David Murray Hastings

Well travelled and artistic, Mary Dobie was visiting relatives in New Zealand when in November of 1880 her body was found lying under a flax bush near Ōpunake on the Taranaki coast with her throat cut so deeply her head was almost severed. Only one year before the invasion of Parihaka, Mary's death fueled tensions in the area and created much speculation about her death and her killer or killers. In this fascinating book, David Hastings takes us through Mary's life story, the events leading up to her murder, the capture and hanging of her murderer, and through events at Parihaka just a year later. Well researched and written, this is a fitting addition to the body of work on 19th Century New Zealand. Would read again.… (meer)