“A lush novel, rich with tension and intricately woven, believable characters.  Myers clearly loves the Congo—and you will love this book. I did!” —Mary Alice Monroe, bestselling author of Last Light over Carolina   With The Witch Doctor’s Wife, Tamar Myers delves into her personal history as the daughter of Christian missionaries in the Belgian Congo. Rich and alive with the sights and sounds of the continent—as exciting, evocative, charming, and suspenseful as Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels—Myer’s unforgettable excursion to colonial Africa recalls Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, even the Academy Award-nominated film Blood Diamond. Award-winning author Carolyn Hart raves: “Mesmerizing…. The Witch Doctor’s Wife will long linger in the hearts and minds of readers. Authentic. Powerful. Triumphant.” A prim missionary, a sleazy executive, and a humble witch doctor are all players in Myers’ captivating debut set in the Congo in the 1950s. As the novel opens, young South Carolina missionary Amanda Brown weathers a rocky flight en route to her new post as manager of a missionary guesthouse in tiny Belle Vue. It is a harbinger of the challenges that await her. Though small and primitive, Belle Vue is populated by many larger-than-life personalities, from Amanda’s cranky housekeeper (with the wonderfully odd name, Protruding Navel) to the local witch doctor’s wife, whose limp leads people to underestimate her—at their peril. The discovery of a large uncut diamond draws out the sinister side of Belle Vue’s inhabitants, and Amanda soon finds herself caught up in the chaos. Myers, author of the Den of Antiquity and Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries, was born and raised in the Congo, and she writes vividly about her childhood home. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith are sure to relish this opportunity to learn about another intriguing area of Africa. --Allison Block “Only an author with an intimate knowledge of the Congo―its people, landscape, and culture--could write a novel with such confidence and authority. This is a lush novel, rich with tension and intricately woven, believable characters. Myers clearly loves the Congo―and you will love this book. I did!” - Mary Alice Monroe, bestselling author of Last Light over Carolina Tamar Myers’ mesmerizing novel of mid-twentieth century Congo plumbs passion, despair, and courage. The Witch Doctor’s Wife will long linger in the hearts and minds of readers. Authentic. Powerful. Triumphant. - Carolyn Hart, author of Dare to Die Myers draws on her own experiences as the daughters of white missionaries living in the Belgian Congo for this dazzling novel full of authentic African lore....This marks a major breakthrough for Myers as she displays storytelling skills... - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Hilarious….Myers is expert at turning the tragedy of murder into comedy in a logical way.” - Charleston Post & Courier “Who do you read after Sue Grafton or Margaret Maron or Patricia Cornwell?...Tamar Myers!” - Greensboro News & Record “Blending mystery with a dash of romance, the witty Tamar Myers has come up with a southern mystery that will delight fans.” - Mystery & Intrigue From beloved mystery writer Tamar Myers comes an enthralling tale of duty, greed, danger, and miracles in equatorial Africa. The Congo beckons to young Amanda Brown in 1958, as she follows her missionary calling to the mysterious "dark continent" far from her South Carolina home. But her enthusiasm cannot cushion her from the shock of a very foreign culture—where competing missionaries are as plentiful as flies, and oppressive European overlords are busy stripping the land of its most valuable resource: diamonds. Little by little, Amanda is drawn into the lives of the villagers in tiny Belle Vue—and she is touched by the plight of the local witch doctor, a man known as Their Death, who has been forced to take a second job as a yardman to support his two wives. But when First Wife stumbles upon an impossibly enormous uncut gem, events are set in motion that threaten to devastate the lives of these people Amanda has come to admire and love—events that could lead to nothing less than murder. Richly evocative, written with warmth and humor, and based on the author's own experiences, Tamar Myers's The Witch Doctor's Wife is an unforgettable African journey with a spellbinding mystery at its heart. Tamar Myers is the author of the Belgian Congo series and the Den of Antiquity series as well as the Pennsylvania-Dutch mysteries. Born and raised in the Congo, she lives in North Carolina.