Venom House Audiobook By Arthur W. Upfield cover art

Venom House

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Venom House

By: Arthur W. Upfield
Narrated by: Peter Hosking
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.49

Buy for $19.49

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

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 Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Haunted

Editorial reviews

A double murder in the quaint, idyllic coastal town of Edison in Southeastern Queensland leads the wily and always-in-control Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, or Bony as he is better known, to the abode of the Answerths, a peculiar family whose titular home lies on the lake where the corpses were found and whose ancestors may be responsible for the brutal slaughter of thousands of Aboriginals years ago.

Peter Hosking’s compelling performance and rich Australian twang turns this murder mystery rife with twists and turns into an addictive listen that will surely please fans of the genre.

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)
All stars
Most relevant  
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.

Very good listen. Makes you regret leaving the car.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.