Venom House

By: Arthur W. Upfield

Narrated by: Peter Hosking

The Answerth family's mansion seems to deserve its nickname of 'Venom House'. Perhaps that's because of its forbidding setting, an island in the centre of a man-made lake, the treacherous waters studded by the skeletons of long-dead trees. Perhaps it's because of the unquiet ghosts of the Aborigines slaughtered by Answerth ancestors. Or perhaps it's just because the Answerth household is such a strange one.

©1952 Bonaparte Holdings Ltd (P)2009 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

"Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte's crime-solving reputation is undisputed. He always gets his 'man'. But when Bonaparte finds himself at the Answerth's remote and foreboding family manor in the Australian outback, his search for a murderer becomes an ominous mission. Australian narrator Peter Hosking is a remarkably stalwart and capable reader; he has an indulgent interpretation of these peculiar characters – a stranger bunch you've yet to meet. The Answerth sisters, one prim and diabolical, the other fierce-tempered and aggressive, are vividly depicted as possible murder suspects. However, the idiot brother, kept under lock and key, displays glimpses of potential for the deed, as well. Hosking, as the detective-inspector, brilliantly guides the listener through a web of deceit, bizarre behaviours, and a side of Australia you may never have known." (AudioFile Magazine)

Very good listen. Makes you regret leaving the car.

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters are true bush folk. I missed the anxiety Bony exhibits in other books about his ancestry and he does not use his extraordinary skills to the same degree. The family and story seem like it could be anywhere, but the outcome is pure Bony style Australia.