Lesotho, 1962. In the stark beauty of the snow-bitten Maluti Mountains, a single lie sets two futures on a collision course.
After a forced plane landing throws Philippa Tremain back into the path of Stuart Price—the rugged charter pilot she's never forgotten—a reckless impulse takes hold. To secure shelter, she tells their rescuers they are newlyweds. Stuart, horrified but protective, plays along. But their impulsive story, captured in a celebratory photograph, doesn't stay buried in the mountains.
Months later, Philippa is seemingly back on track, courted by a wealthy diamond heir in Cape Town. But the photograph resurfaces in the hands of a ruthless criminal entangled in a highland diamond syndicate. What began as a desperate lie becomes dangerous leverage, threatening Philippa's glittering future and Stuart's freedom.
As blackmail, illicit diamond deals, and political tensions swirl in the final years of colonial Basutoland, Philippa is caught between the secure life she's been promised and the man her lie has endangered. Stuart, haunted by his own past, must decide how much he'll risk for a future that seems impossible.
Drawn from the author's lived history in colonial Lesotho and her father's real-life investigations into diamond smuggling and ritual murder, The Lesotho Diamond is a sweeping novel of love tested by secrets, loyalty challenged by ambition, and the courage it takes to choose your own path on a continent poised for change.
Perfect for readers of Wilbur Smith's epic African adventures and Kate Quinn's character-driven historical sagas.
