What would you do to be rich? Not just rich, but fabulously rich. Perhaps you are that unique soul that has no dreams, no aspirations, no agenda… well if you are, good luck. It must be a very dreary existence. But if you’re like the rest of us, you have a fantasy, a vision of what could be, of what you could be. Maybe that dream is selfish, or maybe it’s altruistic, or maybe... it’s extremist.
What if there was a family jewel, an exquisite 133-carat pink piece of perfection, a diamond that historically belonged to you, and what if that gem was stolen and disappeared for eighty years? And what if, rumour had it, that diamond suddenly reappeared? What lengths would you go to get it back? And what if the person who stole that diamond promised it to some very bad people so he could get his family to safety during a war? And what if that person was murdered for making that Faustian deal that he refused to deliver on? What if… What if…
When people are desperate, when people run out of options, when people have no other place to go… who do they turn to? Perhaps to a man like Axel Webb. Why? Just ask him. He’ll tell you: “I find things; I find out things about things, and I find evidence of things.”
So it’s not surprising that an exiled Italian Conte and his wife, a pair of religiously motivated social extremists, and the great-granddaughter of the man who stole the gem all find their way to Axel Webb’s office.
International intrigue, religious extremism, self-preservation, and murder are all facets of the glittering pink prize. Who will find it, and at what cost? Or does it even still exist?
Genre: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Hard-BoiledOtto Dace enters the café in the lobby of the Hotel Geneve. His seven-year-old son, Heinz Victor, and his five-year-old daughter, Florence Katrina, cling to him. The little girl is uneasy. She grips her father's hand as tight as she can. The trip from Zurich to Buenos Aires to Mexico City was long, scary, and uncomfortable. The children longed to return to their home in Switzerland, but that wasn’t an option.
Otto finds seats in the lobby café. He tries to comfort the children by ordering American-style ice cream sodas: butterscotch for Heinz and chocolate for Florence. But no amount of ice cream can calm Otto's nerves. He isn’t used to the anxiety: not because of the war; not because of his wife’s recent passing; and not because he fled his superficially neutral homeland. What makes Otto Dace nervous is the extraordinary pink gemstone sewn into the lining of his trench coat. He doesn’t dare take-off the overcoat despite the oppressive summer heat.
The Nebel des Krieges created the opportunity to escape Europe with the Conte’s prized possession. Only time will tell if he’ll get away with this vertrauensbruch. He felt bad about betraying the Conte, but the war changed everything. Es ist jeder für sich: it’s everyone for themselves. Who knew if the Conte would even survive the conflict. Otto had his own priorities and an obligation to his children. He had to secure their future.
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by ANDRE DIOGO WEBER 2
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Antonio de Torre
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Author review: Antonio did an exceptional job in translating the book. This is the second book we have worked on together and I look forward to working together again on the next one. - Jerry Bader, Author and Screenwriter |
