Author Tamar Myers has broken out of her usual mold of humorous cozy mysteries and penned a novel that, while fiction, does reflect some of her own life experiences.

In 1958, a young missionary who hails from South Carolina enters a whole new world.  Amanda Brown is a woman with a calling to help others in the Belgian Congo.  Her parents were also missionaries, and she feels this calling is in her blood and is her fate.  A near crash of the plane she is in leaves her in a small village where diamonds are mined.

Myers shares a varied cast of characters with the reader, including a witch doctor, known as "Their Death" and his two wives.  The First Wife finds a miraculous gem, uncut and of immeasurable value.

Unfortunately, the battles over mining rights and the Congolese desire for freedom from the Belgians leads to murder and mayhem.  The social animosity between races is very disturbing, but presented in a realistic manner, which makes the reader stop to think twice about how things have changed and how they have not in the present day world.

I found this book to be a slow read, simply because there were so many characters and storylines and substory lines to keep track of. Yet it was well worth the time spent reading it. It is most interesting from a historical perspective, while still maintaining some of Myer’s characteristic humor and the weaving of a good mystery.

I would recommend this book to other readers who enjoy Tamar Myers' usual fare, simply because she has a great command of the English language that is always enjoyable to read.  I also believe history buffs would like this book very much.  For the learned reader who enjoys both history and fiction, and also a good murder mystery, this book is for you. It is both heart wrenching and thought provoking.