The Devil in the Bush

Dr. Mary Finney #1

by Matthew Head

World War II is raging, but in this dusty backwater of the Belgian Congo, the biggest problem is finding a cold beer.

That’s the case, at least, for Hooper Taliaferro, a U.S. government gofer sent to Africa on a vague errand related to the war effort. What he finds at the failing Congo-Ruizi plantation won’t help the Allies much. Like colonialism itself, the owner is dying of a slow poison, and neither his staff nor his sluttish wife can muster the energy to care.

But along with Hooper arrives Dr. Mary Finney, a formidable missionary with both moral outrage and sleuthing skills to spare.

Genres: Mystery, Africa, Fiction, American

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1945

Reviews

[Linda Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The copyright date for this book is 1945. It is a strange book overall, though a decent enough mystery, taking place in the (then) Belgium Congo. The main characters, Hoop (an American) and Dr. Mary Finney (Belgium perhaps) are interesting characters and readers most likely will grown to like them. At times it is hard to keep events straight as the characters realize thy have a mystery to solve surrounding two deaths. I picked up the book because of the copyright date, wondering if mysteries written in 1945 would differ greatly from those of today. My conclusion is that the books in general were shorter (a good thing) and the conversations different/more stilted than today's mysteries. The book is worth reading.

[Alana Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the style of this author - although I haven't read any of the others in the series. I liked his description of the the Belgian Congo in 1945, the housing particularly, the poverty of vehicles, and the fact that, contrary to other writers, that this writers describes colonial life as boring. The mystery was well-concealed especially with so few characters - although I guessed at parts of it. The book is not politically correct in language, which could be offending, but it was the way it was.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief 1945 mystery read for the location in the Belgian Congo and more explicit than expected even if melodramatic at times. Hoop is an American expert sent in 1943 to scope mineral sources for the war effort. The murder of the manager of a mine is followed by another killing, maybe by locals seeking revenge, but complex relationships amongst the Belgians (and Hoop’s presence) are soon critical. In an enclosed community, fiftyish Dr Mary Finney is a more acerbic Miss Marple clone who adroitly solves the case

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written and set in a time that saw women with less options in the world than they eventually attained, and when the "N" word was freely used to describe "the natives," this was an okay story, bolstered by being set in a locale not often written about, which helped keep this reader's interest. The writing was easy and the plot not too taxing. I read a mapback version which included the layout of the jungle outpost the killings take place in, which helped a bit.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written in the early 1940's and while n the Felony and Mayhem cover part of the title is ' The First Dr. Mary Finney Mystery ' inside to the book our heroine is called Miss Mary Finney M.D. . The characters acknowledge her degree but all refer to her as Miss.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: one is uncertain what the mystery is, but it's there. Missionary Dr. Mary Finney arrives in the Belgian Congo, an American Miss Marple.