An I.D.B. in South Africa

Scenes on the Kimberley diamond fields interweave social life, domestic interiors, and the commerce of precious stones with secrecy and suspicion. A strikingly beautiful woman and her companions attract notice at the theatre when a prominent diamond dealer is discovered with a marked gem, is arrested, and subsequently takes his own life. Inspectors, visitors, and acquaintances respond to the scandal while conversations about mixed European and African ancestry surface, revealing social tensions. The book alternates vivid descriptions of colonial interiors and mining landscapes with episodes of investigation and reputational peril centered on diamonds.