ISBN: 1-58939-944-7, $14.95, softcover, 280 pages
"Queen of Diamonds" is the story of Ngoc Soàn, a flamboyant Vietnamese gambler and businesswoman who has overcome gender barriers, racial discrimination and war wounds to build a thriving Philadelphia diamond company. When she discovers that wealth alone doesn't bring happiness, she pursues her dream - lowering diamond prices for the masses.
With the De Beers diamond cartel in control of the world supply, Ngoc defies the cartel in her quest for a revolutionary mining discovery - a discovery that De Beers will do anything to suppress.
A sinister Russian, a brilliant geologist, a rival tycoon and Ngoc's ambitious niece complicate Ngoc's risky bid to bypass the cartel. Enter Paul Weeks, master of surveillance and disguise, who sells Ngoc the secret mining specifications. In the process, he uncovers Ngoc's own painful secret, opening new possibilities for the Queen of Diamonds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
R.O. Palmer was raised in Westfield, New Jersey, graduated from Dickinson College and currently lives in Boonton, New Jersey. Palmer, who is never far from a book, enjoys fishing and hiking in the Pocono Mountains of northeast Pennsylvania and likes to travel, imagining adventures along the way.
