Inspired by Sir Richard Francis Burton, Kelly James dreamed of being an explorer, but became a private investigator instead, handling cases that took her across the globe. It was in Africa that she experienced her greatest adventures and most memorable insights into the human experience.

In this moving memoir, James vividly recalls four stunning cases: a plantation owner's alleged suicide; a trip chaperoning a teenage misfit through the jungles of Rwanda to find rare silverback gorillas; a search for a missing mother and daughter; and a trek into a "hell on earth" that nearly killed her. Throughout, she encounters extraordinary women as well as corrupt officials, poachers, priests, tribesmen, and witchdoctors—the flesh and blood characters whose souls have irrevocably touched her own.

A personal glimpse into one uncommon woman, Dancing with the Witchdoctor is an exotic, mesmerizing tour and a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit.