I read these books many years ago and have since become good friends with some folks from australia, so I'm reading them again. Knowing more of the history and geography, I'm finding them intriguing. This one involves the hunt for the killer of a man investigating the illegal stills the Kelly family runs in a isolated valley in New South Wales near Melbourne, the new home of my friends who've recently returned back home. The descriptions of the valley with its lush green mountains, waterfalls, and country life remind me of the Ireland. This fictional family supposedly is descended from Ned Kelly, the famous hero from the 188o's vilified by the political forces of the day and eventually hunted down and killed. This functional clan celebrates a Ned Kelly Festival, which similar to to historical event at Glenrowan hotel, leads to their demise. One of my favorite Celtic songs is entitled The Green Among The Gold, and tells about the Irish who immigrated to Australia. This book was an interesting mix of these 2 cultures as well as the aborigine one, portrayed through the main character Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte. My friend said she used to watch the tv series made from these books back in the 70's. I wonder if I could find on Netflix.
