For one thing, she never really says. It is not clear whether she wed because she just wanted a husband or because she fell for him. She never even says that she loves him until the end of the story. Robert never says much either, although he plainly enjoys having sex with her.
Robert comes across as a cold fish and Jean isn't much better. It's hard to warm up to these characters when so much of their internal life is left unsaid. I guess the main point of the story is to point out the inadequacy of science.

Review from Kirkus Reviews:   https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/carrie-tiffany/everymans-rules-for-scientific-living/.