The Cabinda Affair — Matthew Head

The author of The Devil in the Bush returns to Colonial Africa in a mystery that is “at once an absorbing whodunit and a distinguished novel of atmosphere” (The New York Times).

World War II is over but US gofer Hooper Taliaferro is still in Africa, typing up Uncle Sam's loose ends. The latest end is in Cabinda, a tiny Portuguese colony with gaily painted buildings and a history of slave-trading. Hoop should have a pleasant stay at the home of the local administrator -- after all, the beer is cold and the women beautiful. Unfortunately, the other guests include a shady lawyer and an overly chummy Brit on constant look-out for a loan.

When one of them is murdered, Hoop calls in Dr. Mary Finney, the Miss Marple of the tropics. As usual, Hoop is a bit fuzzy on the details, but the formidable Dr. Finney has both stellar sleuthing skills and a .45 in her "necessaries bag." Both will come in handy if she's to sort through the tangled threads of the Cabinda Affair.