The Elusive Gems by Alice Recker
When Beatrice Chandler attends a Writers’ Conference in St. Louis, little does she know she will soon be entwined in a mystery of smuggled gems from a diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She is drawn to the young Ugandan woman who sits next to her at the conference and they develop…
When Beatrice Chandler attends a Writers’ Conference in St. Louis, little does she know she will soon be entwined in a mystery of smuggled gems from a diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She is drawn to the young Ugandan woman who sits next to her at the conference and they develop a friendship immediately. When Jannie Kaboka returns to her home after the conference, flashbacks of why she and her husband, Ben left Uganda terrorize them both. Ben is bound to a chair, the house is ransacked and their visiting cousin Arcel has been kidnapped. Jannie pleads Beatrice for help since she does not trust the law yet in America. Beatrice has much to learn in regard to the dangerous world of smugglers but not before she herself is stalked by the menacing Johar who feels sure she can lead him to the smuggler he believes has stolen more than a few diamonds from the mine. Everyone has a vested interest in the underworld operations of raw gems and their greed takes over all reason. The crime writer of cold cases discovers illegal activity in the world of precious stones and her one goal is to protect her new friends.
About the Author
About the Author
Alice Shy Recker is the author of short stories published in Torrid Literature Journal, (where she was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014,) Looking Back, and Nature Friend magazines. She is a contributing writer to New Madrid County Missouri History and Families and has won awards and honorable mentions from Ozark Creative Writers for “The Magical Catfish,” from Alabama Writers Conclave for “The Stranger and the Lucky Pennies,” and from White County Creative Writers for “Summertime Reindeer Races,” all for children. She also received honorable mention for “Midsummer Enchantment” for Y/A and adults from White County Creative Writers.
She is originally from New Madrid, Missouri located in southeastern Missouri and now writes mystery novels. “Heart of the Wheat Shaft,” her first novel, is followed by “Disappearance in Plain Country,” the first of the Beatrice Chandler Mysteries. The second novel in the Beatrice Chandler Mysteries, “Betrayal of the River,” debuted February 2015.
The Author has completed two non-fiction self-help books for a private client and three fictional mysteries for a second private client, all of which were ghostwritten by Recker. The Author lives in the Kansas City area and has two adult children.