A former British police officer’s memoir of his assignment in Northern Rhodesia where he encountered black magic, cannibals, human trafficking, and more. Stephen R. Matthew’s first police posting near the Northern Rhodesian border with the Congo coincided dramatically with a time of horrific ethnic cleansing in the Belgian Congo area. At just twenty-one years old, Stephen was knifed, ambushed, stoned, shot, and wounded by bow and arrow. Steve’s life was saved several times by his courageous Doberman, Alex . . . This is the true, action-packed, unadulterated stories of those frantic and dangerous years, where a young police inspector confronted terrifying actions and events well beyond his complete understanding. He found that the cops were fighting on two fronts: trying to protect the vulnerable citizens of the country and at the same time endeavoring to stop the slaughter of wildlife. This unique book depicts dramatic accounts of witchcraft-murders and cannibalism. Highly dangerous solo investigations are detailed, incorporating incidents of black magic, kidnapping, arson, gun-running and people trafficking. “[A] rattling good memoir by a former British police officer writing of his colorful career while on assignment in Congo . . . . Despite his best attempts, Matthews could never shake off the way the locals saw him, as a white witch doctor with the ability to speak with the spirits of the dead and place spells against the living. There’s a story—several, in fact—about what led to this perception, which proves that, at the very least, the author learned a thing or two about telling a tale.” —The New York Times

THIS WAS THE TIME OF THE BELGIAN CONGO DÉBÂCLE, where ethnic cleansing coincided with Steve's first police posting near the Northern Rhodesia border with the Congo, at the age of 21. He graphically describes being knifed, ambushed, stoned, wounded by bow and arrow and shotgun and had his hand broken several times. He saved the life of President Kaunda from a potential assassination attempt and acted as a driver and bodyguard to President Tsombe of the breakaway state of Katanga. Steve was solely responsible for exposing and tracking down a dangerous British Army deserter and communist spy working in the Congo and Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), seeing him neutralised and his operation disbanded. Throughout the book, he gives full credit to his African police colleagues for their immense courage, humour, loyalty and total dedication. The book will standout because it depicts unique, true stories of dealing with witchcraft murders and cannibalism in all its repugnant forms. Steve, personally thwarted an ambush on a group of famous Congo mercenaries known as the Wild Geese. He describes incidents of black magic, kidnapping, arson, gunrunning and people trafficking. He successfully detected the first computer fraud in the territory, and later for the first time, brought back a European fugitive in a series of fraud cases to face justice, from the atrocious apartheid country of South Africa; of being given a government award for his part in combatting the slaughter of wildlife and in taking part in the search for the downed aircraft of the United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld - still the subject of much controversy today. Steve's life was saved several times by his courageous Doberman, Alex regarded as a witch doctor by local tribes. This is the true, action-packed, unadulterated stories of those frantic and dangerous years, where a young police inspector found himself confronted by fearsome actions and events well beyond his complete understanding while serving in the elite police force in Northern Rhodesia now Zambia, which was then a British Protectorate prior to independence. Steve has strived not to duplicate any of these true stories, which provides an indication of just how involved and energises his dedicated years of service really were. Nevertheless, he pushed on regardless, with the realisation that he was doing an important and necessary job for the benefit of the unprivileged peoples of the country; yet the police were fighting on two fronts, trying to protect the vulnerable citizens and at the same time endeavouring to stop the slaughter of the country's wildlife.

"The astonishing true story of a childhood journey from the occupied Channel Islands to the dark heart of a German prison camp."

Encounters with Witchcraft is a personal story of a young man's fascination with African witchcraft discovered first in a trek across East Africa and the Congo. The story unfolds over four decades during the author's long residence in and many trips to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. As a field researcher he learns from villagers what it is like to live with witches, and how witches are seen through African eyes. His teachers are healers, cult leaders, witch-hunters and self-proclaimed "witches" as well as policemen, politicians and judges. A key figure is Mohammadi Lupanda, a frail village woman whose only child has died years before. In her dreams, however, she believes the little girl is not dead, but only lost in the fields. Mohammadi is discovered wandering at night, wailing and calling out for the child. Her neighbors are terror-stricken and she is quickly brought to a village trial and banished as a witch. The author is able to watch and listen to the proceedings and later investigate the deeper story. He discovers mysteries about Mohammadi that are only solved when he returns to the village three decades later. Today, witch-hunting and witchcraft-related crimes are found in more than seventy developing countries. Epidemics of violence against alleged witches, mainly women, but including elders of both genders, and even children is on the increase in some parts of the world. Witchcraft beliefs may lie behind vigilante murders, political assassinations, revenge killings and commercial murders for human body parts. Through African voices the author addresses key questions. Do witchcraft powers exist? Why does witchcraft persist? What are its historic roots? Why is witchcraft-based violence so often found within families? Does witchcraft serve as a hidden legal and political system, a mafia-like under-government? The author holds up a mirror for us to think about religious beliefs in our own experience that rely heavily on myth and superstition.

A guide to series fiction lists popular series, identifies novels by character, and offers guidance on the order in which to read unnumbered series.

THE WITCH AND THE DEAD They say dead men tell no tales. I really wish that were true, because the dead tell me more than I ever wanted to know, and they just never shut up. My name is Rowan Gant. I'm just an average guy... Nobody really...well, except for the fact that I'm a Witch. That last part is the reason I've become the go-to guy for the local cops whenever a murder is a little beyond the pale and they need a consultant with knowledge of the Occult. I didn't actually want the job, but apparently, the job wanted me and it wasn't taking no for an answer. But that's now. This is the story of then. You see, my life used to be pretty calm, but a homicide detective friend of mine is about to ask me to decipher some symbols that were found at a crime scene. The police need answers, and I'm the unlucky bastard who is going to come up with them. Of course, fate being what it is, every answer is just going to beg more questions that drag me deeper into this mess, and there won't be any turning back. Not for me, anyway... My life is about to change forever, and from what I can see-and even feel-it's not going to be good. In fact, it's going to be downright evil...