The Beach of Atonement

Arthur W. Upfield

• Publisher: Rare Treasure Editions
• Year: 2026
• Subtopic: Australian & Oceanian Literature
• eBook ISBN:
  9798907971691

One fatal gunshot destroyed everything Arnold Dudley held dear. Driven by passion and a fierce love for his wife, Arnold did the unthinkable: he killed the man who stole her from him. But the act of vengeance offered no peace—only a haunting memory that completely shattered his soul. Now a fugitive from the law, Arnold is driven into exile on a desolate, wind-swept stretch of the Australian coast. Living in utter isolation, he battles the crushing weight of bitter remorse and a creeping madness brought on by the solitary landscape. When two women happen upon his remote sanctuary, they try to heal his broken life. But can love and sacrifice truly rebuild a soul destroyed by murder, or is Arnold doomed to find his salvation only through a final, fateful act of cosmic justice? First published in 1930, now public domain in the US and Canada, ''The Beach of Atonement'' is a gripping psychological thriller and a profound exploration of guilt and redemption from Arthur W. Upfield, the legendary creator of the Inspector Bony mystery series.

Table of contents

• The Beach of Atonement
• CHAPTER I, “ELLEN AND TRACY”
• CHAPTER II, “THE MOVING FINGER WRITES—”
• CHAPTER III, THE JUSTICE OF MAN
• CHAPTER IV, THE BEACH
• CHAPTER V, THE ABSENT-MINDED TRAPPER
• CHAPTER VI, HESTER LONG
• CHAPTER VII, HESTER LONG’S EAGLES
• CHAPTER VIII, THE DREAM
• CHAPTER IX, IN CHAINS
• CHAPTER X, THE DEVIL IN THE BOTTLE
• CHAPTER XI, EDITH MALLORY’S CONFESSION
• CHAPTER XII, DUDLEY GOES HOME
• CHAPTER XIII, A LADY WITH A LAMP
• CHAPTER XIV, “BRAVO, HESTER LONG!”
• CHAPTER XV, BEAUTY SURFACE DEEP
• CHAPTER XVI, DUDLEY’S STEP FORWARD
• CHAPTER XVII, TEMPTATION
• CHAPTER XVIII, BATTLING WITH SATAN
• CHAPTER XIX, AT THE PRECIPICE EDGE
• CHAPTER XX, FINLAY COMES TO THE BEACH
• CHAPTER XXI, HESTER’S DEFEAT
• CHAPTER XXII, MADNESS OR REPENTANCE?
• CHAPTER XXIII, THE FALL OF ST. ANTHONY
• CHAPTER XXIV, THE FOX HUNTER
• CHAPTER XXV, STORM
• CHAPTER XXVI, HESTER LONG’S ORDEAL
• CHAPTER XXVII, DEATH—AND LIFE
• CHAPTER XXVIII, A WOMAN OF EMPIRE