Death Sails the Nile by F. Burks McKinley (The Stratford Company, 1933; Coachwhip Publications, 2018) was the only mystery published by Mary Frances Burks (1907-1970). Burks was a Tennessee native, graduating from Vanderbilt University and marrying historian and biographer Silas Bent McKinley on the same day in 1929. Four years later she published this first mystery to critical approbation.
The Saturday Review, December 2, 1933 said: “Cooped up in a dahabeah three of its nine white passengers are murdered on a trip up the Nile. Girl newspaper reporter traps murderer. Authentic Egyptian background succeeds in producing unique atmosphere of terror. Plenty of clues and strange occurrences. Verdict: Good.”
The Minneapolis Star said: “If you fancy yourself an armchair sleuth, tackle Death Sails the Nile, in which F. Burks McKinley makes her bow as a mystery story writer. You’ll find clues aplenty, a logical plot, but some queer turns that will surprise you. The story takes place aboard a ‘dahabeah’ sailing into the heart of Africa. Celia Lawton dies. Why? Before that question is answered, the reader has been taken on a terrifying journey with an unknown murderer whose identity is solved by Mona Case, a newspaperwoman. Miss McKinley has indeed made an auspicious start.”
I thought the plot was good with excellent misdirection. The miserably hot and humid Egyptian setting conveyed so clearly is based on the McKinleys’ honeymoon trip. The story opens with a visit to a snakehandler, which is enough to make most readers uneasy. The tension is subtly cranked up from there. The writing is serviceable rather than stylish but the characters are sketched clearly enough. An intriguing contribution to vintage crime fiction and a promising start to what could have been a wonderful writing career.