Death in the Sea of Grass

The autopsy shows it was murder, but things really get sticky when Medical Examiner Claire Winter finds a rare lavender diamond in the gore under the body.

A geologist would know about diamonds, but the only geologist Claire knows here in the British protectorate of Tshaniland is Queen Malaila, whom she first met at Commonwealth University when they were both students. The queen has other problems, including the possibility that Edward, Prince of Wales, may be coming to Africa, and bringing his fancy woman Wallis Simpson. This would be an affront to the Queen and a source of unrest among the conservative party.

There's an unexpectedly strong reaction when the Queen sees the diamond, and Claire is charged with finding out as much as she can about how it came to be in the murdered man's body.

Complicating matters is the presence of a possible Nazi agent at the agricultural project being sponsored by the Third Reich near the Royal Compound. Rivka Lerner, a refugee artist who lives with Claire, is sure the assistant manager is the man she saw near the Chancellery immediately following the Dolfuss assassination in Vienna. It may be that she has an overactive imagination, but the proximity of Tshaniland to South Africa and the potential for damage to British strategic interests can't be overlooked by Redmond Trevelyan, the resident Commissioner.

Things get personal when someone sets fire to Claire's house and then takes a shot at her on the mountain road. Someone doesn't want the source of the diamond found or the murder solved.

Nostalgia buffs, homesick old Africa hands, and fans of the Golden Age of murder mysteries alike will enjoy this book, set in an age and place when life was simpler, and the source of evil clearer.