John C. Redmond

Lost Diamond John C. Redmond

A photograph of a massive, uncut diamond arrives at the headquarters of a diamond mine on the Limpopo River in South Africa. Some suspect the stone was stolen from the mine. The chief executive of the mine, frustrated by the inability of the mine's security organization to resolve the issue, sends his attractive female assistant to the United States to hire Brett Taylor, an American geologist. Taylor is contracted to pose as an IDB (illicit diamond buyer) to discover the truth, and to return the diamond, if it exists. Taylor travels to the South African mine where he mixes with the mine's workers at the local shebeens (pubs) and offers to buy large diamonds, no questions asked. What he finds goes way beyond the simple theft of a diamond. A diamond merchant is murdered in Antwerp. Are unknown forces threatening South Africa in its transition from apartheid to a freely elected democracy? The Scorpions, the country's famed national police, also want to know. "The Professor," a brilliant native miner, astounds Taylor with the breadth of his knowledge, but his role in the affair is unclear. Taylor seeks to learn more about the lodge in the small town of Lekkerdorp, and his curiosity places him in great danger which he must overcome if he is to succeed.

Note: Although a work of fiction, the story is based on real South African history and current events in the country.